Erica Nairn

Bye China, Hello Hanoi and Halong Bay!

ericadawn — Mon, 18 Jul 2011 16:13:00 GMT

The bus station in Nanning is quite far from the center of the city. It took a good 45 min in a taxi! Glad i didn't take the bus. Standing on a crowded bus with my backpack on for an hour would have been kind of lame. The taxi was well worth the Y50. The city itself is another huge crowded Chinese metropolis. Took some nice walks and found a great dumpling place, saw some kids skating, and a man who could not seem to keep his pants pulled up. Interestingly there is a Walmart in the downtown shopping area! Aww China! My Visa for Vietnam took 3 days and was so easy to get because my hostel did all the paper work. I just handed my passport, the photo I brought from home and like Y400. Easy! The bus left China at 8 and arrived in Hanoi at 4pm.
After finding my bed a went to look for a cooking class! Found one at a restaurant around the corner and had an amazing dinner. And tried a fried patty made of ground pork and crickets. Then went to the Irish bar and had a couple beers with some expats.The cooking class started early the next day,and I joined a group that consisted of a mother and her 2 daughters. They were from Australia and were very fun. We started out with a cyclo ride to the market in the rain. It continued to rain all day but we all enjoyed the class, it was by far the best one I have ever taken. The black pepper sauce for the beef parcels is so easy and delicious, and the fresh spring rolls were very delectable. My mouth is watering now!
Even though the rain did not seem to want to let up, I thought a trip to Halong Bay could not be missed, so decided to take a quick tour. It was a good idea. When we arrived to the dock it was over crowded because they had stopped boats leaving the harbor due to fog. We got underway pretty quick considering. It was foggy but still very hot. Went to a cave called Surprize cave. Named by Ho Chi Minh. There is a huge penis rock and the roof looks like sand that had been beaten my enormous waves. Then went kayaking, my partner was 21yo Singaporian. We were a pretty good team and even though it was drizzling rain the water was warm all around us and I really enjoyed myself. I stayed one night on the boat and headed back to Hanoi. Arrived at 5 in the evening and booked a buss ticket for 7pm the next day,to Hoi An. While I waited I went to a very posh spa and had a massage and a pedicure. Some browsing around the Old Quarter and then some pho with too many chilis! YUM!

Photos: Hanoi and Halong Bay, Vietnam

ericadawn — Mon, 18 Jul 2011 14:58:00 GMT

A few photos of Nanning, China also

Photos: Guilin and Yangshou!

ericadawn — Sun, 10 Jul 2011 18:47:00 GMT

Photos: Chengdu

ericadawn — Sun, 10 Jul 2011 18:38:00 GMT

Some southern China

ericadawn — Sun, 10 Jul 2011 18:32:00 GMT

june 26th
Arrived Chengdu! A very large city. Lotsa smog. They are very proud of the Panda research center. I think they just try to make it sound better then a panda zoo. And they do get panda sperm and inject it into other pandas to make baby pandas but you can also pay to hold a Panda and have your photo taken for about $150.

Took the brand new metro to different parts of the city For a cpl of days then decided to beeline it for Guilin.
At the airport we sat on the runway for a little more then an hour. Which is funny because the flight was only an hour. Landed around 12:30am and took a taxi to my hostel. I needed Guilin, it is quite touristy in the lazy walk around and eat food and look at the beautiful mountains around you kind of way. Climbed to the top of elephant trunk hill, for a view! Saw some crazy rock formations. Then took a trip to the Longji rice terraces. That's dragon spine terraces in chinese. The walk up was as interesting as the intricate rice fields that have been in this area for around 500 years ago, during the Ming Dynasty. The town weaves its way up filled with restaurant and little houses. It was funny to see these old Chinese men hauling other people up the hills on bamboo chairs
Also took some cool picture of the sun and moon pagodas in Guilen. And had a guilen noodle specialty.
July 6
Set out in a boat to Yangshou via the Li river. Took half the day. Got a nice hotel to myself with a balcony overlooking the creek the runs through the small town. It is a truly a one of a kind area. On my birthday met some expats and got pretty loaded. Lots of jamison shooting. I was to meet up the next day to go to a beach but just saw them long enough to change my mind and spent the day watching movies and t.v on my laptop. It was nice to just zone out on the boob tube.
Took a trip to the the dragon bridge and rode on a bamboo raft. Also had the pleasure of feeding some huge water buffalo and saw a comorand do some fishing for a guy. The scenery is so astonishing. It is hard to leave. But I am on my way to Vietnam so I will spend my last few days in Nanning then say goodbye to China. "Zai jian"!

