So… here we go again. After a fairly uncomfortable night in which we both dozed intermittently, we finally checked in for the first leg of our flight, Hong Kong to Shanghai. We were able to check our cases right through to London Heathrow. We then found somewhere to have a cup of coffee, then we got freshened up as best we could and made our way to the departure lounge for the 07:40 China Eastern Airlines flight.
What can I say? Shaun the Sheep. Top 10 Celebrity Divorce Settlements. Noodles or rice. Water or orange 'juice'. Boring, boring, boring. Spent the two and a half hour flight playing on my Nintendo DS and dozing.
At 12:35pm local time our plane left Chinese soil for the 13 hour flight to London Heathrow. This time, however, we were on an Airbus 330 which was a bigger, more modern plane with AVOD, so we were actually able to choose our own in-flight entertainment (or watch nothing at all). The meal was still the inevitable rice-or-noodles concoction, but at least they served wine with it.
There's not really much left for me to write. We landed on time at Heathrow at 18:50 BST and retrieved our cases; we hoped we wouldn't be stuck in any queues as we had to get to Kings Cross Station in time for the 9.00 o'clock train back up to Durham. Luckily we got through immigration quickly, then we were on the Heathrow Express to Paddington. Then the Tube from Paddington to KX where we arrived at 8.30pm, giving us half an hour to spare.
We went into the "Parcel Yard" for a much-needed pint (aaahhh… good, real English beer at last!) then boarded the train for the last leg of our journey, the three-hour trip back up North.
On arrival at Durham station we got a taxi home, arriving back in the house just after midnight. Were we glad to see our bed!
We checked the weather forecast on-line, because someone had said in Frog's last night that a typhoon was supposed to be heading to Hong Kong and that the bridge between Shenzhen and HK might be closed if the weather was too bad, meaning we would be unable to get there and miss our early-morning flight home. As a contingency, we checked to see what flights would be available later on. Having discovered there was an Emirates flight each day out of Hong Kong which would go to Newcastle via Dubai, we felt a bit better as we knew we wouldn't end up stranded, but it would cost us £500 each if we had to buy the ticket on the day.
On arrival at the wet market it was hard to say which of your senses was assaulted first; your nose – from the indescribable (unpleasant) smells, your ears – from the sound of trickling water to the cries of the vendors, or your eyes from the sheer sight.
Walking around the market, I found it most distasteful. The live fish were not kept in tanks of water, but more like large plastic washing-up bowls filled with water that was flowing in from various hose pipes around the place. However, the bowls were filled to capacity; there was no room for the fish to swim around. We could see their gills moving spasmodically, and every now and again one would try to jump out of the bowl, its mouth opening and closing in desperation. Some of them just lay listlessly on their sides on the bottom of the container and we didn't know whether they were alive or dead.
As well as fish, there were tanks of eels, lobsters, frogs and turtles. The turtles' containers had nets over them and occasionally a turtle would poke its head out of its shell and get it stuck in the netting. There were also bowls full of shellfish and other creatures that we were absolutely unable to identify. We also saw packed cages containing chickens, ducks and even rabbits, and over it all was a horrendous smell of goodness-only-knew what.
There were also stalls selling fruits and vegetables and these were infinitely more pleasant than the livestock, although to be honest I don't think I'd ever buy from a place like this.
We entered the shopping precinct and went into Wal-Mart, where once again our nostrils were assailed by a horrid stench. Looking around to try to locate its source (all we could see was fruit and vegetables) we discovered a huge display of durian fruits. Say no more. The durian is well-loved, almost revered in China and parts of south-east Asia, for its sweet, delectable flesh, but it is infamous for its foul stench, and indeed is banned on public transport and in public places. It really does smell like sh*t, and it often called the fruit that "tastes like heaven and smells like hell".
When we went downstairs again we found ourselves in another part of the food market. There were ready-roasted chickens and ducks, all with their heads still on. We had already been told by one of our Chinese guides on this trip that the Chinese eat anything with legs "apart from tables and chairs" and we'd found this to be true. We saw the assistants preparing the meat and poultry, and I was most disconcerted to see a woman 'dressing out' a freshly killed turtle; she was scraping out its shell whilst its severed head and neck were just discarded to one side. Yuk, yuk, yuk. Horrible. The British are far, far more fickle than the Asians when it comes to eating. I don't consider myself to be a fussy eater, indeed I am more adventurous around food than most, but I would be very picky indeed if I lived in China.
