China Romance
General Discussion and Useful Links => Ask An Experienced Member => Topic started by: Iceland on October 02, 2011, 02:04:16 am
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Hey, all.
My first trip to China is coming up and I am hoping that the more experienced members of this forum can give me some tips, and answer some questions.
I will arrive in Hong Kong on October 25th around 16:30 and I want to go straight to Zhongshan.
As I understand it there is a ferry going across the Pearl River Delta from the airport to Zhongshan.
Q: Will I have to book with a ferry in advance?
Q: Should I consider getting to Zhongshan in another way?
In Zhongshan I have booked a Hotel for three nights. The Hotel is called Zhongshan Yihe Grand Hotel and is on 5 Xingzhong Avenue.
Q: Does anyone know this Hotel? Is it a good choice? Should I consider another one instead?
On Friday October 28th I want to go to Guangzhou South train station and catch a high speed train to Changsha.
Q: Do I have to book a train seat in advance or do I just buy it when arriving to the station?
In Changsha, I have booked a room for the first 4 nights in a hotel called Days Hotel and Suites, near the Furong Square. I believe it’s a good one and according to booking.com it’s rated 5 stars.
Q: When booking Hotels with booking.com I have repeatedly come across a Hotel chain called JJ Inns. These are rated 3 stars hotels and are of course much cheaper than the 4 and 5 stars. Does anyone here have experience with the JJ Inns?
After Changsha I am going to Yangshuo, near Guilin, where I have booked a Hotel called Yangshuo Village Retreat for 14 days.
Q: Does anyone have experience from this place?
To get from Changsha to Yangshuo I will need to take a train or fly. I would prefer to fly to Guilin and then take a bus or a boat to Yangshuo but when I try to look up the Changsha-Guilin flights I get so ridiculous prices they can’t be true.
Q: Can anyone tell me what to expect a flight from Changsha to Guilin to cost if I buy the ticket once I am there?
There don’t seem to be any high speed trains from Changsha to Guilin and the fastest train ride between these two places seems to be around 7 hours and 30 minutes with a train called T5.
Any tips regarding long train rides?
Any other tips?
I haven’t planned what to do after my stay in Yangshuo and I will probably not plan anything further until I am there and getting more familiar with things. I might stay longer in Yangshuo, I might go to Nanning or even further west to Kunming and Lijiang. I might go home also but if I like it in China I can stay until January. It is all open after November 20th.
Does any member of this forum actually live in Zhongshan, Changsha, Guilin, Yangshuo, Nanning or other places that are in or close to the route I am taking? If so, maybe we could meet when I am there?
I will probably have more questions later and I intend to write my story here for those who want to follow it but for now I would be happy for any answers and tips you can give me.
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Hi Iceland,
Willy is in Zhongshan, so he could tell you more than I could. I live in Hong Kong, so I can tell you a bit. I take the ferry from the China Ferry Terminal in Kowloon (one every 2 hours, 1 hr 45 min journey), but I’m pretty sure there is a ferry straight from the airport, which avoids you having to go through customs more than once. I doubt if you need to book. The Zhongshan ferry is a fair distance from Zhongshan, so you will probably need a taxi. Don’t know the hotel. Ask Willy.
Don’t know how you are getting to Guangzhou from Zhongshan, but if it is by train, you will probably end up at Guangzhou main station or Guangzhou East. Just take the metro to Guangzhou South. You should be able to get a ticket no problem. 2 hours 20 minutes to Changsha South. Get an official taxi to the hotel (about 30 rmb). Don’t go to the taxi touts. There are many good cheap hotels in Changsha from about 130 yuan upwards.
Don’t know about the other cities you mentioned, but can say a bit about train travel. I like travelling on overnight trains. For example the Shenzhen to Changsha train takes 10 hours. Seats costs 115rmb (not advised), Hard Sleepers cost 200/206/213 rmb (6 narrow berths, 2 triple-deckers, no door to cabin, open to corridor, ok, but no privacy and quite cramped), Soft sleepers cost 308/322 rmb (4 berths, 2 double-deckers, wider, quite comfy, cabin has door, very nice.) To Guilin, you should be able to get the equivalent, and it will be way cheaper than the flight. You can only get tickets up to 10 days in advance. They usually only take cash. To avoid big queues at the station ticket office, you can pay 5rmb or so more and got to a ticket shop.
