4-23/5-17-1998 KUALA LUMPUR AND CHINA
Due to technical problems our Malaysian Airlines flight to Kuala Lumpur was cancelled but we could take a KLM flight to Singapore and a M.A.-flight to KL.
Our delay was 11 hours and where were our bags? Travelling light is OK, but without any.....
It took them 4 days to return them and during that period they had had plenty of time to take some of our belongings.
In Kuala Lumpur we had a hotel in Chinatown We took a taxi to the HRC where it was almost impossible to find a table. It was very, very crowded because of a band playing there. After a good dinner and some trading they advised us to return to next afternoon if we wanted to trade more. Bought their beautiful Earthday pin and the Gold and Silver Les Pauls and a T-shirt (we didn't have our own shirts yet!).
The weather was great the next day and we did a lot of shopping. Had to buy toothpaste, -brushes, socks and so on and went back to the HRC. There was a German guy who waited for us to trade/buy a lot of pins and some of the staff members traded as well. We had a great time.
That same evening we went to the market right in front of our hotel to buy a lot of very cheap (illegal) CD's and we had a lovely dinner somewhere outside for just $10 for the four of us.
We left early the next morning and that was good. We were the first to check in, but the girl couldn't find our names and the plane was full. The best thing to do is stay calm, but we were not that happy after the delay and the missing bags. She wanted us to wait for at least 1,5 hours but we just waited in front of her desk and all the other passengers were waiting too and after a while she called a guy and he arranged our seats.
The flight to Beijing took 6 hours and there we found out, that they had sent our luggage back to Kuala Lumpur that same morning. They promised to return it the next morning. My Lonely Planet (the one and only travel book for China) was in my bag and so was the name of the hotel we had stayed in 2,5 years ago.
We booked another hotel at the airport, not too far from Tiananmensquare right in the middle of a hutong and it was great to stay there. Beijing is changing so very fast that it's nice -at least that's our opinion- to see it like it has been for many, many years.
Since we don't speak Chinese we don't know what they think about their new city but we met a girl who told us that some of the old parts must remain the same for nostalgic reasons. Those hutongs with their small houses mean, that people have to cook outside, the children play there and during the evening they play mahjong or read their newspaper. That means the city is alive. Shanghai for instance is quiet at night, because everybody is at home watching television.
We went to Tiananmensquare first and were impressed again. The first time we were there was one month after the Protests in 1989.
One of the places we always go to is "Tiantan", the Temple of Heaven. That's the place the emperor visited just once a year to pray for good harvests and it's always nice to be there. At night we went to the HRC. No trading there, just the 4 Anniv. pin and a lot of girls looking for customers at the bar!!
For the same reason as Tiantan we always love to go to the "Summer Palace" and especially the "Long Corridor" (over 700 meters long) is a beauty. It was build so the Empress, who came during the summer, could walk dry or in the shade. Every roof beam is painted differently!
The weather was not nice but the rain gave the place even more charm.
The next day Michel and Roy wanted to go to the "Forbidden City". It was the first time for Michel in China and the second for Roy, but since it was our fourth trip we didn't want to go there again and besides that it was so crowded. We wanted to find the underground city (build to protect the Chinese people against the Russians), but the door was closed. The entrance was in a hutong where we had some very good tasting bread and dim sums (4 for 1Yuan = $0.12!). In the afternoon we went to the Beihaipark, a nice place too, with a big white pagoda which holds secret items put there by the Dalai Llama.
We have visited Badaling to climb the "Great Wall" a couple of times but this time we went to Mutianyu, 60 miles northeast of Beijing and it really was great. You can take a cable car, the first save one in China according to the signs, but why can you get an insurance??? After that you walk/climb and it was so empty. The only other people were some locals and 5 Japanese guys. Very unlike Badaling where it looks like one big circus and is always crowded. It was absolutely fantastic.
Buying train tickets is so easy now and after 5 nights we left Beijing to go to Xian to visit the new pit of the "Terracotta army". We left 5-1 at 06.47 p.m. and arrived there the next morning at 10.30 a.m. (hardsleepers, but OK). Xian isn't changing as fast as Beijing, but a nice part that we always went to the "Muslim Quarter" was gone. Instead they had built nice modern buildings and an internet centre.
During our trip Beijing-Xian we travelled together was a Chinese girl married to a German and she told us that everything is much better now. Working time is 5 x 8 hours and if you are a "worker" the monthly pay is 600/650Yuan. Having more time and money allows them to see their own cultural heritage and that's what they like to do.
The army is still a miracle and pit number 3 was a new one, at least they were building the hall the last time we were there. We took some illegal pictures and admired all the different soldiers.
This is the place to eat dog! (WARNING: shocking picture of roasted dog!!!!)
Xian is OK, but not special and since we had to visit more cities we just stayed 2 nights and took a very, very old and not cleaned since the cultural revolution train to Shanghai. After a 30 hours trip (the scenery was beautiful the train a mess) we arrived there and took a hotel in a quiet neighbourhood. At the "CITS" (the official travelagency) it was easy to buy tickets (softsleepers this time) to Guilin. Shanghai is just like Hong Kong, we love that town so we liked this one too and the HRC was one of the best!!! Great staff and a nice Cafe. No new pins there.
Next trip was to Guilin (departure 11.27 a.m./arriving time 03.15 p.m. the next day) and it is the best trip you can make. The landscape [2] is like China has to be, with ricefields and those special mountains and beautiful weather. You can take a minibus to Yangshuo and that still is one of the best places to be. Alas: western society is coming nearer. They are building a ShangriLa-resort not far from the lovely village and during the day many buses arrive, bringing lots of tourists. Good for that place, but bad for the "original" tourists staying there. This a the place you just can relax, take a bike and go to "Moonhill", a beautiful place to visit.
Li River
Just Michel and Roy went there because I had problems with "Mao's revenge", but that was just for one day. That was one of the reasons we didn't see the fishing by cormorants. I was too sick and besides that the only inhabitants of the boat were cockroaches (as big as your thumb) and the boys did not like them.
We left Yangshuo by bus and we always wonder why we do this busride again, because it must be a nice sleeperbus but it's not. Well, at least it's cheap and we went to Guangzhou.
It's a must to go to the market [2] and see what kind of strange animals they have for sale there. New arrivals: hedge-hogs, maggots and a lot of cats, all more or less alive and fresh!! It's not a city we like very much but since there is a HRC and it's not that far from Hong Kong it's OK. The HRC was very quiet but Patrick Tan, the manager told us it was always crowded during the evening. He was willing to trade a lot of nice pins. For our dinner we went to the snake restaurant and it was great again!
Last stop in China was Shenzhen, to cross the border and go to the HRC of course. It was our number 35 and it is a nice one, great staff and good food. No new pins!
We walked across the border and took the train and subway to go to Nathan road and have a hotel there.
Hong Kong is one of our favourite cities and everything was still the same. A lot of very nice malls, a great bar (the MadDog), two HRC's (Kowloon, Hong Kong) nearby, beautiful weather and still a lot of money to spend! The last day we went to the "Peak" (used to be Victoria Peak) and HRC Hong Kong to see Jimmy Cheung and do some trading with him and the staff. Next day we went back home. Our bags were OK this time!!
If you ever want to go too and you need information about hotels, prices or traintickets you can always write us a mail at: dvk@caiw.nl
It was a pleasure travelling with Michel and Roy and China was great again!!!
the DUTCH UNCLE's Hard Rock Cafe Site