Once we were back in the apartment we reluctantly started packing our stuff up, leaving out only what we'd need to travel in. We then took a shower, changed and had something to eat, as well as the usual cold beer. Then we took a brief afternoon siesta before walking around to Frog's for the last time to meet up with Alan.
We enjoyed a bit of a party atmosphere in Frog's. All the regulars were there, and some of them had their Chinese or Filipina wives/girlfriends with them. We also heard that the typhoon wasn't going to hit Hong Kong after all, so we'd have no problem getting across. We sat at the tables outside, and partook of a few drinks before we decided to go back to the Boat House for our dinner.
In the restaurant I settled for the Chef's salad and it was, quite simply, the best chef's salad I'd ever eaten. I also shared a bottle of good white wine with Margaret while the time got closer to 10.30pm, when the private hire car was due to come and take us to the airport.
At 22:30 hours precisely the car pulled up and we said our goodbyes amidst bear-hugs and kisses and thanks. We'd had a brilliant time in Shenzhen thanks to Alan and Margaret and their incomparable hospitality, but now it was time to depart.
It took us about an hour to get to Hong Kong airport, where we were in for a l-o-o-o-o-o-o-n-g wait until we could check in for our flight. We had originally intended to stay in a hotel at the airport, but the Regal Hotel was going to charge £360.00 for one night only, which was extortionate considering we'd only have a few hours in bed, as we'd need to arrive at the check-in desk about 05:00 hours. We therefore decided we'd make the best of the benches and floors and doss down at the airport; it's not as if we haven't done it before. Seeing sleeping forms strewn all over in airport lounges is a common sight, and we were just a couple more.
Woke up around 8.30 this morning, after waking up in the night a few times due to torrential rain and thunderstorms. The lightning was really bright, even through the curtains and my closed eyes. When we got up, however, the rain had stopped and the sun was attempting to get through the scattered clouds.
We enjoyed a leisurely breakfast of muesli, toast and coffee before taking a shower and getting ready for whatever the day had in store. Margaret recommended a beauty salon nearby where she goes for a foot and ankle massage as well as a pedicure. That sounded good to me; I love being pampered and the price was about a third of what it costs back home.
We walked around to the salon and Trevor went into a little café/bar to read the English newspapers they had available and while away the time while we were having our treatments. Margaret opted for a foot massage and I decided on the manicure and pedicure. We sat in large, reclining armchairs while the manicurist sat on a small stool in front of us and set to work. It was lovely and relaxing and the lady did a thorough job; it was done at a much less hurried pace than it is at home and the result was excellent.
When they'd nearly finished my fingernails, Trevor came back in to join us, then we all went off together afterwards to have a look round the local shops and maybe get some lunch.
We went to a little café we'd been to before; it's clean and comfortable and you'd think you were in someone's living room in their house. Trevor and I opted for a beer and he decided to have a cheese and ham sandwich while I settled on their "special salad" as it was listed; I only wanted something light. Margaret had a cup of tea and a sandwich.
Once the rain eased off we headed for home, where we changed out of our damp clothes and got dried off a bit.
Woke up at about 5.00am with a splitting headache and feeling quite nauseous. 😦 Got up for a drink of water and went back to bed again to try to get back to sleep, but only managed to doze on and off.
Woke up again about 7 o'clock and went to the loo, where my guts were rumbling ominously. It didn't feel like a hangover, but more as if I was going down with something. Trevor was awake too, and he said he also didn't feel too well. We wondered if it was the fish we'd eaten on the plane yesterday, against our better judgement.
Drank some more water and looked all over for some paracetamol; anything that would get rid of this awful headache.
When Margaret got up (Alan had already left for work about 7.00am) we asked her for some paracetamol and I took them with a glass of cold water, as well as a glass of dry ginger ale, which is really good for alleviating nausea.
I felt a lot better after I'd showered and got ready, once the tablets had kicked in and the headache had abated somewhat. At about 10.00am we decided to go out to "Emily's Café" to see if we could manage a light breakfast.
