Great Wall revisited

Spring fever

Each time spring comes along, I always have the irresistable urge to go hiking. I joined a hiking club on one of their trips to the great wall near the Miyun reservoir. Along the way, we walked past some watchtowers



Sunshine, clear blue skies with no clouds.



This is my first hiking trip for the season and hopefully there are many more to come.

View of the roundtower from the other cliff

Miyun Reservoir thru the watchtower

Yunmeng gorge

Long overdue - Part II - Yabuli

From Harbin, we departed on a train south-east towards Yabuli, about 2hr 30mins away. Yabuli touts itself as the winter-sports hub of China, where there are a number of ski-grounds, including the training facilities for the national team. It touts itself as an affordable alternative to Europe or Japan for skiing, and this year, Yabuli is hosting the winter universiade, where a myriad of students from various countries will compete in a variety of events like ice-hockey and skiing. No chance of any representation from Singapore then!

Yabuli train station

The resorts offer beginner to advanced slopes, and for as low as 100yuan (approx. US$15), you can ski for 2 hours, and it even comes with snowboard/ski and piste rentals and ski-lift rides to the intermediate or advance slopes. Hire a coach if you can’t ski to save your life.

While I was there, struggling not to fall down the bunny slope, I saw little kids from the national team repeatedly whizzing past me (running uphill in their skis) and then racing down at top-speed N times– so much for thinking I’m athletically-inclined! However, I saw just as many beginners crashing into the fence. My excuse for my poor form - I was born in a tropical country!

At Yabuli, the ever-resourceful beau found us a homestay in one of the nearby villages for an "authentic” dongbei experience for only 50yuan a person.

Dongbei people traditionally in-build brick stoves into their brick houses. The locals burn wood-fire to cook and warm the house. The heat from the stove is channeled into various parts of the house, including the walls, and the bedrooms which have a platform about 1 m high (thus eliminating the need for a bed-frame) where you can lay mattresses and bedding. This keeps the house incredibly warm and toasty during the long, harsh winter.

However, for whatever reason, i couldn't sleep well that night. Maybe the platform was too hard and i was used to sleeping on a thicker mattress. Or, maybe it was because the heat coming through the mattress was so strong that i felt like i was a pizza being cooked over a fire.

Anyhow, our homestay was very pleasant and relaxed- we felt enveloped in warmth inside the house (even though it was minus 20 deg C outside) and the very nice hostess also served us hearty home-cooked meals.

The next day, Beau and I embarked on an ambitious plan to hike from the village to the top of the mountain. It didn't seem very far (from where we could see) and it appeared to be a half-day job - just had to walk past the lake, and into the forests and cut through a couple of hills to get to the top - or so it seemed. Everybody we enquired said it could "possibly be done" although they had never tried. Needless to say, we lost our directions since we didn't have a topo map or a compass.

After walking past the lake, we entered the forest and meandered our way through. the trees There were no visible trails and the ski-slope was obscured from view. I grumbled at Beau while we trudged in knee-deep snow and fought the branches in our face. The snow in my shoes were making my toes frosty!

Suddenly, we became aware that someone else was amongst the woods, watching us as we walked through. We turned and saw some wild-looking man in a tatty army jacket and a dead deer lying by his feet. He sat there motionless, staring at us until we said hello and ask for directions to the ski-slope but he seemed very sinister and unfriendly. He pointed us in the opposite direction of where we were heading, and without saying much else, dragged the deer into the forest and disappeared. We were sufficiently spooked-out when he appeared behind us just as silently 15 minutes later without the deer. We let him past and again, he melted into the forest in a matter of minutes. We decided to turn back - there was no way we could make it on to the ski-slope by our targetted time, and this guy spooked us out. Did he shoot the deer? it looked like a bullet went through its body but we didn't hear any gunshots.

On our way back out of the forest, we saw drops of blood along the trail and we figured out that he had dragged thie animal down the hill to store it somewhere and came back up again. How on earth did he drag this load down and return so quickly?!

Beau and I had a field day speculating various theories about this guy - he didn't seem like a farmer from the nearby villages. Our most plausible theory being he was a convicted criminal on the run, hiding in the woods and living off the land. Was he alone or did he have some fellow hunters?

Anyway, that was how we ended of our little hike and in the end, we had to hop on a bus to get to the ski-grounds -an unglamorous conclusion to our little Siberian wilderness adventure.