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Man, you're going to have a great trip. You're going to see some of the most beautiful parts of China, starting in Hong Kong. I hope you're going to take tons of pictures.
If I were you, I would check the information at the airport about ferry times to Zhongshan. When I went, they only left once per day and my flight arrived very early in the morning. It was easier for me to take the train to the China Ferry Terminal in down town Hong Kong and then take an hourly ferry to Zhongshan. What I was really surprised about was the difference between Hong Kong and China. You'll find most people can speak a good bit of English in Hong Kong, and signs will usually have English and Chinese. China had no English in the ferry terminal and nobody spoke much English either. Oh, and there was no pay phone in the Zhongshan ferry terminal, but the cashier at the refreshment area will let you use the phone for a price.
I made the mistake on my first trip of passing through Hong Kong immigration. Once you do that, you can't reenter the airport without an airline (or ferry) ticket, so my only choice was the China Ferry Terminal. It is a scenic trip though. There's a fast train, then a free transfer to a bus that drives around down town, then drops you at the ferry terminal. It's very affordable.
Guilin/Yangshuo are amazing places. Incredibly beautiful. They are very touristy locations. There's lots of history and tours you can take while there. Also some of the most friendly people I've ever met.
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Iceland, Take the ferry. It is the easiest.
Once you get off of the airplane head for the ferry ticket counter. To the left I think? You don't need to purchase your ticket in advance. It is first come first serve. They will get your luggage for you. Then you go down stairs and wait for your ferry there at the airport. Easy.
I don't know how accurate this info is but I was told that you can only purchase train tickets 24 hours in advance.
Good luck. Write when you can but what we want is PICTURES.
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What a terrific trip you are going to have Mr I , Make sure you have enough sd cards for your digital camera as you can blow a couple of hundred in a day if so inclined , I almost ran out at one stage and grabbed one which did not work in my camera , but we survived just , my new camera can hold 8000 , but we never delete from cards just store them away as well as on disc , surely we cannot lose both ha ha , Changsha is a great city along with the rest of your stops .
As someone has said Willy knows a lot about your first stop so long as he gets off the balcony from checking out the scenery , long enough to answer , regards Sujuan and Robert .
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Iceland, Take the ferry. It is the easiest.
Once you get off of the airplane head for the ferry ticket counter. To the left I think?
Ya like Beyonce and Shaun said...it's to the Left 8)
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Write when you can but what we want is PICTURES.
Yes, I will both be taking a lot of pictures and videos from this trip.
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Have you tried Ctrip.com to see if the prices are cheaper? They usually have some of the best prices. They do airline tickets and hotels. Have a great time!
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Thanks all for your information. I can't wait until I take off on the 24th, only 1 week+ from now.
I have been in contact with Willy for the past days and we are going to meet once I am in Zhongshan.
Looking so much forward to it.
I will send updates about my trip to this thread.
Bergur
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Have a good trip and enjoy breaking the Ice once you land with your girl. Say hello to Willy as I can bet where you guys will meet & eat meat.
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Have a good trip and enjoy breaking the Ice once you land with your girl.
Actually, there is no girl ... After my bad experience with Chnlove I decided to drop that nonsense and simply go to China with all options open - and to travel and explore for 6 weeks.
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Have a good trip and enjoy breaking the Ice once you land with your girl.
Actually, there is no girl ... After my bad experience with Chnlove I decided to drop that nonsense and simply go to China with all options open - and to travel and explore for 6 weeks.
Funny , even without a "Girl" waiting .. his Sentence is still correct . -- ones you LAND a Girl -- ;) :D
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Maybe Willy is going to reprise his role of Fiddler On The Roof
Match maker, match maker make him a match, catch him a catch, find him a find..... remember kids, don't play with matches! ::)
Eventhough - I still wish you a good trip Bergur(that is your name is it not?), and who knows, you still might get some contacts.
But I had heard once that Iceland is home to many beautiful ladies, or is Jade more to your Viking liking then women with Ice in their veins?