Margaret had arranged for a car to come and pick us up and take us to the Luohu Commercial City, a well-known shopping complex about a 40 minute drive away. The area is popular with tourists and visitors and is renowned for its copies (fakes!) of famous designer goods, mainly handbags, sunglasses and watches, such as Chanel, Prada, Gucci, etc. Apparently there are even different grades of fakes, from A to AAAAA. The shopping complex also boasts many bespoke tailors and dressmakers, where you could get something made-to-measure and it would be ready for you in 48-hours.
On entering the complex it was a shoppers' paradise. Like most women, I was interested in the shoes and handbags, but it had to be exactly what I wanted; something that would really catch my eye. We looked at a few fake Chanel and Louis Vuitton bags, but to be honest, they looked like fakes, plasticky and cheap and nasty looking. I didn't think any of them were worth the prices they were asking, even when Margaret beat them down a bit.
Walking around the dressmakers' shops, I was mesmerised by the absolutely gorgeous evening dresses, stitched in silks, satins and brocades and decorated in sequins and seed beads, so intricately worked. Many of the dresses were traditional cheong sams, but there were also lots of other evening dresses, some with matching wraps or bolero jackets. I was so tempted to see if I could get one (or two!) made, but I must admit I do need to lose some weight and I didn't want to order the dresses because (A) they wouldn't really look nice on me until I'm a bit… no, a lot… thinner and (B) what would be the point of getting one made now, if I'm going to lose weight? It wouldn't fit me in months to come. So it was with some reluctance that I had to turn away from the dresses, but there's an incentive to diet if ever there was one.
So I browsed through them, and got the assistant to bring out the pairs in my size, and finally narrowed my choice down to three pairs: a 3″ wedge in a beige colour covered in rhinestones, a strappy pair with pale green, white and beige straps with rhinestones, and a delicate mesh pair, with diamante decorations. Margaret offered them 300 Yuan, at which the girl looked totally offended! After bartering a bit, the girl came down to 400 Yuan, but Margaret made her final offer at 325, take it or leave it. They still looked pretty offended and refused. Therefore we said "OK, we'll leave it then, there are plenty of other shops" and we left the shoes in their boxes on the floor of the shop, and walked out!
As we were wandering around the other shops, we could see the assistant coming out of the shop with her calculator in hand, watching us. It was only when we started looking in the window of another shoe shop that she approached us and beckoned us back to the shop. When we hesitated, Margaret said "We've given you our final price, 325 Yuan or we don't want them", and we continued walking.
In another shop, I got a neat little green shoulder bag; it wasn't a designer copy, it was just a bag I liked, and I got it for 12 quid.
All in all, a good morning's shopping, and I was pleased with my purchases.
The car came back for us and took us back 'home', where we enjoyed a cold beer along with some fresh bread, ham, pickles, crackers and pâté. We then decided to have an afternoon nap.
Later on, we went along to Frog's where we met up with Alan and the rest of the gang. We had a couple of drinks and enjoyed the banter; I can understand why Alan and Margaret made it their local pub.
For dinner we went along to a really good restaurant called the "Boat House". It came highly recommended by Alan. I had an Aberdeen Angus burger on home-made bread, with chips and side salad. It was delicious. There was also understated entertainment on in the shape of a keyboard player/guitarist and a female singer.
It was at 04:00 this morning when the wake-up call blasted in our ears and jolted us from sleep once more. We had 45 minutes to be ready and down in the hotel foyer to collect our "breakfast box" (as the dining room wasn't open at this unearthly hour) as the bus was due to leave at 5.00am to take us to Beijing Airport.
Bleary eyed and semi-somnolent, we waited downstairs with the others, some of whom were a little worse for wear, having left the hotel bar long after midnight. We picked up our bags and our breakfast boxes, and made our way across the darkened street to the waiting bus. A peek in the goody box allayed our trepidation as to what we might find; there was some bread, ham, a couple of hard-boiled eggs, tomatoes, some cake, a banana and a carton of orange juice; not too bad. We decided to wait until we were at the airport before eating it. There wasn't too much traffic around at this time of day.
At the airport, we checked in for our 07:40am flight to Shanghai, then ate our boxed breakfast, washed down with some Red Bull. I wondered how many hours the flight would be late this time, but, amazingly, we were called to board on time. 🙂 We settled into our seats and it was only with the minimum of delay that the aircraft was soon soaring off into the wide blue yonder.