By the lake

I love the wilderness and the stark landscape -pristine white snow that glisten in the sun and the desolate forests. In the distance, spires of smoke rise from the farmhouses. There is an overwhelming silence except for the crunch of snow under your feet (or in your shoes!).

This is what i imagine Siberia looks like.

I didn't take that many photos because my fingers were frozen beyond mobility. Plus, my camera battery went flat frequently because of the cold and i couldn't be bothered to take my hands out of my pockets to warm them up!

Long overdue -Part I - Harbin

Long overdue photos of my winter trip up to the north-east

Spent the first few days of 2009 in Heilongjiang in the north-east or “dongbei” as Chinese call it. First stop was Harbin, where it was a mind-numbing minus 15 deg celcius.

Heilongjiang has strong Russian and Japanese influences, and it was ruled by the Manchus since the beginning of the 17th century right until 1911. The Russians came in the early 20th century after the Harbin-Vladivostok railway line was built and essentially built a miniature Russian city in the heart of Manchuria. From a dusty middle-of-nowhere northern outpost, Harbin was transformed into a modern city. In its heyday, Harbin was the playground for Russians, and boasted the first movie theatres, bath-houses, and a brewery (that still churns out Harbin Beer today) in the whole of China. During summer, they swam in the Songhua river, and in winter, played/invented sports such as women’s swimsuit snow-tubing (really).

The Japanese invaded Manchuria in the 30s and Inner manchuria was then known as "Manchukuo" and became a puppet state of Japan until WW2.

In the early 50s, Harbin, together with the rest of “dongbei” became the industrial base of China. Heilongjiang became a major producer of heavy industrial machinery and vehicles. Coal-mines established, and even oil was discovered. HLJ became synonymous with smog and pollution.

Today, it still retains some of its Russian flavour, with its stately architecture and cuisine and has an exotic look and feel to it. Coming into town via the airport bus, Harbin, at first impression seemed an old, gritty city. Several of the residential buildings were dilapidated and neglected.

Here, majority of the laowais are tourists from Russia, who hope over the border from a little town called Black River via train. How do you identify Russians? They wear fur and leather - loads of it. So much so that PETA would have a field day here. Even the locals here look different – a mixture of Han, Manchu, Japanese, and perhaps Siberian. The girls have round faces, straight midnight-black hair with a short fringe, large black eyes, and double-eyelids -very pretty. They all look like they are named “Irina” for some reason.

On the whole, Harbin’s infrastructure looks like it badly needs modernizing to catch up with the rest of the 2nd tier cities. The city buses were old and sluggish and bus-stops had graffiti all over. Beau commented that even the beggars here seemed much worse-off.

We visited the provincial museum and while it boasted an array of historical artifacts and relics (including some massive dinosaur skeletons), the displays were old-school and looked like they haven’t been updated since the 80s.

“Zhongyang dajie” or “Central street” is the showcase of its “Russian-ness”. Zhongyang dajie is a pedastrianized shopping street that has been spruced up and proudly proudly shows off its stately European-style buildings. There are a multitude of shops selling 红肠 or literally “red sausages” (a Russian tradition, apparently), Russian goods (think matryoshka dolls), and fur coats.

2 bears walked past me. I had to resist the urge to hug them - they looked so warm while i froze.

Another 2 Russians looking at the St Sophia Church

The highlight of my Harbin trip was definitely the annual ice-sculpture festival. Every winter, temperatures drop well below 0 degree Celcius, and huge blocks of ice are harvested from the frozen Songhua river and transported north of the city onto Taiyang Island, where they are transformed into a themepark wonderland. Even the park itself is ringed with a 1.5m tall wall entirely made of ice.

The scale of the sculptures were, frankly beyond my imagination and one can’t help but just gawk at all the magnificence of it all. . There are 40m high castles that change colours every 20 seconds, a huge Buddha sculpture, Chinese temples, churches, etc, all cleverly in-built with flashing neon light circuitry. In addition, it also has a miniature skating rink, snack stalls that peddle bintang hulu, souvenirs and little tents where you can escape from the cold for a steaming hot drink. There was also a big tent featuring Russian cabaret dancers.

This is the 10th year the festival is held and it's the ultimate crowd pleaser for adults and children alike but for the love of god, do wear warm clothes!!