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Oh, the women here are very cool, that is true.
But after living with a frozen one for so long, I now want to find a hot one.
And yes, Bergur is my real name.
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Mr Ice , good on you , now that your country has sold a lot of land to China , it is time you went and saw what you can acquire of there's you will have a great time , but remember you are only allowed to import 1 lady for each acre that China bought , or was it 1 per hectare ha ha , in 6 weeks you should be able to at least get to 3 cities :) , regards Sujuan and Robert .
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Best of luck on your travels. China is a beautiful country. I am sure that this will be a memorable experience. Enjoy.
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Have a nice trip and enjoy.
Looks like you have a generous amount of time to spend, that would make it possible to see and digest a lot of adventures. Wish it was me that had that much time available to spend on a trip :) I’m sure it will be an experience for a life time. My advice, (ok I know you did not ask for it, but you get it anyway), is to read up on things so you have your options/alternatives ready. On the other hand do not make too many specific plans. After you have stayed a few days in china, you will probably be surprised on how easy it is to travel there. You will also meet other people there that share their experience with you.
Yangshou was on of the first places I visited first time I went to China. I have found memories of the place. I would recommend the “Impression Sanjie Liu Show”. First i thought i was not for me, but I was strongly recommended to go and see it by another tourist. It was great and different from anything I have every seen. Other thing you might consider is the “Longsheng Rice Terraces” it is a couple of hours drive from Yangshou, I never got there, but I wish I did.
Imho, two weeks in Yangshou seems a too much, 1 week would give you enough time. If possible keep your plans open, so you are free to travel when you are happy.
http://www.visitguilin.org/index.php/en/sightseeing/attractions-a-activities (http://www.visitguilin.org/index.php/en/sightseeing/attractions-a-activities)
While I’m at it, thumbs up for LiJiang. It has a little bit of “Disney” feel about it, but well worth a visit. You can also visit Qiaotu, which is close by. It is the same style as LiJiang, but not as crowded. If you like nature scenery, Tiger Leaping Gorge is a just few hours from LiJiang/Qiaotu.
As you know is so much to see, I’m sure you will have great fun.
..ok I need to stop new, getting too enthusiastic ... ;D
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6WEEKS -I'm 6 times jealous! I know China wasn't like my home, but it was those differences that I missed, when I got back home. I guess what I am trying to say is....don't be like me. My first trip was partially ruined by my expectations of what a place should be like. I wish I would have just gone with the flow from the start(I did on my second trip) and I must say, if my LaoPuo didn't have her heart set on coming to America, I would move to China in a heart beat. Have fun -Be Safe but most of all Enjoy Enjoy Enjoy.
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Thank you all for your tips and good wishes.
Yes, to "go with the flow" is exactly what I will try to do while I am in China. Although I have planned my route and booked hotels until November 14 I don't know what I will be doing for the last two weeks. By then I am hoping to have caught the "flow".
But it is a 5 week trip, not 6 as I said before. I am departing on Monday, October 24th and back again on December 2nd. I only got a 40 days visa. But I aim to go back in January and stay even longer then, depending of course on the outcome of this initial trip.
Bergur.
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Dear Bergur,
I wanted to tell you......that before my 1st trip. I went to my local health department to make sure if my shots where up to date, or if I needed anything before I took off. There I was hit with "horror" stories, and told to only drink, and brush my teeth with bottled water. To only eat at nice hotels or well established eateries.
I guess it depends on one's immune system, but I myself drank any and all water offered (Nanning was hot) and ate from street vendors -markets and even from a man with a cooker on the back of his bicycle with no ill effects. I only got sick after eating half raw hamburger after I reached Los Angeles .... go figure!
Take this advice for what it's worth (you know yourself better than anybody)
I will say I felt pretty cool telling people "no I didn't eat any dog, but the rat and bat were pretty dang good"
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You had Rat and a Bat so next is a Cat while wearing a Hat. Hey I just woke up, what do you expect? lol
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While sitting on a mat talking to Pat about a spat.
That went over with a splat.
Were the rat and bat in a vat?
Be careful because that kind of food will make you fat.