Once again we sat through the aircraft safety briefing which was followed by Shaun the Sheep and the Top 10 Celebrity Divorce Settlements (!!) Don't they have any other in-flight movies?! The meal was the ubiquitous noodles-or-rice concoctions served with water, sweetened orange juice (yuk) or sweetened coffee (yuk). Needless to say, we didn't eat the meal.
As we had a couple of hours to wait until our connection to Hong Kong, we decided to try the Executive Lounge. However, when we got there, we saw that they only serve booze from 11.00am onwards, and since we'd have to leave to go to the boarding gate at 12.00, we'd only get an hour of the freebies. We therefore decided just to look around the shops then go and have a beer at one of the many bars/cafés dotted around.
We found a place that did Heineken beer (instead of the crappy Tsing Tao lite beer), so we relaxed and enjoyed a couple before we were called to board. It was a two and a half hour flight, once again on an A320 Airbus. We felt as though we'd spent half of our holiday in Chinese airports and on China Eastern Airlines aeroplanes. Yet again they were showing Shaun the Sheep followed by the Top 10 Celebrities Divorce Settlements (yawn). When they came round with the meals we discovered they were serving fish this time and, as it was a long time since breakfast, we decided we'd try it.
Our flight MU503 touched down (on time!!!) in Hong Kong international airport. But it was at this point where Trevor and I, once again, broke away from the rest of our party as we were going to stay with my cousin Alan and his wife Margaret in Shenzhen, across the water in mainland China. It seemed daft going from China over to Hong Kong just to come back to China again, but that's the way it was.
Once we'd disembarked the aircraft, we followed Alan's advice and headed for the ferry terminal which was over in Terminal 1. We had to wait for the shuttle bus to take us there. It was utter chaos; crowds and crowds of people who have no conception at all of queueing. We were hot, sweaty and tired after our early start and waiting around in airports/planes all day, so we were a bit disgruntled. Also, I just wanted to get there as I was looking forward to seeing Alan and Margaret and spending some time with them.
The first shuttle bus that came along filled up quickly and we had about 10 minutes to wait until the next one. When it arrived, we took a leaf out of the book of the locals and just pushed and jostled our way onto it. When we got to the terminal we found the ferry ticket office and gave them our luggage tags. What happens is that they then collect the cases from the carousel and load them onto the ferry for you, then you pick them up at the other end.
We'd just missed one ferry (typical!) so we had an hour to wait for the next one at 4.30pm. We sat around yet again, then joined the lengthy queue to board the boat. You had to take a train to take the ferry and we ran on board thinking it was about to leave any second. But as ever, it was half an hour late (does nothing leave on time here?!) so it was nearer 5.30pm before we eventually arrived in Shekou.
On disembarking the ferry, we found one of our cases straight away, but the other one was nowhere to be seen. We looked all over, getting tireder and hotter and sweatier and grumpier by the minute, and eventually Trevor showed his luggage receipt to one of the officials and he tracked it down for him. Phew.
Then off we went, through immigration and passport control, until we saw Alan smiling and waving at the other side. Finally we were here. 🙂 We got a taxi to their sumptuous apartment at Coastal Rose Garden II (what a picturesque address!) where we greeted Margaret and dumped our bags. It was now 6.00pm and all we'd done all day was travel; buses, planes, trains, ferries and cars.
After a couple of drinks we went to a restaurant that served Western food and we enjoyed chilli con carne and some good wine; made a change from Chinese food.
Then it was back "home" to Alan and Margaret's for a nightcap and bed, after a very long day. We had the luxury of a lie-in to look forward to in the morning, as well as whatever fun the day would bring.
We were up again at 7.00 this morning, fed and watered and out of the hotel by 8.30am. As we crossed the road in front of the hotel on our way to the bus, we were accosted by various hawkers selling anything from postcards, fans and sun hats to "Rolex" watches and "Gucci" handbags, all of which we refused.
Eventually we pulled up at our first stop for today; a look around a silk farm and factory. China is well-known for its silk production and I was looking forward to seeing the beautiful fabrics as well as some of the clothing and household goods.
