Have Holga will travel

Day 4: Finally Awake!

chris_k — Tue, 29 Aug 2006 18:40:00 GMT

August 13. I slept until 6 AM and finally feel normal. I am glad that I have a long stay so I could adjust. Weiqian arrived with breakfast in hand, some hard-boiled eggs and fresh corn on the cob. Great way to begin the day! We proceeded to Quing Xin m\Mountain park area. The sun is in full force so it should be a scorcher. We travel by bus which is a great way to get around. The price is very low but all schedules that I have found so far are only in Chinese. Of course they should be, I do suppose. I know which bus is which but I have no idea where they are going. Taxis are everywhere but fairly expensive in comparison. The Nanning city buses are quite clean and comfortable but usually very crowde so get used to standing on them. The park is located on teh edge of Nanning. The entrance to the park is over a massive bamboo bridge. It is on Hmong design and is very beautiful and durable. Not a single nail was used in it's construction. We continued on foot - I recommend taking one of the buses or trolleys instead. It is proving to be a hard slog and we are forced to take many breaks. The park is many kilometers in size and quite hilly. had my first longan fruit during a break - quite tasty - as well as some persimmon and peach. This park contains a very large Buddhist temple complex. Part of this is currently under rennovation. T

Day 3: And Confused

chris_k — Tue, 29 Aug 2006 18:15:00 GMT

August 12th. Great, woke up at 3 AM. Watched television and was quite entertained despite the language barrier. Commercials are as omnipresent and in the USA. An incredible thunderstorm moved in at about 4:30 AM. The lightning and downpour were truly impressive. The city is very quiet during the storm. Bad bit of luck in that the satelite TV was knocked offline. Spent the rest of the morning watching the storm and the city awaken from the balcony of my room. I can't fall back asleep and Weiqian is coming over for breakfast at 9 AM. She takes me to a little kiosk for breakfast and we dine outside. Jacky isn't with us today and she seems a bit nervous speaking. We will try to solve that issue by buying an electronic translator today. First things first, we must go to the bank . It was recommended to me in the States that I use the Bank of China. I will follow that recommendation. A branch is located only about two blocks from teh hotel. I'll give it a go with some of my Traveller's checks. Traveller's checks prove to be a bit of a pain to use here in my opinion. First you must submit a copy of your passport along with your pssport. This copy will be kept so have plenty on hand. Second you wil need to fill out a somewhat lenghty form. We went a few stores back to a store that Jacky had recommended last night for the translator. The model that we settled on gave pronuciation and allowed the entry of short paragraphs. Unfortunately the model ran 1998 yuan so we had to go back to the bank. This time I used my debit card at the 24-hour ATM. Voila! Instructions available in English, no paperwork, and yaun in hand within seconds. You do get a better rate and fewer fees with the Traveller's checks but the convenience of the ATM's can't be beat. Life is good with teh electronic translator in hand. I had the item recommended to me while in teh USA. I was told to wait until I arrived here to purchase as the cost would be lower. True, however the machine is made with the Chinese market in mind. All the instructions are in Chinese and the bent is to learn English. Not a problem for most functions, but there are some things that I still haven't figured out. Translator in hand, Weiqian and I returned to the hotel room and chatted the afternoon away. She is definitely the one who charmed my heart! Arrangements were made to meet her mother tomorrow and then proceed to Guilin and other areas for the nest week. Weiqian took the time off so we could spend the time traveling. Weiqian headed home. I watched Spiderman II in Chinese before dozing off. Weiqian woke me up to go have dinner together. The food is great here! After Weiqian headed home for the evening I tried to stay up a bit to fight this jet lag. let's hope it works!