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I have always cleaned my teeth with the tap water from day one. But it depends on your body matabolism I suppose. 40 years of suffering my own cooking probably enables me to eat and drink just about anything. As the locals rarely drink tap water then I follow suit. The only place that I ever drank bad water was in Las Vegas and then that only had a minor short term effect for an hour or so.
Willy
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I am not getting ready any longer. I am here ... in Zhongshan. This is my first day.
First impression: Nice. Second impression: Very nice. Third impression: Fantastic.
I'll write about it soon ... today, I will be going to places in the city with my lovely guide, Athena, and me and Willy are going to meet!
Already taken a few pics and taking more, and I will of course upload them here soon.
Bergur.
ps. By the way ... My only worry for this trip was that I would not be able to use the Internet for my work because vital websites are closed in China. Turns out, I didn't have to worry. My VPN-access bypasses all bans, everywhere. Thanks, surfbouncer.com. Now I can really start thinking about moving here.
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Bergur , first impression .. very nice Post . Second impr... heck there isn't one yet .
Glad you landed on HAPPY grounds so far , keep it going ! Looking forward for more Impressions and Photo's of course .
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Bergur , well done , and we look forward to reading more over the coming days , regards Sujuan and Robert .
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The first video of many ... pictures coming up ... bunch of them.
This is me, Willy and Athena going to lunch, October 26, 2011.
http://youtu.be/IaLsGKzGuQw (http://youtu.be/IaLsGKzGuQw)
And here you have the first of the pics:
https://picasaweb.google.com/115822189439807878507/MyChinaTrip (https://picasaweb.google.com/115822189439807878507/MyChinaTrip)
Bergur.
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Super Bergur , thanks for both Video and Photo's ! Question , is Willy as nice .. as we think He is ? haha
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Super Bergur , thanks for both Video and Photo's ! Question , is Willy as nice .. as we think He is ? haha
Oh, he is nicer ... as nice as they come :)
I am going to meet him again when I return to Zhongshan in the end of November and hopefully to spend more time with him then than I could today. I also did not meet his wife this time but I hope I do that when I return. Right Willy?
BTW ... here is a video of the Yihe Grand Hotel entrance and lobby. Very nice Hotel indeed!
http://youtu.be/Pp3mYYSss3M (http://youtu.be/Pp3mYYSss3M)
Bergur
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This is me, Willy and Athena going to lunch, October 26, 2011.
[
I see Willy did not take you to the Vienna restaurant, I guess this place was for lunch and not supper?
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It was a pleasure to welcome Burgur into our home yesterday. But I see from the photo and video that I need to get to the hairdressers shop and get my hair cut. Maybe a dash of colour as well! Or was that just the sunlight playing tricks on my hair?
It looks like he is to be making the most out of this trip and I look forward to his return to Zhongshan.
It will be interesting to see just how many videos end up on youtube during this mission as I want to count the number of hidden faces. ;D
Willy
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Very very cool Bergur-It's looks like you were ready for your first trip. Glad you are enjoying yourself and thanks for letting me enjoy the pictures and videos. enjoy and peace my friend
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Hey all.
I am in Guilin now, getting ready to go to Yangshuo on Friday morning. I will be staying there for at least ten days.
From Zhongshan where I met Willy I went to Changsha where I stayed for 3 nights at the Days Hotel and Suits.
I thought Changsha was awful. The pollution there was way above any known health hazard bar. Coming from Iceland where the air is crispy clear and clean I felt poisoned and sick after 24 hours. On top of the that the smell was so bad I could not stay outside for more than 10 minutes at the time. And on top of that the traffic was absolutely crazy with constant beeping and honking of the drivers.
The hotel was nice though, very classy 5 star hotel with extremely nice and helpful staff. Most of them spoke English at some level so it was not hard for me to get help and service when I needed it.
But as I said, the environment outside was terrible. I had intended to go on some sightseeing tours, amongst them visiting the birthplace of Mao Zedong, but I had to cancel all of that. I really can't for the life of me understand how anyone can life in this place. My advise: Do not ... I repeat ... do NOT go to Changsha if you value your lungs and general health.