A log of what I wore (and yet still felt frost-bitten) while i was up north:

• Thermal long-sleeved top


• Fleece top


• Thick pullover


• Ski jacket


• Leggings


• Fleece trousers


• Ski pants


• Socks x 2 pairs


• Neck-warmer


• Gloves


• Hiking boots

Hello Spring, goodbye woolly thermal underwear

Spring has finally sprung in Beijing and i've ditched the woolly thermals - nothing like sunshine to improve one's mood. my feet are absolutely itching to go hiking. i NEED to go outdoors Now.

Meanwhile, I've been playing tourguide for the past few days to an assortment of visitors and this week, dad arrives (with $10 worth of newton carrot cake!!) and i brought him out for a little jaunt downtown Beijing. Amongst the many common traits we have, serious caffeine addiction is one of them. A coffee stop is de rigeur as part of afternoon sightseeing.

looking out of the cafe @ Nan luo gu xiang hutong

the domey National Theatre - i like

Tiananmen - sparse crowds since its a weekday

post-olympics

Went to the Olympic park today for another look at the stadium/cube, and to admire the vastness of it all. The crowds have since come and gone. Now, the touts peddling instant photos, Olympic mascot keychains and other kitschy souvenirs outnumber the tourists who come to gawk at these new symbols of Beijing. Amazingly, I managed to snap this where there was nobody else in the square except the uniformed personnel. They look terribly disinterested, even from the back.

Snow in Beijing -the first for the year

Beijing has been relatively snow-less this winter.. until today. Apparently its global warming. Thats the explanation for any freakish weather anyway. From the warmth and comfort of the apartment,i can see lots of excited kids (and their parents) playing outside amidst the flurries.

Brr... i don't want to be outside, especially when i've just came back from 30deg C weather. Just as well i'm stuck at home job-hunting eh?

This reminds me, i've yet to post my Harbin /Heilongjiang photos from new year's day... I suppose i'll get it out soon.

Catharsis

Been doing a major bout of spring-cleaning of my room (yeah, i know, its AFTER chinese new year, but what the heck, it has to be done).

It is very nostalgic to be reacquainted with lots of old stuff that's been tucked away for years, such as:

Postcards and maps.
i've actually forgotten i have a veritable postcard collection and now i don't know what to do with this huge stash of cardboard - maybe i should just stick stamps and post them out to random friends. Ugh. fortunately, i STILL collect maps!

Correspondence
Bunch of letters, aerograms and cards from assorted ex-boyfriends, friends and cousins.
I used to write and enjoy receiving snail-mail, esp in my UK university days. I still like it now, but email and e-cards offer so much more instant gratification. Besides, my handwriting has degraded over the years to an untidy scrawl from lack of practice. - perhaps its time for me to revive the ancient art of letter-writing again.
Meanwhile, someone tell me what to do with old love-letters from ex-boyfriends...? Keep vs shred? I read them all over again and remininsced about those trials and tribulations i've gone through. Sigh - i did break a couple of hearts but hey, I got mine broken too (and i got rid of their stuff as soon as they broke mine!)

Miscelleaneous junk.
bits and bobs i can only describe as "STUFF". old jewellery, makeup, stationery, notebooks (i think i had a notebook fetish), bank statements from 1999, photos of my "pop idols" when i was 14 (cringe!!!) , a film compact camera (antique!), discman (before the age of MP3 players), old pay-slips...

Journal from 1997 - full of teenage angst and insecurities. Growing up was/is painful. I wrote alot in this journal when my aunt was in severely ill and i was by her bed-side in hospital everyday until she passed away.

A quick flip-through my 2003 diary and i realised that i used to like running on threadmills (yuck -emphasis on the "used to"). I forgot that i've taken a business chinese course then as well and i think i should put it on my CV! I used to volunteer and i think i should get back to it again when i return to Beijing - you know, be useful and such. I started to enjoy the great outdoors just about then and never looked back since. And, I STILL enjoy drinking for free at ladies nights, haha!

So.. anyway while i sneezed away from all that dust, it was kinda interesting to remind myself of the "me" back then, if you know what i mean - my previous interests, hangups, tastes in music, food, etc., friends i used to hang out with, and take stock of my "evolution". I've changed alot in the past decade. There are some some ghosts that need putting away, friendships that need re-affirming and skills that still need improving (map-reading and navigation is one).