Day 2: Dazed

chris_k — Tue, 29 Aug 2006 17:18:00 GMT

August 11th. Nobody warned me that Guangzhou airport was so big! I ran a complete marathon trying to make my connecting flight to Nanning. Immigration was easily cleared and the visa processing was very simple. Everyone is very friendly and helpful. Of course what I feared has happened - my luggage has not arrived. I have only my carry-on to last the next three weeks so far. I only have a two hour layover in Guangzhou and this is going to be a problem. I have filled out the missing luggage form and I am trudging on but time is very tight. Okay, now I am running again to try to find my flight. My flight to Nanning seems to be causing a bit of confusion. One gentleman must have thought that I was returning to Los Angeles as he took me to the international departure custom line. Maybe he just figured this is where a lost meiguo should be. In Chinese airports a pen is your best friend. Have your best friend out and be prepared to write. You must fill out forms for all departures and arrivals both foreign and domestic. If you end up at the wrong gate you must fill out the forms all over again.

Salvation came in the form of a young gentleman with a golf cart. For only 20 yuan, about 2 1/2 US dollars, he expertly drove me through the airport, found the proper terminal, and expidited my course through departure customs and screening. What a wonderful man! LAX should hire this fellow as they sorely need his level of professionalism. Now came the shocker. I found the big board with all domestic departures. My flight to Nanning was nowhere to be found. It had been cancelled apparently. With my phrase book and English-Chinese dictionary I was able to locate the next departure to Nanning, find the gate, and negotiate a seat on the next outbound flight to Nanning. Only an hour and a half delay. This will give me a chance to catch my breath and refresh myself. If you can, try to get your hands on some local currency before leaving home. Guidebooks told me that I could not obtain yuan outside of China but I was able to secure 800 yuan through my bank at home for a small fee. This has been invaluable today and prevented me from standing in line for a considerable time to convert currency at the airport. Unfortunately my delay meant that I would not be able to meet Weiqian on time and I had no way to contact her from Guangzhou. I feel quite terrible about that.

Nanning is just a short one hour hop by air. The fare is definitely worth it as the bus trip is about 12 hours. The landing at Nanning airport was a bit abrupt but otherwise all of my flights went well. Weiqian was not present. I wil call her translator, Jacky, as soon as I am at the hotel. The airport is located well outside of town. The taxi trip is going to cost 100 yuan. My driver was a maniac! What a way to be introduced to Nanning traffic. High speeds with frequent and abrupt lane changes were par for the course. I am a clam person but this taxi driver is unnerving me a bit. No seat belt to be found either. I did manage to arrive at the hotel in one piece. I did not realize this at the time, but later comprehended that I had managed to find the most maniacal taxi driver in all of Nanning for my first experience! Nanning traffic may seem chaotic at first impression but is actually very orderly and the drivers quite skilled. There seems to be an informal hierarchy. Taxis and buses seem to have top priority. Next are trucks and private cars. The following level consists of motorcycles and mopeds. Bicycles and bicycle carts comprise the next group. Pedestrians fill out the bottom tier. This is all terribly logical because if pedestrians had the top priority vehicles would never get anywhere. Please take note, when on foot you are exected to get out of the way. No one is looking to run you over, but everyone else does have the right of way.

I checked into the Nanning Xiang Yun Hotel. A quite nice, historic, 3-star hotel. I got a good rate of 220 yuan a night online through sinohotel.com. The staff are extremely freindly although my lack of Chinese language skills are proving to be a bit of a challenge. The staff are being wonderfully patient on this point. Be prepared to put up a deposit for all the nights of your stay upfront. Remember that tipping is not expected for service, which you will normally find to be excellent. The room facilities are nice and Western-oriented. The bathroom included a tub with full showerhead.

Guangxi Province is hot and humid so be prepared. To give you a feel for it, imagine yourself sitting outside at midday in summer in either South Carolina or Florida. Yes, we are talking Atlanta hot. Now picture yourself drinking a cup of hot tea while sitting outside because that is what you will likely be doing. Air conditioning is present in a few buildings and residences but not to the frosty extent that Americans are accustomed - this polar bear included.