In Changsha I actually met a woman I had been in contact with through Chnlove. It went worse than wrong. I will tell you about that in another thread if you are interested.
I was glad to get out of this awful city and I go to Guilin. The train ride took 7 hours+.
This is my second full day here and as much as I disliked Changsha I love this place. The air here is fine and although the traffic is just as crazy as I have seen in both Changsha and Zhongshan, it is not as heavy since population here are "only" 700.000 people (which is more than twice the pop of my home country).
I haven't taken many photos since last time but instead I have made videos. Here is a list of the videos I have uploaded since last time I was here.
Some are quiet, some are in Icelandic (but you will get the point) and some are in English or have English captions. I will be adding more videos soon. Hope you enjoy.
Traffic in Zhongshan
http://youtu.be/ggNijWZyFSI (http://youtu.be/ggNijWZyFSI)
Special trees in Zhongshan
http://youtu.be/p69G9trPbwY (http://youtu.be/p69G9trPbwY)
A model of the Yihe Grand Hotel in Zhongshan
http://youtu.be/gQpg7ldRNFo (http://youtu.be/gQpg7ldRNFo)
A dancing in Zhongshan
http://youtu.be/VZpMfVQUvbE (http://youtu.be/VZpMfVQUvbE)
The first Chinese cat I saw in China. It figures, he is small and yellow.
http://youtu.be/zHTsuNeN3qs (http://youtu.be/zHTsuNeN3qs)
The Days Hotel and Suits in Changsha and an outside look at my room there:
http://youtu.be/Z1GesP3Pon8 (http://youtu.be/Z1GesP3Pon8)
My hotel room in Changsha
http://youtu.be/tSqJ_GCKnlE (http://youtu.be/tSqJ_GCKnlE)
A short video - street sight in Changsha
http://youtu.be/oxzuKyL_Qqc (http://youtu.be/oxzuKyL_Qqc)
My train ride from Changsha to Guilin.
http://youtu.be/cx4yjXgjgE8 (http://youtu.be/cx4yjXgjgE8)
Pine Tree Lake and intro of Jerry with English caption.
http://youtu.be/6SxSUvbbqGM (http://youtu.be/6SxSUvbbqGM)
My hotel room in Guilin at the Starway hotel
http://youtu.be/4NITv-nQmrI (http://youtu.be/4NITv-nQmrI)
One of Jerry's many famous clients. This is someone most of you will know, at least the English ones.
http://youtu.be/tDVLqCTemfI (http://youtu.be/tDVLqCTemfI)
Jerry's home in Guilin
http://youtu.be/ealhQjR53K4 (http://youtu.be/ealhQjR53K4)
Street in Guilin
http://youtu.be/3Ii7m5aHqjs (http://youtu.be/3Ii7m5aHqjs)
See you all later.
Bergur.
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Lots to say and no time after looking at all the videos except sorry about the smog in Changsha , as you would have enjoyed Mao's tour ,the Museum and the Martyrs park and lake area next door , but on your wanders back to Willy's area if the weather is better worth the side trip , keep safe and glad you are enjoying yourself , regards Sujuan and Robert .
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Thanks ... well, don't feel sorry, it was not your fault :D
Btw ... anyone reading this been to Yangshuo? It would be interesting to hear your take on the place.
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Very nice Video's Bergur ! Enjoyed watching them ! Thanks for going through the trouble/work posting them for us .. you know , we all love Photo's and Video's from all Member Trip's/Adventure's . The Clean Air thing , I can relate to .. coming from a crisp/clean place as yours . Me being use to LA , China's Air is norm to me ! :P
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My first trip to China included a day in Yangshuo. We rented tandem pedal bikes and rode up to a gently flowing river. At the river we boarded bamboo rafts and went downstream for about 3 hours. This was August so the water was very refreshing. The scenery was magical with lush vegetation and the karst topography. There were lots of tourist sites along the roads on the bike ride back - a cave system with a huge butterfly on the cliff, hot air balloon rides and even mountain climbing up the side of a cliff. The people were very friendly, of course, because it is such a tourist town. There were many foreigners and shops willing to sell you things.
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Thanks Neil, nice photo.
