I must share all about our day yesterday.
First, it started far too early. The night before we had a farewell to Karon Beach dinner with new travelling friend and then skipped back to hotel to pack bags in eager anticipation of going to stay on tropical island paradise (quote from Lonely Planet) the next day. So, while it was with a little bit of groaning that I got up at 630 am (I know it's not that early to some but it is early when you have been leaving room at 11 each morning to shclep down to 7-11 for a tasty Thai breakfast) I was able to maintain momentum with thought of tropical island paradise to come.
By 7.20, we were all checked out of hotel Ramada (good luck getting in) and had been squeezed into minivan with ten others (suitcases on roof of minivan - reassuringly tied on halfway through trip) for long long trip to dock to catch boat to Ao Nang beach. Happy to be squeezed into minivan with ten others for long journey due to thought of tropical island paradise to come.
Arrived at dock, walked over five other boats to get to our boat (Thai version of Gilligan carried bags) and settled in for 1 and 3/4 hour boat ride, "aaahhhh tropical island paradise - here I come". Arrived at Ao Nang, next mode of transport - back of ute with nice tarpauline over roof. Nice trip along beach and through limestone mountains to get to next mode of transportation, didn't really enjoy view that much, 'tropical island paradise will be better - don't tire eyes out with this 90% beauty'.
Arrived at dock for next mode of transportation - long-tail boat. Boat which looks like the manual arts boys made it in senior. Long tail boat operated by 6 youths, probably 12 - 14 years of age. No problem - 'get me to tropical island paradise'. Long tail boat ride - 15 minutes. Enjoyable - no worries at all about water lapping around ankles. 'Tropical island paradise near, so near'.
Arrived at tropical island paradise. Next mode of transportation - my two pins. Thinking dark and angry thoughts at shopping done in China - making bag heavy, oh so heavy, tropical island paradise thus far looking a lot like Coochie Mudlo Island but can't see any tandem bikes (memory from girls brigade trip in early 1990's). No accommodation booked. Plan to walk around and use our tremendous bartering skills to negotiate fabulous price at fabulous resort. So hot. Why is it raining down my back, raining down my forehead? Why am I carrying a jumper in my satchel? Why?
Mooch around tropical island paradise. Resorts don't seem as keen as we thought to have us stay with them. Not offering fabulous prices. Trudge to west side of supposed tropical island paradise. Beach non-existent. High tide. Foamy. Expensive. People crowded around pool.
Thinking happy thoughts about Mooloolaba.
Trudge back to east side. Look in cheap hovel. Will need anti-depressants if stay there. Broach idea of going back to Karon. Travelling companion agrees. Let's get the next boat out of here. Much relief. Cast our mind to glorious hotel back at Karon beach (not Ramada) which had seen last week. New plan. Let's get out of here. Sit by mangroves, allow mosquitos to lunch on us, thinking about how 'tropical island paradise' looks more like Coochie/Brisbane river. Wait for 2.30pm for youths to ferry us to next boat.
Trudge through mud to get to long-tail boat to take us to next boat (more unhappy shopping thoughts) , next boat = 3 hour journey. Why so long back? Packed back into mini-van. Ahhh, arrive at glorious resort, across road from beach, buffet breakfast. They'll have us! No more 7-11 breakfasts.
Funny day. Hot, tiring. Pretend that it was was a day trip. Happy.
Monday, April 27, 2009
Friday, April 24, 2009
Ramada - just TRY and get in
Hotel Ramada is where we are staying. One of the interesting features of it is that the hotel keys rarely like to perform their simple but vital function of opening doors. This means that several times a day we are outside our room - often with full bladders - performing door opening rituals and begging the card to please work this time. The cards do not seem to respond to begging and so several times a day we can be found tramping back down to reception asking them to reset our cards. This morning when we tried to get into the internet cafe at the hotel the key would not open the room and it was ten minutes and a can of WD40 before we could enter the premises.
I know you like to hear this interesting information. I could have told you all about the Phuket Fantasea show we went to last night with the dining room that seats FOUR THOUSAND people and the follwing show that had TWELVE elephants as stars but I figure that our room key irritations are surely more interesting.
I know you like to hear this interesting information. I could have told you all about the Phuket Fantasea show we went to last night with the dining room that seats FOUR THOUSAND people and the follwing show that had TWELVE elephants as stars but I figure that our room key irritations are surely more interesting.