Got settled in and have given Jacky a call. He is going to drop by the hotel to say hello. Weiqian had to return to work for the afternoon so I won't see her until later. Jacky proved to be a quite amiable young fellow and we immediately settled in at ease. I am a vegetarian (ovo-lacto) and was thoroughly pleased to find a vegetarian and tea restaurant in the lobby of the hotel. What luck! Quite a nice place. Jacky is very much the entrepreneur and has an outstanding command of English. After a pleasant lunch and chat, I returned to my room for a nap as jet lag is beginning to settle in. An important note for travellers! I have not stayed at a hotel here yet that has an alarm clock in the room. Bring your own! Wake-up service is generally available but I have always found a clock more convenient. When you combine this with the 13-hour time change from home, I am completely lost as to what time it is.

Anyhow, I finally got to be in the same room with Weiqian! She is adorable and oh so tiny. She only comes to my shoulder and I am not a tall man by any means. It is wonderful to be in her presence after writing to each other for so long. Jacky is translating for now as Weiqian hasn't studied English since her school days and lacks confidence for now in her skills. I have been studying hanyu for only a few months so I don't stand a chance. We decided to head out for a bit of dinner. Only a couple of blocks away was a wonderful bakery. By "bakery" an American would term it a cafeteria. I am happy to say that many veggie selections were available. I seem to have passed the chopsticks usage test. Please fellow travellers, spend a bit of time practicing your table manners before your trip. Combine that with politeness, a smile, and putting forth an effort and you will get along swimmingly. My appetite is a bit off. I think it is the jet lag. After a good meal and a pleasant conversation it is time to return to the room for some more sleep.

Day 1: Nothing like 24 hours in the air

chris_k — Wed, 23 Aug 2006 13:41:00 GMT

So much to catch up on! Okay, it is day 20 in China. It has all been a blur so far, a wonderful and fascintating blur! Today is the first time in which i have had time or access to post. I have been keeping a handwritten journal so far.

A bit of prolouge first is in order I suppose. This is my first trip to China and I bring little knowledge but lots of enthusiasm. My travels have been in the Guanxi Province, mainly in the city of Nanning. I am spending three weeks in China with my girlfriend Zeng Weiqian. We are experiencing her home city and travelling the province. I am hoping to keep a chronicle of my stay, maybe provide a tip or two for neophyte travellers such as myself herein, and perhaps encourage a more savy China traveller or two to spend some time in this wonderful province.

Day one: August 9th - 11th The flight from from kansas City in the USA to Nanning took a little over 26 hours, almost all of which was spent in the air. The flights in themselves were pleasant except for some consideralble turbulence from teh Sea of Ohkotsk to Beijing. The airports were another matter, however. The Midwest Airline flight from Kansas City to L.A. was fabulous. I have flown that airline many times and highly recommend it to anyone. Then came LAX... Does anyone there know what they are doing?!? I had to switch terminals and I received different instructions from each member of airport personnel that I spoke with and each proved incorrect. I am not kidding! I was first sent to the wrong terminal. Then I was sent to numerous wrong lines. There was no language barrier and I presented my tickets each time. By the end of the ordeal I found myself in a dead sprint to catch my flight to Guangzhou. Luckily, the flight was delayed for 20 minutes and this gave me the time to recompose myself. Not suprisingly I was feeling apprehensive about the state of my checked luggage, one suitcase. I inquired at the gate about the status and I was assured that it was onboard the plane. Right...

The flight from Los Angeles to Guangzhou was a 15 hour leg. Surprisingly the route was an artic one. We followed the Pacific Coast northward, overflying San Francisco, Seattle, Vancouver, and Anchorage. We crossed the Bearring Strait and flew over Siberia and the Sea of Ohkotsk. That is when some impressive turbulence set in. The turbulence did not relent until we had overflown Beijing. Of course it began when I had really become comfortable over a couple of seats. We continued flying south and landed at Guangzhou at 6 AM on August 11th.