It is not as hot now as it must have been in August, but hot enough for an Icelander. They tell me here that this is the end of the tourist season so I am expecting Yangshuo to be not as crowded with tourists as in the high season.
I will stay for 10 days at a hotel called Yangshuo Village Retreat and is situated a little bit out of the main town. If I like it I might stay longer.
I am not exactly on holiday because I am working too. All my work is done on and through the Internet and before coming to China I was worried that I might not be able to work here, not because of the connection, but because in China, some of the sites I use frequently are banned.
After looking for a solution, that is, a way to bypass this ban, I found one in Canada (surfbouncer.com) and after coming here I discovered it works perfectly. I fact, I am a little surprised of how good the Internet is at the hotels here. I didn't expect it to be so fast and steady.
So I have decided to return as soon as possible, if not to Yangshuo, then to Guilin. The only reason I am heading home on the 1st of December is that my visa expires. And since I will be home, I might as well stay over Christmas, but then ... vroooommmm ... I am coming back.
After all, I can stay at good hotels here for the same price I would get a small apartment in Reykjavik. And I am free ... single ... no debts, kids almost grown up and in good hands of their mother ... and the salary I get in Icelandic kronors is worth 3-5 times more here than in my country.
And these days, it is so easy to stay in good contact with your family and friends, even if you are on the other site of the planet.
Can't wait to get to Yangshuo. I think I will like it. What on earth was I thinking by going to Changsha? ???
Bergur
ps. By the way ... here is another video from me, put together from today's shots. The bad news is I am mostly speaking Icelandic here and didn't have time to make captures. But by the end of this video I appear in person, I think it's the first time I have shown myself.
http://youtu.be/Hxdwo0kK_X4 (http://youtu.be/Hxdwo0kK_X4)
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Yangshou was also one of the first places I visited in my first visit to China. I had an excellent few days there. Stayed at a small places just outside Yanghsou, it was called Moon resort, close to Moon hill. My best memory is from the day I went cycling upwards the river, nice flat terrain easy to cycle. At one place the road and the river did not follow each other. I was sure if I followed the road up a hill and down I would come down to the river again.... Off course I got lost...After a long time I got back on track and arrived at a small village which i remembered from the trip upwards. At that point I was totally exhausted and hungry as never before, been cycling all day just with some water and small snack. I aimed for a small kiosk for a coke and ice cream, only option there. But some woman saw me and wanted to sell med lunch. She spoke just a few words English. Remember it was my first trip to China and i was more careful than on my later trips. She tried to convince med to follow her, but I said no. In the end she grabbed my bike and pulled my arm to follow her ! I was so exhausted that i caved in and followed her. She walked us in some narrow lanes between the houses and straight trough a few houses. I remember I thought that if something happened to me here, nobody would miss me before I was due back in Norway, in three weeks time ! After I had followed her through the small village we got down to the river bank and there she had a few rafts where local people sat eating. She seated me at one of the raft and handed me a very simple menu :)
I had a huge portion of fried rice and "chicken", think she gave me some extra, it was a lot. After finished eating , when I was full and relaxed, I had to smile of myself, what a difference a meal can make. She was very understanding, when I left the place she actually walked me back trough the village, pointing, smiling and saying a few words in Chinese. I probably would have spent some time to find my way back trough the village. I'm happy she "forced" to walk her to the "restaurant", remember the feelings when i walked with her, a little scared, curious, excited, it is one of the first things that comes to my mind when I think of China.
..ok, sorry for rambling away with my personal and subjective experience.. Enjoy your stay in Yangshou,
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Thanks, Daghoi, interesting little story.
These things I hear, read and watch on the Internet about the places I am going to, all pile up so that in the end I am much better prepared for a journey like this. So to me, it's a fun and valuable piece of information.
Thanks for sharing.
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Oh, I remember Moon Hill. I found a link to a picture I uploaded to Panoramio which geotags with Google maps or earth - http://www.panoramio.com/photo/32191743 (http://www.panoramio.com/photo/32191743) You can see where it is from the link.
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Bergur , did anybody tell you yet over there .. that you look like " Dashan " ? Nice to put a Face to your Postings , always welcome and appreciated .