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
Thailand day 3
So. I could be a little bit sunburnt. I may not have applied sunprotection a few times but I would like to cast a fair bit of aspersion in the direction of that Elle Mcpherson invisible zinc product. I blame the change of face. It was wonderful when Megan Gale was flogging the stuff. Finger pointing and blame aside, I do look a little like one of those red and white striped boiled sweets. Changes in colour everywhere. Half way up my thigh my skin changes from Racey red to Toowoomba white (did you enjoy that comment Celina?!) and I don't think that any amount of aloe vera is going to bring about the immediate healing I so desire.
Day one in Thailand included beach and pool - Karen beach. Day two was a trip down to Kata beach for - beach and pool, and today we did a speed boat trip around the Phi Phi islands. Sitting on the front of the boat all day and snorkelling has used up my sun absorption quota for the next 4 years I think.
Thailand is rather beautiful. Today my favourite moment was (after feeding the monkeys on Monkey island) going to this tiny little island that you can walk around in five minutes. When we got there, there was time for a quick swim and a wander around the island before a thunderstorm set in and we watched from the safety of a bamboo hut. Before the hard, sideways pelting rain set in, I got to have a little moment by myself at the end of the island where I couldn't see another human being and I could imagine away the tourists behind me. Standing in all the washed up dead coral on the beach and gazing at the turqoise water with limestone islands in the distance I had one of those moments of God showing me how clever and creative He is and that He makes these things for the sake of sheer beauty and creativity to reflect in a small way the beauty of Himself. Awesome.
Other highlights of todays trip included the Russian who just got Rhinoplasty, eating icecream out of half a coconut, watching Rachel fall in love with a gibbon, Sonny the tour operator who can make beautiful flowers out of drinking staws and discovering that coconut oil is best friend to a girl with curly hair in a humid country.
Write me and tell me all sorts of interesting things about yourself hey?! Pretend we're at the coffee shop and you've fallen into that lull where you tell me everything.
x
Day one in Thailand included beach and pool - Karen beach. Day two was a trip down to Kata beach for - beach and pool, and today we did a speed boat trip around the Phi Phi islands. Sitting on the front of the boat all day and snorkelling has used up my sun absorption quota for the next 4 years I think.
Thailand is rather beautiful. Today my favourite moment was (after feeding the monkeys on Monkey island) going to this tiny little island that you can walk around in five minutes. When we got there, there was time for a quick swim and a wander around the island before a thunderstorm set in and we watched from the safety of a bamboo hut. Before the hard, sideways pelting rain set in, I got to have a little moment by myself at the end of the island where I couldn't see another human being and I could imagine away the tourists behind me. Standing in all the washed up dead coral on the beach and gazing at the turqoise water with limestone islands in the distance I had one of those moments of God showing me how clever and creative He is and that He makes these things for the sake of sheer beauty and creativity to reflect in a small way the beauty of Himself. Awesome.
Other highlights of todays trip included the Russian who just got Rhinoplasty, eating icecream out of half a coconut, watching Rachel fall in love with a gibbon, Sonny the tour operator who can make beautiful flowers out of drinking staws and discovering that coconut oil is best friend to a girl with curly hair in a humid country.
Write me and tell me all sorts of interesting things about yourself hey?! Pretend we're at the coffee shop and you've fallen into that lull where you tell me everything.
x
Saturday, April 18, 2009
Singapore Again
Morning. It's now our third sojourn at Singapore Airport as we wait for our flight to Thailand. We've spent the last two days in Singapore aclimatising to humidity to get ready for some beach holiday action. We left the rest of the China group on Thursday night - they headed back to Brisbane and we went to our hotel in Singapore city.
Let's call Friday in Singapore "Pensioner Park Day". First off, we headed out to Sentosa park which is a combination of Southbank and Duff beer gardens. Soft tinkly music playing everywhere, clean clean clean, escalators ready to take you up any hill and don't forget the Tiger Beer tower that will smoothly take you up its bubbly tower to see the sights of Singapore. We then headed to the Singapore Zoo for three hours of wandering around seeing the fuzzy wuzzy animals. Factoid: Polar Bears weigh 450g when they are born. If three hours at the Singapore zoo wasn't enough, we decided to get tickets to the night zoo straight after. A 45 minute tram ride in the dark seeing the noctournal animals (or their shapes) out for a stroll.
You might have seen that folk have not been playing well in Bangkok this last week. We've been watching CNN closely (I totally know now why the Chaser takes this show off) as we were due to fly directly into Bangkok. By Friday we were feeling confident that people were getting along a little better with one another and had decided to stop running buses into other buses and parading around the streets shooting their guns. So, we were all due to fly into Bangkok last night to get right into the northern Thailand travel but then, on Friday, someone (put your hand up if it was you) decided to fire some bullets into the body of one the political party leaders. This equalled spanner in the works for our happy trekking into Bangkok.