When we went in, a lady (whose English name was Mary) started by explaining the life-cycle of the silk moth, and how the larvae (worms) eat many times their own body weight in mulberry leaves before spinning their cocoon, the last stage before their metamorphosis into a moth. In silk production, the grubs inside the cocoons are killed and the cocoons are then placed in boiling water to dissolve the gum that holds the silken threads together. Where possible, the cocoon is then unwound into one very long, fine thread. A strand of silk is very strong; stronger than a strand of steel of the same thickness. We were allowed to feel the silk strands; they were barely visible they were so fine.
We were next taken to a place where the staff were creating pure silk wadding for use in duvets and pillows. Once the cocoons were unwound, the silk yarn is then spun into skeins which provide a dense fabric which can be teased (stretched) into the layers than form the wadding for the quilt. The layers are then stitched together and sewn into the outer bag (which is also made of silk). The resulting duvet is extremely light and breathable, and can keep you warm in the cooler months and cool in the summer. They finished duvets were on sale for 680 Yuan (around £68.00) for a queen-size quilt. In addition, you could also buy the pure silk duvet covers and pillowcases, but as these were of a very fine fabric with quite ornate patterns, they were very expensive; I remember seeing a king-size set for over £400.00.
Back on the bus we continued to battle our way through the traffic to our next destination (and probably the one thing we'd all come to see), the Great Wall of China. Originally we were going to visit the Wall first, spend a couple of hours there, then have our lunch, but as we were running quite late it would be after 2.00pm before we got something to eat (and we'd had breakfast at 7.30am). Therefore we decided to go to lunch first, then visit the Wall afterwards.
We arrived at Badaling and went into the blissfully air-conditioned restaurant where a buffet lunch had been laid on, consisting mainly of Chinese food but also some Western as well. We enjoyed some cold beer with the meal (as ever) and, once we'd finished, we had a quick look round the souvenir shop before assembling outside to wait for the flag-waving Robert. He explained to us that there were two routes we could take along the Wall; the "hard way" or the "bloody hard way". 🙂 When we looked up at the famous Great Wall wending its way over the hills and mountains into the distance, we could see crowds and crowds of people, so the advantage of taking the "bloody hard" way was that there would be fewer people. So that was the way we went.
In the heat and humidity it was hard going, and it was very steep in some parts, making the wedge flip-flops I was wearing somewhat difficult to walk in. I went as far as I could, but as I am not very fit I got to a point on the wall where I had a great vantage point (and took some excellent photos) and I told Trevor I'd sit and wait for him there. So he went the whole eight towers along the ramparts, as far as he could. I think he was one of only two of us in our party who managed it.
When we got to the bottom again (it was so steep we had to use the hand-rails in part) we had some time to spare before getting back on the bus, so we went and found a café that had shaded tables outside, where we saw a couple from our party sitting enjoying a beer. So we joined them and enjoyed a freezing cold bottle of Heineken each, while a Chinese woman hovered by our table and tried to sell us t-shirts and fans at outrageous prices.
We got back on the bus again, pleased to be back in the air con, as we were tired, grimy, grubby and sweaty. We still had one more place to visit today though, the Summer Palace and Imperial Garden.
We had about half an hour on the bus before we arrived at the Palace. The driver parked the bus and we all got off, and Robert and our guide Sherry took us into the palace grounds. There were many gilded statues, pagodas and ornate buildings. The well-tended gardens and pavilions border the Kunming Lake, and we could see a great many lotus plants, some of them in bloom with the distinctive pink flowers.
It was very pleasant walking along the water side; in fact we hadn't seen much water at all since we'd arrived in China, and our swimming costumes remained unworn for this trip. We enjoyed a refreshing ice lolly as we strolled along in the shaded walkways.
It did the trick, however and, folding up his lounger and putting it back in the hold of the bus, he opened the vehicle up and we all trooped inside, ready for the journey back to the hotel. Dinner was a bit later tonight, at 8.30pm, so it would give us time to have a much needed shower and freshen up, before the "last supper" as it were, as some of our party were due to fly home tomorrow.
Once we arrived back, I really enjoyed my shower, washing the day's grime off and blow drying my hair. Feeling as though I'd had a new lease of life, we went down to the dining room where the special tonight was Peking Duck. Robert had also got us some bottles of red wine and Chinese "fire water", some very strong spirit.