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Got back from China yesterday.... northern china has certainly cooled off in my six week absence!!
Not going again until the week before Christmas, should be frigid by then!!
Certainly seems less polluted as it gets colder.
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where did you go nigal>? ;D
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Nope, nobody told me that I looked like this Dashan guy. Looked him up on Google. Wish I could speak the language like him. It would make my life ... well ... more interesting.
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Can't wait to get to Yangshuo. I think I will like it. What on earth was I thinking by going to Changsha? ???
Bergur
Now you know why I prefer the quiet life in Zhongshan Bergur!
Willy
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Yes, Willy, Zhongshan was many times better than Changsha.
But I have now arrived in Yangshuo. This is the place I was looking for.
I am going to stay here at least until spring.
Bergur.
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Love all the videos and Pictures Bergur -Makes me homesick
I do not want to hi-jack Bergur's thread-(I know I was absent from the forum for a while, and I'm not very good with remembering names)but maybe one of the member's whose been around for a while could tell me....Has Willy's hair always been so black?
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James .. no it has not ! Dyed it since living in China , wants to blend in . He's working on his Eyes next :o !
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James .. no it has not ! Dyed it since living in China , wants to blend in . He's working on his Eyes next :o !
Dyed it!!! :o
No No No! :'( It is all that special china tea that I drink and that I proposed to sell all over the world as the magic element in created that youthful style again. ;D
My Dad never had a grey hair on his head when he died. Never dyed his hair either. Grandad died at 86 not a grey hair.
Willy
P.S. Should add that Dad died at 38 and granddad was bald as a bat all his life. But don't want to spoil the advertising aspect.;D
P.P.S My eyebrows are now the same colour as my hair - This tea is great stuff!
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thought eyebrows couldn't be dyed?
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Hi Rob,
Went to JiNan, as usual
My Chinese home, I love it there
Perfect autumn weather there, a city of rare beauty
Will be back December 17th
Intend to pop the question December 18th, we will marry in China in May ( provided she says yes)
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of course she will ;D, was in jinan for the day last year, sophie took me there thinking it was the place to register our banns, even after me telling her it wasn't :(
lovely big par at the shopping mall with the big red statue thingy...lol
;D ;D ;D
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thought eyebrows couldn't be dyed?
And just how long have you been researching China? You should know very well these Chinese (or rather their Tea) can do anything. Anything. Another selling point.
You white haired foreigner! White hair - at least I can tell everyone your my Ba Ba when you arrive.
Willy
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thought eyebrows couldn't be dyed?
And just how long have you been researching China? You should know very well these Chinese (or rather their Tea) can do anything. Anything. Another selling point.
You white haired foreigner! White hair - at least I can tell everyone your my Ba Ba when you arrive.
Willy
haha going for the dye soon matey 8)
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thought eyebrows couldn't be dyed?
And just how long have you been researching China? You should know very well these Chinese (or rather their Tea) can do anything. Anything. Another selling point.
You white haired foreigner! White hair - at least I can tell everyone your my Ba Ba when you arrive.
Willy
haha going for the dye soon matey 8)
I know you won't otherwise you wont get your regular Santa Claus job this year.
Willy
Definately do not dye it before you get here. Mind you a nice emerald green will be ok For March. More work on St Patricks day then.
As guess what?
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Just for Info.
I have had some long talks with Iceland in recent days. Bergur is still in China and will be posting his exploits to date on here at some future date. He is hooked on the country like me. But I think he finds it colder than Iceland as everything here has solid concrete walls with no insulation.
Willy
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Yes , we have been watching his videos , thought he must have found a warm spot to hang out ha ha , as his videos have slowed down , regards Sujuan and Robert .
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That is why I'm waiting till March (besides the paperwork). My home has insulation, I closed off any possible draft, I have two heaters running, I'm wearing sweatpants, two shirts and heavy socks and it is only in the 50's F
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HAHA Vince, it was in the 50's F here yesterday. I felt like shedding the shirt and bronzing my belly!
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Down here you can tell the tourists (mostly Canadians) from the clothes worn. It's almost a were's Waldo. Many are bundled up like it's at 0 degrees out and others are in shorts a T shirt and flip flops? It's not without saying I have been in the minus zero weather before, (I've skied Whiteface) I just rather not again.