Yesterday was one of those glorious days that befall many a traveller of finding internet cafes, printers, phone cards, telephones that work, going back and forth to the hotel, trying to spell your name over the phone to non-english speakers and general re-organistion of travel plans.
We've decided to bypass Bangkok and are now flying into Phuket. Fast forward to beach holiday. Hello. Yesterdays highlights included: finding a food outlet providing delicious lime slushies, marvelling at the Singaporeans love of toast and going to Little India which is a precinct in Singapore with streets of fruit and vege shops, shops to buy your yellow yellow gold, bangles, saris, body stickers, fake perfume, and of course Indian restaurants. We went through an Indian temple at the end of the street and came out thankful once again that our God is alive, cannot be captured in a statue and also does not like to eat our entrails.
Things will quieten down now for us over the next few days as we practice moulding our bodies to sunlounges.
I must away now to see if Terminal 3 holds any joy and wonder for me.
x
Let's call Friday in Singapore "Pensioner Park Day". First off, we headed out to Sentosa park which is a combination of Southbank and Duff beer gardens. Soft tinkly music playing everywhere, clean clean clean, escalators ready to take you up any hill and don't forget the Tiger Beer tower that will smoothly take you up its bubbly tower to see the sights of Singapore. We then headed to the Singapore Zoo for three hours of wandering around seeing the fuzzy wuzzy animals. Factoid: Polar Bears weigh 450g when they are born. If three hours at the Singapore zoo wasn't enough, we decided to get tickets to the night zoo straight after. A 45 minute tram ride in the dark seeing the noctournal animals (or their shapes) out for a stroll.
You might have seen that folk have not been playing well in Bangkok this last week. We've been watching CNN closely (I totally know now why the Chaser takes this show off) as we were due to fly directly into Bangkok. By Friday we were feeling confident that people were getting along a little better with one another and had decided to stop running buses into other buses and parading around the streets shooting their guns. So, we were all due to fly into Bangkok last night to get right into the northern Thailand travel but then, on Friday, someone (put your hand up if it was you) decided to fire some bullets into the body of one the political party leaders. This equalled spanner in the works for our happy trekking into Bangkok.
Yesterday was one of those glorious days that befall many a traveller of finding internet cafes, printers, phone cards, telephones that work, going back and forth to the hotel, trying to spell your name over the phone to non-english speakers and general re-organistion of travel plans.
We've decided to bypass Bangkok and are now flying into Phuket. Fast forward to beach holiday. Hello. Yesterdays highlights included: finding a food outlet providing delicious lime slushies, marvelling at the Singaporeans love of toast and going to Little India which is a precinct in Singapore with streets of fruit and vege shops, shops to buy your yellow yellow gold, bangles, saris, body stickers, fake perfume, and of course Indian restaurants. We went through an Indian temple at the end of the street and came out thankful once again that our God is alive, cannot be captured in a statue and also does not like to eat our entrails.
Things will quieten down now for us over the next few days as we practice moulding our bodies to sunlounges.
I must away now to see if Terminal 3 holds any joy and wonder for me.
x
Sunday, April 12, 2009
It's our last day at the Hope Foster Home located about one hour outside of Beijing (depending on the traffic). There are ten of us here who have split off from the bigger group to come and hang out with the kids for a few days. This home takes kids from the government run orphanages who, with medical intervention will have a better chance of being adopted. The kids are aged between 0 and 5 and are absolutely devine. Many have congenital heart disease or cleft palates and are generally flown to Oz, the US or Hong Kong to have corrective surgery and then they're well on their way to a better life. The kids are really well looked after here. They have a 1:2 Nanny:child ratio with the nannies coming from the neighboring village to work their shift. Our job is to play with the kids and stimulate them and give them a wide variety of experiences. We've been staying in Yurts out the back of the orphanage. We have beds that were donated from the German olympic team which are arranged in a circle around the yurt. It has actually been a really relaxing time here, playing with the kids, having a snooze in the yurt, going for walks through the village.
Yesterday we were able to go to an ex-pat church Beijing Central Church to celebrate easter Sunday which was good.
A lot has happened since I've last written but I haven't been able to get to the internet. Amongst other things we've climbed the Great Wall (amazing), walked through the Forbidden City and surrounds (get yourself there if you haven't already) and discovered the delights of Beijing's 'little eat street' (hello starfish on a stick). I myself did not partake of said starfish, taking on the role of official photographer.
I must away and find some children.
x
Yesterday we were able to go to an ex-pat church Beijing Central Church to celebrate easter Sunday which was good.