Beijing, China

ericadawn — Sat, 2 Jul 2011 18:34:00 GMT

20th June

Arrived in Beijing around 2 pm. The train from UB was pretty nice. I had 2 Mongolian girls in my cabin whom were down to party. The were sipping on wine and beer the whole night. They were clearly ready to have some fun in Beijing.

You can still hear whispers about the olympics everywhere you go. Faded rings on the street, obsolete advertisements. I went to Tiananmen square my first day. And sweated in the heat surrounded by loads of local tourists.

Went into a restaurant and ordered a dish and got a huge plate of chilis with some chopped up chicken parts. It was absolutely delicious. Took a tour with the cooking class to a local morning market and irritated all the Chinese trying to get there daily shopping done by standing in they're way. Then became a spring roll master. Went to the Lama Temple (just a block from my hostel). It was very overcast and made the buildings seem like they floated in the sky. Unfortunately the day I went to the great wall it was impossible to see more then a few feet. The Ming tombs were interesting and a little macabre feeling.

The pearl market was flustering until I discovered a nice place on the roof with a view of temple of heaven park. There was a garden with a pond and it was absolutely the opposite of what was happening on the floors below. The Beijing night market was my favorite by far and I ended Beijing with a lovely Peking Duck dinner.

I made a mistake and bought by train ticket a couple days earlier then I thought. Oh well. Overnight train to Chengdu in Sichuan province.

Photos: Beijing

ericadawn — Sat, 2 Jul 2011 18:19:00 GMT

Photos: Khovsgol and UB

ericadawn — Tue, 21 Jun 2011 17:45:00 GMT

khovsgol Lake, Mongolia

ericadawn — Tue, 21 Jun 2011 17:39:00 GMT

Leaving UB again. It is a strange city, consisting of sky scrapers and ger villages. gucci and rags, and city people and nomads. I think that in the back of most Mongolians minds, as they rush threw the big city life, lie the dream of a family , happy, in a ger on the steppe.
Found my short bus at the Dragon "Station" that will take me to Moron. Only 19 hours overnight and crammed in. Ended up with the girl next to me on my shoulder and a little girls head in my lap. I was very warm though. The only other westerner was a lady from Poland. When we arrived in Moron found out the vans don't leave to Khatsgal till late afternoon. A local guest house let us nap. (not a lot of sleep on that bus). Then 3 hours to Khatsgal. We had to keep stopping because the van was getting too hot. We would pull over a few minutes to cool and then drive again.
Let me tell you it was so beautiful, so worth it. I hiked up to the top of a cliff for a view of the lake. A shamanistic rock pile was there also. (They always seem to be next to amazing vantage points :) So many yaks I love them, I think they are better then cows. And a local told me the milk was way better in his opinion. The trees and slopes and rocks around are heart stopping. It was as if I have seen these views in landscape paintings thousands of times. I said to myself a couple of times "I thought Bob Ross put that tree there"
Katerina, a Finish girl, sharing the ger with me fulfilled a dream of hers and purchased 2 Mongolian horses. We celebrated with some beers and she took me on a ride. On our way back to the ger we were trotting side by side down the dirt road. The sun was below the horizon and she was wearing a cowboy hat. I felt like we were coming into town after a dusty day on the range.
Headed back to UB and have a train ticket to Beijing waiting for me. Went to a show featuring Mongolian dance, throat singing and musical instruments. It was quite amazing. A great end to my mongolian adventure. Had some beers and did some souvenir shopping.
Goodbye land of endless skies and forever smiling people.