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Down here you can tell the tourists (mostly Canadians) from the clothes worn. It's almost a were's Waldo. Many are bundled up like it's at 0 degrees out and others are in shorts a T shirt and flip flops? It's not without saying I have been in the minus zero weather before, (I've skied Whiteface) I just rather not again.
I used to go Fishing at Whiteface Mountain, my Uncle's parents had a Cabin up there. Lovely place, but never been there in the Winter. I'm German, but I also don't like to be frozen solid.
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I first was up there somewhere around winter 77 or 78? Drove my Mustang up which was basically a race car on the street. The further I went up there the weirder the car was running. Got into Lake Placid the destination at a bar and went outside to check the car for any problems. It was -10 F without the wind. A guy from the bar came out (Jim, worked for the Ford dealer up there) and asked if I needed help? I said no I got it and then he looked under the hood. Surprise! Well I made a few friends and got to know allot of people and kept going up a few years summers too. Still get in touch with them every so often. Oh and the car trouble? Thinner air. Carb couldn't get enough.
We might have crossed paths and didn't even know it?
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We might have crossed paths and didn't even know it?
Maybe Vince ? I was up there a few times ( also Schroon Lake ), but that was between '69-'73.
I tell you something funny at Schroon Lake , gone fishing with a Boat .. when I got a hit by something big ( didn't hook it though. But what happened, was they "it" took my Pole with it! I wasn't watching to closely and before I knew it .. sappo it was in the Lake. The funny story about this, is that the water was so clear .. I could see it at the bottom. So went to shore and got my other Pole and actually used that one to hook my other sunken Pole. Does that make me a good Fisherman or an Idiot for loosing it? haha
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I think it makes you a Hooker? I'm kidding just kidding
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I have to confess that I have committed a major indiscretion.I have succombed to running an electric heater all morning.
How do I explain the warmth in this place when my wife returns?
This is the coldest that I have ever felt here and I just cannot work on computer wearing two outdoor coats and two pairs of trousers and two sweaters and snow gloves make hitting the right keys very difficult.
Living Chinese has certainly gone by the board until this weather warms up!
Willy
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think of arnold being a hooker that shoukld make you warm up lol :D :D
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I have to confess that I have committed a major indiscretion.I have succombed to running an electric heater all morning.
How do I explain the warmth in this place when my wife returns?
This is the coldest that I have ever felt here and I just cannot work on computer wearing two outdoor coats and two pairs of trousers and two sweaters and snow gloves make hitting the right keys very difficult.
Living Chinese has certainly gone by the board until this weather warms up!
Willy
Right now we would swop you Willy...
Ming is totally blasted by 40 degree heat, she never believed it was possible to be so hot !!! She would go outside to cook and egg on the pavement and take a photo to send back to the rellies......, but is scared she would die before it is cooked....and of course, you know the Chinese Woman's aversion to sun- tans...so she goes out looking like an Arab Lady in her Burka...so funny ;D ;D ;D
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.... She would go outside to cook and egg on the pavement and take a photo to send back to the rellies......, but is scared she would die before it is cooked....
Just one question..How did she learn about cooking eggs on the pavement?? ??? ??? :-X Is that a Welsh thing?
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Robbie....Welsh people dont eat eggs...only Leeks and lumps of coal !!!!
I happened to say (Aussie language ) to Ming the other day.."WOW it's hot enough to cook an egg on the pavement today"...and she believed me ;D ;D ;D...(as they do)
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Right now we would swop you Willy...
Ming is totally blasted by 40 degree heat, she never believed it was possible to be so hot !!! She would go outside to cook and egg on the pavement and take a photo to send back to the rellies......, but is scared she would die before it is cooked....and of course, you know the Chinese Woman's aversion to sun- tans...so she goes out looking like an Arab Lady in her Burka...so funny ;D ;D ;D
Seems like it is not just Aussie weather that has warmed up. What are the Aussie Xl on. They have certainly improved.
Willy
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hahahaha
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Very simple Willy , they were heading for the unemployment queue , so they , well most of them pulled their collective fingers out .