A lot has happened since I've last written but I haven't been able to get to the internet. Amongst other things we've climbed the Great Wall (amazing), walked through the Forbidden City and surrounds (get yourself there if you haven't already) and discovered the delights of Beijing's 'little eat street' (hello starfish on a stick). I myself did not partake of said starfish, taking on the role of official photographer.
I must away and find some children.
x
Saturday, April 4, 2009
Last Day in Shang Hai
Morning, friends and family. It's our last morning in Shang Hai and there's so much to do. After I've had my morning cigarette (passive) there are a few little Shang Hai moments to have before we board the train for the 14 hour train journey to Beijing. I have to get a cup of Earl Grey tea with a little squirt of lemon syrup, mmm so good, dodge a few more gucciprada bag men and stock up on some supplies for the train journey -hello squat toilets in rocky train.
The last few days have kept us busy. Yesterday we went to the Shang Hai museum in the morning. There was a really long line to get into the building as they x-ray your bags before you go in and also because it was a public holiday to honour ancestors. Man, I have to hand it to the chinese. They are one talented bunch. The pottery, the calligraphy, the monetary systems that they developed well before europeans even thought of heating up oats for breakfast is stunning. A very sophisticated culture (except for the continual hocking up in the street). After a quick purchase in the museum gift shop, ming dynasty china anyone? we walked up to xianting town (actually that's not the name of the town but I can't remember what it was and you'll never know either!) which has beautiful grey cobblestone streets and buildings. We had a peaceful Japenese lunch and then saw the highlights of the communist musuem. This building was apparently the sight of the very first Chinese Comm. Party meeting back in the 20's chaired by Mr M. . When I'm safe back in Australia I'll tell you another interesting piece of that history. It really is fascinating hearing history from different perspectives and how whoever is writing the story massively puts their own perspective on it. Two taxi rides back to the city (we wanted to go to NanJing Rd but were dropped at Nanxing - big difference) and I lost myself in the Hershey store and Rachel abandoned me for some shopping adventures of her own. Lesson learnt from that is that Rachel must not be left on her own to barter. I'll let her tell the story some time but when we finally met up again in the hotel I roared the hotel down with laughter at how 3 chinese 'students' from Beijing selling their own art managed to convince her to go up the back steps of a building so that she could help to fund their studies for the next 3 years. Ha Ha.
Dinner last night was a soggy wet walk to the Oriental Pearl Tower. A building that looks a lot like the bottle from 'I dream of Genie'. Before we got there though we boarded a little carriage that crosses the river in an under the river tunnel filled with a laser light display. I'm seriously thinking of writing to Can Do to ask him to consider such a thing for the Brisbane tunnel. It was all weird music, flashing lights and those airfilled creatures that they sometimes use to promote a bunnings sale. The Tower was nice but odd in that we had to get in and out of three different lifts to get to the top. I'm finding it all rather hilarious especially as I went to a 'Lean Thinking' workshop three days before I left for China. I guess when you have to find work for a billion people you have to abandon lean thinking. Up the top of the tower was a view of Shang Hai which would have been spectacular if there wasn't a massive wall of white clouds blocking it. Dinner in the revolving restaurant at the top was therefore a little less spectacular as we got to see the white cloud from all different angles. It was a buffet dinner which was very similar to what you'd find at sizzlers with some added fish heads on sticks and pigs heart stir fry. I was just about to enjoy the pigs heart stir fry but we had to rush off so that Rach could pick up her plasticine figurine she had made of herself. Another hilarious shopping adventure for Rach. So laser light show ride home, a little bit more shopping ($12.50 does not a good fake perfume buy) and then we swum home to dry out our clothes and fall asleep to the street sounds of Shang Hai.
I must away.
Better go and enjoy the smog of Shang Hai while I still can.
x
The last few days have kept us busy. Yesterday we went to the Shang Hai museum in the morning. There was a really long line to get into the building as they x-ray your bags before you go in and also because it was a public holiday to honour ancestors. Man, I have to hand it to the chinese. They are one talented bunch. The pottery, the calligraphy, the monetary systems that they developed well before europeans even thought of heating up oats for breakfast is stunning. A very sophisticated culture (except for the continual hocking up in the street). After a quick purchase in the museum gift shop, ming dynasty china anyone? we walked up to xianting town (actually that's not the name of the town but I can't remember what it was and you'll never know either!) which has beautiful grey cobblestone streets and buildings. We had a peaceful Japenese lunch and then saw the highlights of the communist musuem. This building was apparently the sight of the very first Chinese Comm. Party meeting back in the 20's chaired by Mr M. . When I'm safe back in Australia I'll tell you another interesting piece of that history. It really is fascinating hearing history from different perspectives and how whoever is writing the story massively puts their own perspective on it. Two taxi rides back to the city (we wanted to go to NanJing Rd but were dropped at Nanxing - big difference) and I lost myself in the Hershey store and Rachel abandoned me for some shopping adventures of her own. Lesson learnt from that is that Rachel must not be left on her own to barter. I'll let her tell the story some time but when we finally met up again in the hotel I roared the hotel down with laughter at how 3 chinese 'students' from Beijing selling their own art managed to convince her to go up the back steps of a building so that she could help to fund their studies for the next 3 years. Ha Ha.