And we continue...
adding to and purging stuff from our lives every single day

Imprints

It takes leaving the country for awhile and then returning to see things in a different light. You take things for granted when you live in the same place for too long. I've never found old shophouses interesting until now. I felt like a tourist wandering around these new-old buildings - everything looks different and yet vaguely familiar. I notice the intricate designs on the mosaic tiles, the panelled double-doors of the entrances, and delicate, narrow spiral-staircases at the back of the buildings. Maybe i'm afraid that when i come back again to Singapore again, they might be gone, or simply fade away from my memories again.

Crowds at Chinatown shopping for new-year goodies

Word pun on the phrase "扭(牛）转乾坤" in the year of the Ox - which means "to have immense power to change nature or the established order of a country" (Hey, i checked the dictionary!) The oxen sculptures of the Sri Mariamman temple conveniently sit beside this banner.

Old buildings - i seem to get nostalgic about them lately.

Old shophouses reincarnated as offices

Porthole window




Perpetual state of construction and deconstruction

It's great to be home ...

I get to :

--Spend time with my family and friends. My brother is back from Australia so we get to catch up, take walks together and stuff. He gets to annoy me just like the good old days.

--It's nice and warm! the birds are chirping, the sun is shining and i'm surrounded by lush greenery. And, I don't have to dress in multiple layers of clothes and look/ feel like the michelin-man. Those short winter up north do get a bit dreary.

--Eat all the local food i've missed out on - "i have a list, and i'm checking it twice" and conscientiously ticking them off everyday.

--Swim (do the hamster equivalent of just laps and laps around the pool - its something i really enjoy and it clears my head out because i'm just concentrating on making every kick and stroke right. I've swam only once in the whole time i've been in China.

Oh, and i don't get zapped by static electricity here, EVER!! its made me so wary of opening door handles, or touching anything with my bare hands. i resorted to closing taxi doors by poking the window with one finger when i was in beijing...

So, the poor inflight entertainment on my way back gave me a chance to do some reflection and take stock of the year that's just past, and the one coming up.

2008 recap:

Jan - i started the year with a hike with 2 close friends in Hangzhou. Shivered through the rest of the month. 2 of my schoolfriends (whom i've known since we were 15) gave birth to healthy little babies and i was really happy for them.

Feb - Massive snowfall in HZ and I almost couldn't get home for chinese new year. When i returned to HZ, a few of us hashers went on an epic hike, where we circumnavigated HZ's hills in 11 hrs - by the time we finished at wushan square, it was 8pm and we were ready to collapse, but with an immense sense of satisfaction.

Mar - Dad visited Hangzhou. I went for a bad haircut and ended up with a really dorky fringe.

Apr - Arrival of spring. Picnics, boat rides, tea-drinking, tulip festival - all in all a happy month.

May - Flew home to attend one of my best friend's wedding in Singapore - one of the nicer, intimate weddings i've attended, but the after-party was a different story. Then the 8.0 earthquake struck.

June - Suzhou and shanghai with Dad. Preparations as well as the actual Hash 50th run -complete blast. Climbed up Taishan single and came down engaged - the boyfriend's proposal on bended knee at the summit took me by complete surprise.

July, Aug, Sept - hot and sweaty summer, the Olympics, oh and i turned 29.

Oct - meet the parents session in beijing and qingdao (great success!), mountain race relay in hangzhou, and left my job!

Nov - ran a 21k race

Dec - Offically relocated to beijing. Then, promptly went on a 10day trip to Sichuan. Ended the year with my wallet picked in freezing Harbin. [This whole wallet business happens annually (this is the 4th year running) and i almost made it to 365 days without losing it.. until 31 Dec 2008 6pm that is] I'm convinced it is a curse so this time, i've chosen to maintain some stoicism. But, the boyfriend said to count my blessings - my passport was intact so i made it home. And my driving licence wasn't stolen this time (because it was lost in last year's wallet incident, i made a new one and had yet to collect it!)

my new year resolutions (drumroll..... )

** Not sure if i should fight this curse but i really don't want to lose my wallet AGAIN.

** Keep up my fitness and health - running, biking, outdoor sports and all.

** Learn to conquer my fear of falling on a ski-slope (so i don't continue to ski like a wimp)

**Be more green/ eco-friendly (like, more recycling, eat less meat, use less resources etc.)

**Be more budget conscious. guess i'm used to earning and spending on whatever i want, but i really should save money for rainy days, or for that matter, snow, hailstones and all.

and then there's the usual ones on every year's list - do more travelling, do more good, count my blessings and be thankful for everything i have!

happy new year everyone !