You
probably won't believe me when I say I will make a start at uploading my
photographs next week, though it should be mentioned that I have 1000
photographs that need whitling down first. I just hope I can still remember
where the shots were taken and what they are. I did have grand plans to name
all the buildings in the Forbidden City but the only one I can remember is the
‘Hall of Supreme Tranquillity and Harmony’ and not for the best reason ;-)
With
this in mind I think the next awesome product would be a camera which allowed
you to tag an audio footnote to individual pictures as and when required. I'm
not talking about a long commentary just a 10 second audio clip. It would
certainly save the angst I'm sure to experience tomorrow.
As
for the round up, this includes things that people have asked me about China
since my return. I apologise if I am repeating myself but I can't be bothered
to read my blog from start to finish so please bear with me. Should you have
any questions ask them quick lest I forget.
Food
Chinese
apples - I'm sure these will appear on our supermarket shelves in the very near
future. The difference between these and our apples is analogous to the
difference between our pears and Chinese pears. That is the latter have a
higher water content and are sweeter.
Cucumbers
- whilst they taste like our own they are a different variety. There skin is
not green and smooth but green and bumpy. The skin is always peeled in
restaurants. My aunt tells me we have these kind of cucumbers in India too.
People sell these outside attractions like they would fruit.
Cherry
tomatoes are treated like real fruit too. On trains when the fruit cart comes
around it always contains tomatoes as well as cucumbers.
Cherries
- these are everywhere. I avoided eating these for ages as I thought they were
cherry tomatoes only later did I realise my mistake. They are not as darkly
coloured as our own cherries, instead their colour resembles that of tomatoes.
They taste exactly the same as ours though.
Seeds
– these are very popular. Everywhere you go you will see pumpkin, sunflower and
melon seeds on display not to mention a whole load more that I cannot identify.
They are often flavoured too. The labelling can be ambiguous too – on a packet
of money nuts it said they were food flavoured! A packet of biscuits had a huge
label claiming 100% nutritious! Whilst they sure tasted good I wouldn’t agree
with the labelling.
Transport
Their
motorways are like ours in the UK as opposed to those in the US (i.e. exit on
the right only) and they have roundabouts too. Rather than using just words to
convey messages they use words and cartoons. Some great ones I came across
were:
No
driving when drunk - a cartoon figure holding onto a steering wheel with a
bottle of beer and wine glass spinning around his head
Do
not exceed maximum statutory weight - a car with an elephant on top
Do
not exceed maximum statutory height - a car with a giraffe with his neck poking
out of the sun roof
In
cities the roads are very wide, two lanes for bikes, two - four lanes for cars.
The bike lanes are just as wide as the car lanes. Bikes travel in both
directions in a single bike lane. People riding electric scooters also use bike
lanes. In rush hour I've seen buses and taxis make use of these lanes too
though I suspect that is illegal.
When
there is a green light for pedestrians to cross a road, care still needs to be
taken as red lights don't apply to scooters or bicycles (a bit like cyclists in
the UK, I hear people say). People on two wheels will cross your path and is it
your duty to avoid them. There is a definitive pecking order with busses and
lorries at the top and pedestrians at the bottom.
If
you don't jaywalk by the time you make it across the other side of the road you
will be ready to collect your pension. In Chengdu’s peak traffic hours people
with fluorescent orange jackets and caps armed with a red flag and whistle
enforce traffic light signals blowing their whistle and waving their flag at
anyone who dares to disobey.
Pavements
are very wide, in Xi'an I reckon you could have parked two Renault Clios back
to back ACROSS a pavement. A good thing really as on one side cars were parked
up, on the other side bikes AND still there was room for three people to walk
down the pavement side by side. It should be mentioned that bicycles and
scooters are ridden on pavements too so even when walking on a pavement care
needs to be taken. I love the fact it is not a nanny state.
In
cases where buses are carpeted you have to take off your shoes at the entrance
and place them into the plastic bag provided before you are allowed to board
the bus.
On
trains, if someone wants to put something on the rack above a seat and can't
reach it from the ground they will take off their shoes, move the seat cover
aside before they stand on the seat. This respect for communal property is
everywhere. In my two months in China I only ever saw one piece of graffiti.
When I was discussing this with a friend we disagreed on the balance between
restricted freedom vs respect.
I
found a lot of Westerners shudder at the though of travelling by hard seat -
the cheap seat on a train but I thought it was perfectly fine for a day time
journey. I wouldn't advise for night time as the lights remain on all night and
no-one tells you what stop you're at. This is very bad as trains make several
stops during the early hours of the morning and it is up to you to stay awake
and get off at the right station.
On
trains the carriages have no smoking signs on display but trolleys selling
cigarettes frequently do the rounds. I learnt very quickly that if you showed
your displeasure either through a facial expression or a little cough smokers
would quickly move to the area between the carriages to smoke.
Conductors
on trains double as salesmen and will do demonstrations of products such as
yoyos, spinning tops and give you socks and underwear to look at while the
train is moving in an effort to sell it to you. To experience this though you
have to be in the hard seat carriage.
The
toilets on trains are a hole through which you see the train track below. Nice!
Whilst
a lot of trains are air conditioned many are not. If a window can open the
locals will throw anything and everything out of the window be it a empty
plastic bottle, noodle boxes, all food packaging.
Environment
All
public bins come in two sections – recyclable and non-recyclable however there
seems to be a distinct lack of understanding of what exactly is recyclable
given the bins contents. In the major cities this is not too bad as you will be
approached by people for your plastic bottle when it is half full and they will
encourage you to drink up else follow you until you’ve drank up and given it to
them. I’ve also seen bottles disappear into someone’s bag in the time it takes
me to let go of the bottle and for it to reach the top of the bin.
Shops
I'm
sure I've said this before, whilst there are a lot of independent retailers
there are chains too, some home grown like Yishion.
Kappa
- the sports gear is as highly regarded as other Western sports brands and they
have their own shops. I hate to admit it but they have some great items too.
Found it very strange given our opinion of the brand. I suppose it's a bit like
Longsdale being rated in Australia whereas we consider it run of the mill.
Mass
market cosmetic brands such as Rimmel, Mabelline, Avon have stands in
department stores like those we tend to reserve for the more exclusive brands
such as Clinque, Estee Lauder etc. The main driving force behind this is that
the price of these brands is the same as in the UK -apparently the result of
high import taxes.
ATMs
Whenever
you read travel guides on China they all mention the difficulty of accessing
money. For me that was not the case thought I do have a Visa logo on my debit card
and it was accepted by 95% of banks, national and local. The amount of money
you’re allowed to take out does vary typically £200 limit however there were
some cashpoints with a £10 limit which I found amusing.
Kids
Very young non-toilet trained kids do not use
nappies. Instead the crotch of the trousers is not sewn together. When they
want to go to the toilet parents simply left their legs up so that are in a
seated position and let them do their business. They are permitted to do their
business anywhere there is absolutely no embarrassment. I’ve seen it done on
the side of pavements and have been told of a kid going for a wee on a train in
the actual carriage where people were seated - though I’m not sure how credible
the last claim is. I would have taken a picture but I didn’t want to be
considered a paedophile. For anyone that thinks that is gross, my aunt reliably
tells me they use to do it in India too in the olden days. Then I suppose
nappies were discovered.
Spelling
Last
and definitely least, I learnt that scenery has no 'a' in it ;-)
In
summation, if you are thinking of going to China, don’t think, just do it. You
will not regret it. For me it was the best holiday ever. You can quote me on
this if you want but I will never do a beach holiday or a package holiday
again. Travelling and exploring on your own or with friends is simply too
awesome an experience to miss.