Dinner last night was a soggy wet walk to the Oriental Pearl Tower. A building that looks a lot like the bottle from 'I dream of Genie'. Before we got there though we boarded a little carriage that crosses the river in an under the river tunnel filled with a laser light display. I'm seriously thinking of writing to Can Do to ask him to consider such a thing for the Brisbane tunnel. It was all weird music, flashing lights and those airfilled creatures that they sometimes use to promote a bunnings sale. The Tower was nice but odd in that we had to get in and out of three different lifts to get to the top. I'm finding it all rather hilarious especially as I went to a 'Lean Thinking' workshop three days before I left for China. I guess when you have to find work for a billion people you have to abandon lean thinking. Up the top of the tower was a view of Shang Hai which would have been spectacular if there wasn't a massive wall of white clouds blocking it. Dinner in the revolving restaurant at the top was therefore a little less spectacular as we got to see the white cloud from all different angles. It was a buffet dinner which was very similar to what you'd find at sizzlers with some added fish heads on sticks and pigs heart stir fry. I was just about to enjoy the pigs heart stir fry but we had to rush off so that Rach could pick up her plasticine figurine she had made of herself. Another hilarious shopping adventure for Rach. So laser light show ride home, a little bit more shopping ($12.50 does not a good fake perfume buy) and then we swum home to dry out our clothes and fall asleep to the street sounds of Shang Hai.
I must away.
Better go and enjoy the smog of Shang Hai while I still can.
x
Friday, April 3, 2009
turns out that chinese is not that easy to learn
Please enjoy this photo by turning your head slightly to the left. I'm quite pleased I even managed to find this photo given that all instructions are in chinese. This is a photo from outside the hotel window in Shang Hai on Wednesday, just after we'd arrived. Shang Hai is cold and grey. The bus ride from the airport took an hour by bus, driving past lots and lots of concrete and roadworks. Shang Hai is hosting world expo in 2010 and within half an hour you get a strong sense that the city is being spit and polished for the big event. Old apartment blocks are being torn down, roads are being widened and there are George Jetson like overpasses criss crossing the highway everywhere you look. Shang Hai is a city of 18 million people and they all live on top of one another. Skyscraper apartments everywhere, with the rather sweet addition of long johns and jumpers on washing lines hanging out of just about every balcony.
There is a big blue gumby like creature who is the rather cute mascot for world expo (photos may follow) and they have many inspirational messages around town along the lines of 'better city, better life'. No particular comments will be made about these inspirational messages as I'm in an internet cafe that scanned my passport before they let me log on and I perhaps would like to get a visa for China again in the future.
I might be developing a case of emphysyma in this cafe (Queensland Health hasn't got its health promotion messages to China quite yet) so I might sign off.
Love to all.
SB
Shang Hai Hi Hi
Howdy, I'm nearing the end of day two in Shang Hai. We arrived late on Wednesday afternoon after 8 hours to Singapore, 4 hours at Singapore airport and then another 5 hours to Shang Hai. Here is what I know:
1. I get ADD after about 2 hours on a plane and no amount of new movies keeps me from feeling like a fidgety Fiona
2. Singapore airport is a wonderful wonderful place - after you find the recliner lounges and sleep in them for an hour or so
3. Shang Hai is grey grey grey until it become a neon wonderland at night.
I'm in a smokey smokey internet cafe right now trying to work out how to upload photos to this blog. A little difficult given that the instructions are in chinese (I think I'm catching on though) and the guy sitting opposite me is humming happily ever since I accidently rubbed his foot for a minute or so - seriously thought it was the desk.
1. I get ADD after about 2 hours on a plane and no amount of new movies keeps me from feeling like a fidgety Fiona
2. Singapore airport is a wonderful wonderful place - after you find the recliner lounges and sleep in them for an hour or so
3. Shang Hai is grey grey grey until it become a neon wonderland at night.
I'm in a smokey smokey internet cafe right now trying to work out how to upload photos to this blog. A little difficult given that the instructions are in chinese (I think I'm catching on though) and the guy sitting opposite me is humming happily ever since I accidently rubbed his foot for a minute or so - seriously thought it was the desk.
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