Gobi, Mongolia

ericadawn — Sat, 18 Jun 2011 10:44:00 GMT

June 2 2011

Walked to the bus station easily from the hostel. Had to fill out costom forms for exiting Russia and entering Mongolia. The Russian exit one was in russian and the Mongolian in english. The girl next to me was from Kazakhstan and so She helped me with the russian and, though her english was great, I got to help her with the english. In Russia they stoped the bus 2 times before we got to customs and checked everyones passports. Then we had to get our bags and go through, where they checked passports, and also the other papers I have been carrying around. Then our bus had a mechanical problem so we waited there an hour. There was a family from Brazil with a 3 year old and all he wanted to do was go outside but was trapped in the waiting area with the big glass doors ,so he could see grass just on the otherside. Poor guy. Then bags back on the bus. And once more stopped the bus to check the passports.

So long Russia you are amazing and surprizing. Incredibly warm friendly people with a genuine pride in the beauty that is Russia.

MONGOLIA: Bus broke down about an hour into Mongolia. But I have found out that these mongols know how to fix any automobile. The bus just needed a small coin from a passengers pocket another time some scotch tape did the trick. We were in Ulaan Baatar (UB)a few hours later. Took a taxi to Ub hostel and the lady Bobee told me a group of 4 was looking for a 5th person for a 7 day Gobi tour the next morning.

We were 2 Swiss girls (Melenie and Valerie), a danish girl ( Anne)and a british guy(Richard). So we have an old russian van and driver, a cook, and 3 meals a day. We drove acrost Mongolias coarse roads and were lucky enough to see some of the most stunning landscapes in the world. The view seemed to change every half an hour or so, so even though I was beening thrown around a bit in the van, I did not seem to mind because there was always someting to marvel at. I saw budist ruins hidden in huge rock crevices, Flaming cliffs, white mountain( with the tiny mountain ranges below that make you feel like Zues looking down on the land) ice canyons in the middle of the desert, rolled some ankle bones(a mongolian game), rode a camel to unbeilvably large sand dunes and ate lunch on the grassy steppe as horses,cows,sheep,and goats ate their lunch also.

The food that Kwalan (cook) made was pretty good for breakfast and lunch. Every night we stayed at a nomadic families ger and they made us dinner. Usuaally consisted of noodles, rehydrated goat or mutton and possibly some potatoes. We should have brought salt and pepper though I don't know that would have helped. Shared a cup of Airag ( A slightly alcholic drink, 3 percent, made from fermented horse milk). One night we had a fire that caught quite quickly and warmed the ger up to the point of having to go outside a bit. It was all dried animal dung. Richard really got his hands dirty helping start the fire! yeah! POO FIRE!

Back in UB I took a very long shower washed my hair three times. The dunes just buried tons of sand and dirt in there. Then scored a ticket for Moron on sunday! Moron is the city a few hours away from lake khovsgol and Khovsgol nation park in Northern Mongolia. Two days in UB. Did some major treasure hunting for sunscreen ( sheeza), Walked to a view point above the city, museums and more museums, ordering buuz in mongolian, beers, and drinking ice coffee from this place down the street.

Photos: gobi

ericadawn — Fri, 17 Jun 2011 01:49:00 GMT

lakes, islands, and cities in Siberia.

