Nepal, China and Fiji!

Nepal



Just before going to China, I spent 10 days in Nepal recovering from a difficult few months of travel in India. Nepal was much slower and more relaxed. The people did not always try to sell you which was a nice change. They have an interesting look. A mixture of Asiatic, tibetan and Indian.

Arriving in Thamel, was a shock! Thamel, the touristy part of Kathmandu, felt like Kah San road in Bangkok. Intenet cafes, souvenir shops, climbing/travel tour agents, big signs with bright lights and expensive western restaurants.Too much too fast.

I didn't expect this type of tourism. It was far different than India. Massive amounts of tour groups (tourists) with their expensive northface clothing apparell and branded hiking boots coming for a 2-3 week trekking holidays.




I was feeling rather lazy and decided not to join my freinds (who I met in Varanasi, India) for a 3 week trek in the infamous Anurpana range. Therefore, I went to lake Pokora to relax and do much eating.

Unfortunately, my plan to cross into Tibet was cancelled when they shut the borders and forced me to take an expensive flight to Beijing due to the violent protests and as a result the harsh Chinese response.


China for one is massive! You don't realize how big it is, until you have crossed much of it overland.

It's one of the worlds oldest civilizations (the most populous) and contains many suprises and an amazing breath of diversity in it's landscape, culture and people.



It's rather amazing how much of China's history, culture, temples and buildings have been destroyed or re-built. Erased, tragically, lost in time predominately in the last century . The inventors of gunpowder, printing, paper currency, ''pasta'', the followers of Taoism, Confucianism, the practices of shaolin, Tao chi. So much history and culture!

Exceptions, to list but a few (historic towns-) Shangrila, Dali, Pingyao and Lijang below with it's cobbled streets , old rickety wooden buildings and cute canals still retain old architecture.

Unfortunately, they are completely overrun with Chinese brigades of tourist all following Shepards carrying Flags . These organized sheep, wearing colorful bright green, blue or red hats, snap shots away with their large cameras as they browse through the endless little souvenir shops. This for me has killed the authenticity of some of the last remaining attractive towns in China.



In general there are NO English speakers in China. Everything is complex ! They also do not understand conventional hand signals which got me through most of the rest of Asia?

Taxi's, ordering food in a restaurants or even something simple like finding a toilet or asking for salt and pepper.. is a mission. I never once ordered something to eat and actually got exactly what I wanted or thought I was ordering except for the last week when I travelled with a local Chinese girl who spoke English.

Toilets are lovely indeed, many times you can watch others relieving themselves. Imagine a 4 walled box of con create with 4-10 holes in the ground. Being foreign is an unique experience. To be stared at while pissing by other who are simultaneously pissing and shitting. The funny thing is in general Chinese in most cities ignore you completely, in contrast to other Asia countries were I got starred at all the time. Its hard to determine if its that they are timid and reserved or just completely dis-interested?



Pingyao was also pleasant after Beijing. Pingyao is one of the best preserved ancient walled cities with its swaying red lanterns and Grey brick walls. It was quiet and only bycycle's were permitted in the old centre fitting the more authentic picture, I had in mind before coming to China.

Aside from the charms of Beijing, IE The summer palace, the Forbidden city, the great wall, tinamen square, monasteries, gardens and a the tiny hiddenback streets (Called hutons -where for a moment you did not feel like you are in a sprawling metroplois).

Beijing is a great place to be scammed. Unfortunately, I was.

I met some friendly locals who had me join them for tea at a "tea house" were I paid 20 euros for the most expensive tea I have ever had. After, speaking to fellow tourists -half the people in my hostel had similar experiences, either in Beijing or Shanghai. Many got off far worst occasionally being scammed into the hundreds and even thousands, for expensive meals or hiring out event rooms for meal with out their prior knowledge or consent.

Modernization has arrived and millions flooding to the urban cities increasing the gaps of rich and poor. The levels of pollution, traffic, noise is and the sheer quantity of people is inconceivable. Perhaps only because distance and traffic were so horrendous you needed 4 to 5 days to just see a few of the major sites.




My next stop Xian was like being back in the capitol. In fact, they say 7 of 10 of the most polluited cities in the world are in China. If I did not have a mate working at the Universitie I would have skipped Xian.

Aside from the infamous terracotta warriors and one of the Shans? (a holy mountain), I spent very little time in Xian, Chengdu, Kunming, Schenzen, some of the largest cities in China.

The hostels in China were suprisingly good, fully equipped with common rooms, Internet and so on. Proper hotels were very expensive!