We enjoyed the usual tasty selection of Chinese dishes and the Peking Duck was excellent, all washed down with Tsing Tao beer, red wine, and a couple of glasses of fire water. Our group were the last to leave the dining room; in fact the staff were hovering around, waiting for us to go so they could clear the tables and finish their shift!
Eventually we all finished and, while some went up to their rooms to start packing (as it was our last night in Beijing) others, including Trevor and I, repaired to the coffee shop/bar as we weren't ready to go to bed just yet.
We enjoyed a beer in the coffee shop before going up to our room about 11.00pm and packing whatever we wouldn't need in the morning. We were due to leave for the airport at 5.00am tomorrow, so we needed to try to sleep.
A "lie-in" this morning as our wake-up call wasn't until 7.00am! We went down for breakfast in the already-crowded dining room and grabbed some food and some coffee before assembling in the hotel lobby for our bus at 8.30am.
Off we went into the busy streets of China's capital, once again marvelling at the apparent total disregard for any traffic rules. Often we would wince when we saw pedestrians and cyclists weaving in and out of the stream of cars, vans, buses and lorries.
We didn't have long to travel to reach our first destination; the famous Tienanmen Square, one of the largest public squares in the world at 440,000 square metres, and the scene of the 1989 protests and massacre.
As ever, the square was crowded with tourists as well as people trying to sell postcards, hats, flags and other tat. It also promised to be another hot and humid day. We saw the Monument to the People's Heroes, which was constructed between 1952 and 1958 as a national monument to the martyrs of revolutionary struggle during the 19th and 20th centuries. We also saw the great mausoleum to Mao Tse Tung (Chairman Mao) which occupies the centre of the square and which still receives hundreds of visitors every day, with some people leaving flowers, even 36 years after Chairman Mao's death.
Of course, one of the most famous sights in Tienanmen Square is that of Chairman Mao's portrait which hangs above the archway at Tienanmen Gate, leading to the Forbidden City. The gate was built in 1415 during the Ming Dynasty.
We spent a couple of hours looking around before it was time to go for some lunch. We went to a restaurant for the inevitable Chinese feast, where we sampled many of the local dishes washed down with Tsing Tao beer and green tea.
After lunch, we were back on the bus and off to visit the Temple of Heaven, where the emperor would pray for a good harvest. We could see many opulently furnished rooms with jade statues and carvings; we could look into the rooms but not actually go inside. The heat was pretty oppressive and a lot of people in our party (including me!) just found somewhere to sit in the shade.
Back on the bus again, there was an optional trip to a traditional Beijing "Hutong", or courtyard, consisting of makeshift sort of buildings that acted as people's homes, probably similar to the kampongs in Singapore and Malaysia in the 1960's. Robert came round to get the names of the people who wanted to go, but Trevor and I weren't really all that bothered, and we really fancied some free time amid all the frenetic activity we'd taken part in since arriving in China.
Therefore, we got off the bus and Robert hailed a taxi for us, which took us back to the hotel for about 3.00pm; the rest of the party weren't due back until about 5.30pm and dinner was at 6.30pm, so it would give us a good few hours to rest and get ready.
Back at the Dong Fang hotel we went into the off-licence and got some more beer and wine, which we enjoyed in our room while writing out my postcards, the absolute first opportunity we'd had to do so since we arrived. We also enjoyed an afternoon power nap before getting showered and ready in good time to go for dinner.
Once we'd finished dinner we assembled once again in the foyer to get the bus to the Beijing Red Theatre to see the play/musical called The Legend of Kung Fu. It told the story of Chun Yi, a young boy who was taken to a monastery to live by his mother, who could no longer look after him. The young boy dreams of becoming a Kung Fu master, and has to overcome many difficulties and temptations before he conquers and finally gets his sacred goal of enlightenment.
The play was narrated in both Chinese and English, and had English surtitles. The music, dancing and acrobatics were absolutely terrific, really mesmerising with so much colour and use of clever lighting effects. The average age of the actors/dancers is only 17. They were so fit and strong. We really enjoyed the performance; it was certainly something different! After the show the performers were available in the foyer of the theatre if you wanted to take pictures of them.
Then it was back to our hotel for our second night in the capital. We had a nightcap, watched the telly for a bit, then once again slept soundly.