ericadawn — Thu, 2 Jun 2011 09:19:00 GMT

May 28-June 1st
So I booked the bus ticket threw my hostel to Olkohn Island and they said to wait out front by the street for the bus. It would pick me up. It was about 45 min late and was waiting in the back by the entrance. The Hostel is more like a lg apt. There are three rooms, 2 have 3 bunkbeds and one has two beds, a large entry area, one and a half bath and a kitchen with the office off of it. The entry is in the back of the building.
About 7 hours later we arrive in Khuzhir the small town on Olkohn Island. I got out at the wrong homestay. Mostly because I didn't know the name of the place I was going. But it was figured out and Olgas husband came and picked me up. Lunch was waiting for me in the kitchen right when I got there. It is a very cute place and I have my own room. It has electricity and a bathroom with a sink that has a very small stream of water. But I was expecting no water so this is great. The out house is an the back. I think its good practice for Mongolia because out on the steppe and in the Gobi there are no toilets.
The lake is brilliant! It is hard to believe I am here! Took a tour up to the north part of the island. We made many stops to take pictures and climb hills and rocks, had a picnic lunch of Omul soup and salami sandwich. Omul is endemic to this lake, as are the nerpa seal and a huge number of the plants. I took some great photos and went to the beach at sunset all three nights. No paved roads here but there seems to be a lot of construction. I doubt it will be the same in five years. I love the picture I took of the main road "downtown".
Got back to Irkustks and got a train ticket to Ulan Ude. Only 8 hour train ride, its to funny how time passes after a 4 day train ride. The hostel I stayed at was new and very cool. I went to an amazing Buddist temple. It is the main one for buddists in this area. Also got my first taste of posy. A buryrat staple that the russians love. It is a juicy meat steamed dumpling. They have it in Mongolia also so I will be eating them a lot.
Heading to Mongolia the morning of the 2nd of June. Taking the bus because it is 1/3 the price and 12 hours compared to the train 24 hours. So crazy Americans do not need a visa for Mongolia

Photos: lake biakal

ericadawn — Wed, 1 Jun 2011 08:48:00 GMT

olkhon island

DA TRAIN

ericadawn — Mon, 30 May 2011 21:37:00 GMT

May 22-27th Trans-Siberian...

Train station ugg! Nobody seems to have time to try and point you in the right direction. I had "Kakaja platforma" racked in my brain to ask, but seriously, people detoured around me. So I was on my own. Their was a big board with train numbers cities and platforms so I just kept an eye hoping that it was the only one. I had arrived to the station early so nothing on the board matched my ticket, about and hour before my train I see my train # ,Irkusks in cerrylic and 1:10 and a 4. All the info seems to match my ticket except the 4. It must be platform 4. I go find car 11 (again crossing my fingers). Show my ticket to the provodnista and she let me on!!! Found my seat # 17 and on my way!

I rode platzkartney and thought it was pretty sweet, it is kind of like 3rd class. But you get a thin matress for your seat ,2 sheets, a pillowcase, and a pillow, and all the boiling water you want. The whole car is generally open though divides into sections with six beds. Two bottom ones that face each other with a small tabe in between, these are topped by one above each. Then the aileway and on the other side going the length of the train 2 more stacked. The bottom one turns into a table for two.

I had one of the bottom ones and acrost from me was a woman and her preteen daughter. and then there was a young kid in the one that turned into a table. The kid, Sid, spoke a few words of english other then that nobody did. By the end of the trip I grew to really like these Russians, I am glad I had such a great expirence I have heard others where people were hostile twards them or so much drinking there was puke flowing down the isle. My train arrived in Irkusk and they got up and walked me to my cab and waved goodbye to me. They wanted to make sure I got a good Taxi guy. There were also two guys in the area next to us that were drinking though they never got outa control. I could tell when it started to hit them because they would walk by and say "hello American girl" or ask if I was alright. Sid names these guys( for my non- russian speaking benifit)smile Taxi,cause one dives a cab in Ulan Ude, and the other one was named with a gester like you were taking a drink.

Lots of reading and writing. Also we had a half an hour stop in Boris Yeltsons hometown, Yekathinburg which is right about where eurpean russia ends and siberia begins. When reading about the scenery before I left books said that it can get quite boring, I found it ever changeing and different. Never thought a field of dandilions could look so beautiful. I bet when they turn white its pretty cool too. The last 15 hours or so were threw the Taiga. An amazing forest. It was also a nice ride because if I was reading my pals would say "Erica" and point out a river or a church and tell me where we were on my map.