Not to mention everything has a entrance fee, whether you want to visit a park, garden, temple, climb a hill you have to pay. The only thing that I found just is that the locals also need to pay the same amount. Unlike in India and south east Asia were tourists pay a lot more.




Two things you notice, not only on the trains but especially on the trains are the women, men and kids of all classes spitting everywhere all the time. The other is kids do not use diapers. In fact, their clothes come made with a small whole so there private parts can hang out and essentially can use the toilet at any time when and where ever. Now if you are siting next to someone who is about to spray and is slowly pointing to and away it can be quite an awkward experience.

I met very few real long term travelers in China. Mostly, I met a couples and short term holiday tourists, aside from many many English teachers from the states or the UK .

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The trains fared much better then in Indian . Unfortunately , the comfortable classes were always booked and had I to take half a dozen 20 hour trains in a hard seat with the general population of which none speak English and. In all but one case, I was the only European.



Dali like lijang but to a lesser extent was a stunning town. But, just to get a few nice shots without the patrols of tourist groups I had get up at 6am in the morning.

Shangrila was better , as it's further away ,colder with a horrible mountain road keeping the less adeventurous away.Also since they had closed off Tibet, many stayed away thinking it was off limits to tourists.

It is still predominately Tibetan. Although not as beautiful as the latter and former it was more real. I felt like I was in Tibet. We went as far to the border as possible but were not allowed to go further than "dequin''. It was very disappointing to miss out on Tibet.

I spent a few days trekking in the tiger leaping Gorge, it is said to be the deepest gorge in the world. I spent those days reflecting joyfully that I decided not to trek in Nepal for 3 weeks. It would have been torture :)



Yangshuo my last stop was also unlike many other places. Tourism of course had hit, but the landscapes were unreal, The rice paddies and limestone capped rock formations look somewhat like ha-long bay...and are an amazing site.

Hong Kong even though a large city I liked. Its an interesting change from the mainland and I like a fusion of East and West. The people are for the most part just as traditional, although they would have you believe otherwise, I think its only on the surface. You do find a lot of English speakers which makes things much easier and more enjoyable.

They are even trying to re-wire cultural mores through immense fines to eliminate things like littering and spitting which are rampant on the mainland.



Bali. was a great transition. People were smiling again, friendly and keen to converse. The food both western and local was delicious and cheap. . Add in the surf , sun, beaches and english being spoken and it was paradise. I met a cool guy from Holland, and we decided to rent motorbikes and drive around the islands. It was nice to get off the beaten track and see real people and no other tourists.

We also took a ferry to the more remote island of lombok and to the infamous Gilli islands. A great place.

Oz my next stop was brief. In addition, almost 80% of the travelers I bumped too were kids just out of high school. many not all of these 18-20 year olds got stupidly drunk night after night. It felt like bing on a package deal on Ibiza. Mostly Brittish and German, with a few Dutch and Scandanavians. I have come to understand why I enjoy travelling to the more difficult places.... usually the people you meet are much better hence the experiences you have!



I started in tropical Cairns. More of a starting/ending point but some great reefs for snorkling. Ufortunately it was raining the entire month I was in australia except for 3-4 days .Even Queensland gets rain in the the winter.

I spent a few days on a sailboat- the Hababi snorkling though the great barrier reef which has an amazing variety of tropical fish and stunning coral. I have never seen such beautiful coral. The next fun stop was off -roading in jeeps with 10 strangers for a few days on the largest sand island - Frasier Isand. Was pleasant to camp and sleep under the stars while dingos would try steal food or the occasional woman.



Otherwise in a nutshell, I stopped into Sydney and Brizbane to catch up with some freinds, surfed and partyed a bit in Byron bay, (such a cool place) and got stuck on mission and rainbow beach hoping the rain would stop .

I ended in Fiji. A stunning place indeed. Over 300 islands to choose from. I got to six. And some are just like in the movies, your on a tiny island with nothing on but a few huts. I found the conditions were very baisic on the Yasawa islands,not to mention very limited food. I was starving half of the time as there are no shops to buy things on the islands. Also too many couples...



Well after 9 months of traveling through Asia that concludes the largest portion of my trip. I have been visiting freinds and relatives in the US and Canada the last 5 weeks and will be going to Old Europe to do the same.

In October I fly to Colombia, will cross Venezula and the amazon going down along Brazil's north eastern coastline to Rio were I would loke to live for 6-12 months before heading to Buenos Aires.