The following are things I wish I knew about the train before i got on:

There is a little fresh water station big enough to put your hands in, located in the front of the car between the provodistas area and the bathroom, it is great for washing fruit.

There is a lady on the train who comes down the isle about once and hour selling water,soda, chips, and the like.

There is an outlet by the provonista quarters that you can charge things on,though you have to stand there the whole time it is chargeing, and there is only one, so I would not monopolize it.

The fawsets in the bathrooms work by pushing a metale thing up into the spout, the knobs seemed to be there to play a joke on me.

When you get to your seat try to have everything you will need ie. food, handy wipes, books, cards, cup, silverware, flipflops ect. in easy reach. On the bottom seat you keep your stuff under your seat and when you digging around in there your booty is in your nieghbors area.

The garbage is in the back of the train acrost from the bathroom. It looks and acts like a bench but you can lift it up and tada theres the trash.

Right now I am In Irkusks and just mailed off a butt load of postcards!! Cooking up some frozen veg. and tomarrow off to Olkohn Island.

Photos: trans siberia

ericadawn — Thu, 26 May 2011 21:27:00 GMT

Last day in Moscow

ericadawn — Sat, 21 May 2011 18:32:00 GMT

21st of May

So my last day in Moscow I am thinking I will go on this Metro tour. I walk down to the agency and it is closed. I am really close the red square agian and think, I will just walk that front part of the kremlin that goes along the river. Then I decided just to walk to Gorky Park. So past the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour and the awsome piratey statue of Peter the great and over a bridge. As I walk up I see that they are haveing the annual Harley davidson riders of russia gathering. As I walk up tons of harleys are comming into the parking lot. They are doing the moto thing where they cruise around in circles finding a spot to park, kinda like dogs looking for the right spot to lay down.

Inside there is a sort of festivale, stilt guys, the guys with immence boquets of balloons and the booths to win stuffed animals. I decide since I didn't go on the tour I should take the boat that goes up and down the Moscow river. Just as I am buying my ticket I hear amazing thunder and just as the boat is leaving it starts to rain in torents. I thought it was funny because the whole time I was singing winds of change, by the scorps, in my head and it had been so sunny all afternoon, and then the wind of change came literally! And when we returned about 1/2 an hour the sun was out in full force.

I also found this awsome sculpture in this park I happen to come acrost( well more then one) it was called " Children are victims of adult vices" or something close to that. It had two kids in the middle and all the evil adults around them.

Back at the hostel the old Indian gay told me I was open minded.

"Thank you?"

"I have only preposed marrage one other time"

":/ Im just cooking up these frozen vegetables in this pan"

" so I want to know if you will marry me"

" I acually laughed while saying" nanano. No way"

" Oh do you have someone at home"

" UUHH Yeahhh."

Went to sleep fairly early after all that walking. Tomarrow I shop for the train. I am gunna make a bunch of sammys. I found what I believe is coldcut turkey and I am going for it. also salami.

Oh here are the things I observed are some major diferences between seattle people and moscow people.

1.They are a bit more religious

2.men all have purses

3.Women are way to comfy in 7 inch heels

4.Pedestrians trust drivers way to much to pay attention to them. So many times I think how am I going to cross this 8 lane road. Then I spot a russian and get as close behind him or her as I can without making them feel uncomfortable. and sure enough the cars slow down with no malice in there eyes, and we get across.

Moscow

ericadawn — Sat, 21 May 2011 15:03:00 GMT

Thurs 19th of May

Lying in my bed in the hostel was sooo awsome. 32 hrs of traveling all together. It is quite a drive to the center of Moscow. The drive to the WELCOME TO MOSCOW sign only seemed 15- 20 min but from there to the center was another 25 min. So LARGE ass city. I just read the subway here transports more people a day then London and New York combined. Some 8 milion people a day! Think I may take a tour they are suppose to be quite amazing stations.

So when I got here my hostel took a picture of my passport and got my invitation/ visa verification while I showered. They made it sound so difficult before I got here, I hope everything is this easy...

A gentleman acrost the room from me is from siberia (krasnoyarsk a town I now wish I was stopping in) and has confirmed that I will arrive at 8 at night in Irkusk on the 26th- that is 4 and a half days of staight up train riding.

Today I woundered around Moscow and got moderatly lost, while looking like I knew where I was going. A women tried to ask me for directions ( I think). still working on my crappy russian and said " nit Russian" though the first words to my head were " no habla espanol" HAHAHA!

Found a new pastry that is alot like musaka, that greek lasagne with bechemel and pastry and meaty sauce. Then I got my barrings by finding a park that had tons of jasmine trees and smelled super pungent in a really good way. It was in the high 70F and the sky was clear.

Friday 20th of May:

I was to go out last night and did not, as with tonight. Its funny this hostel has all early 20's people and then mid 40's people. The good thing is I got tons of stuff looked at. Woke early this morning and went the kitchen to find a cpl of people still drinking. 1 russian and two from Kazakestan. They were quite talkative while I enjoyed my salami , cheese and tea breakfast.

After getting my feel for Moscow yesterday I walked to Red Square without getting lost. WOW! St. Basils is even crazier in person. I tried taking pictures but I don't think they do justice to the building. Red square " Oh the things you have seen". Lenins moseleum, fire for the unknown soldier. Oh and dont forget the mcdonalds and sbarros above the fountains...

I then needed a snack so treked back up twards the hostel and got some more food at the grocery. I am trying all the varieties of" add hot water to it" foods they have so I know what to bring on the trian Sunday. Russian cup o noodle and instant potatos in a cup hooray! The bamboo silverware set I got at REI ( knife, spoon, fork, chopsticks) is awsome for these and easy to clean.

I then walked back down threw Red Square agian and into the kremlin. For me truly a once in a lifetime undergoing. Some of thesee churches have been around since the 1400s. I wondered about the churches and gardens while listening to gogol bordelo.

Back at the hostel an Indian guy bought me a beer and I filled out some postcards and then napped away, and as I said didn't go out with the kids tonight, instead I am laying in bed writing this and looking forward to tomarrow. I am paying for a tour of the underground and then going down to Gorkey park to listen to the winds of change

Photos: russian delights

ericadawn — Sat, 21 May 2011 14:38:00 GMT

london

ericadawn — Wed, 18 May 2011 20:19:00 GMT

So made it to London! Had the best seat patners a woman whom is an expat living in seattle. And a man whom was on his way to see his new twin grandbabies in cork.
I am so incredibly tired. I went into town but started to get scared I would miss my flight so only roamed around for 3 hours. I was starting to get delirious and drank too much tea. Shoulda taken more pics. I am at the airport now, and have 3 hrs till my flight to Moscow. I did however buy a London cup to use on the train in Siberia. I sooo need a bed.
The express train is a bit pricey I think it works out to 25 U.S each way,but it is super fast. They have a first class that costs more cuase you get a table and a snack, but It is really like 20 minutes so I can't see it being worth it.
I am at a restaurant in the airport having some bangers and mash. I know airport food. but it is pork and leak sausage, and quite good. Its called Huxleys!
Alright as soon as I know what gate I am in I am gunna nap in a chair. Sleep!!!

last 4 days, Bye Zues

ericadawn — Fri, 13 May 2011 11:46:00 GMT

So I am doing great on all the things I needed to do. My list looks pretty amazing with all the crossed out items. Only two more days of work.
Zues is with Jerry and Jon having dropped him off after his summer haircut. I am going to miss him. Elle will join him on Sunday. I think she is feeling dejected without him. To bad they can't come with me.
My packing list is quite thorough, I think there may be a chance I may not forget something.
I also have more then one bank account so that if I loose one card I have another. My traveling curse will not get the best of me. HAHA!
Now I will try and see if I can post this on that darn Face Book.