fillingthegaps

Today we went on quite an epic trek and for me I am sure it will remain one of the highlights of this adventure. We went for a hike on part of China’s Great Wall. We started quite early – early enough to have on all available clothing and still feel the chill in the air – and we did not get back to the Hostel until about 9.45pm = and it was bitterly cold

I will give you my impressions of that day in the next blog, but first let me tell you about the other aspect of ‘ripping’. The East is well known for the entrepreneurial zeal that its citizens have for making a dollar wherever possible, and for taking advantage of Tourists in particular. You quickly become accustomed to having to reject the first price tendered for anything, and are prepared to enter into a bargaining session for most purchases. But our outing today was memorable not just for the magnificence of the wall but for the number of times the ‘rippers’ had a go at us!

To get to the section of wall that we had selected was going to require a long-ish bus journey followed by a long-ish mini-bus ride.  We walked

 to the bus stop, passing through some rather palatial buildings

 and found our bus waiting-that was good. After getting aboard the conductor=lady came down to take our money, It has been quite normal for he littlies to go free and for some of t5he others to be half-fare (the Chinese system works on the heights of children rather than age) after explaining details of the kids as best we could, the conductor was still unsure how much tot charge us. The driver then appeared (in a bad mood) and said we would all have to pay full price)   Rip-off no, 1

After we had been in the bus for about an hour, the bus pulls up on the edge of he Expressway and the driver comes down and says this is where we get off. WE had asked for a particular town, but this was not in any town! But what to do?  So off we get, thinking that we can possibly walk into town which is visible about a km away. But surprise surprise, who should appear but a gaggle of scalper car-drivers, offering to take us who knows where, since they spoke no English and we speak no Chinese. The light dawns! Rip-ff no. 2 Bus driver is obviously in cahoots with the scalpy drivers  and dellivers us into their hands. Burt we are well used to walking and we are by now a hard-nosed bunch.  Most scalperss drift away but a man and woman combination are determined to hook us. They start off at Y450 for 2 cars to take us. We laugh and walk away. They fairly quickly drop the price but in the negotiations, carried out as we walk closer and closer to the town, we establish that we are only interested in a mini-van to carry all of us, and it would need to take us to one spot and then pick us up from another (this all done by Rob by means of pencil and paper, arrows and lines and numbers, plus a copy of the Chinese names he has photographed and then stored on his Palm! We walk off and leave them again and we think we have seen the last of them, but no – they catch us up in the car and get out and start feverish offers once more. This time the offer is acceptable: Y100. We  still did not know if this was acceptable because we really did not know how far it was to the wall.  However, after a 45 min drive  we decided we had got good value. Y100 instead of the original Y900.

Then we got to the wall and purchased 5 tickets for the walk from point a to point b. Rob had asked for the 5 children’s tickets first expecting a concession rate. But 5 adult rates were charged. However at that point communications broke down as Rob tried to get the 3 adult tickets, they waved us through> So we did not argue! Rip-off no 3 ended in our favour.

So now we started the walk.

 And it was terrific. We were pressed for time  and so did a bush-walk diversion for a few km before rejoining the wall. What’s this? A guy demanding that we pay the same amount over again because we are just starting the walk! We try to explain to him that we have already paid from a) to b) and b) is within sight just 5 more towers along the wall, But no he is unshakable and we have to cough up. A passing European informs us that he is experienced in these matters and we have to pay as we are passing into a new sector controlled by a new ‘division’ It reminded me of our Maori brothers way of charging for things. This feeling was further reinforced when we had to cross a final swing bridge and found, not to our surprise, a guy sitting at the other end collecting a fee for using the bridge!

The final attempt to relieve us of our cash came at the end of the mini bus ride back into the town. Rob hauls out the agreed Y100 and the driver asks for Y120 – due to ‘extra parking money.’ We  are a bit tired by now so we don’t argue, give him the Y100 say thank you and walk away.

It was a ripper of a day!

It’s a funny thing, but I had a mental picture of Shanghai – probably formed by adventure books read well over half a century ago. “Shanghai” conjured up for me the very essence of the Mysterious Orient:of shadowy Chinese pagodas, Opium dens, sinister slit-eyed villains with large curved knives, and dark alleys with scurrying rats.

But looking at our fellow passengers on the train, my dreams were already crumbling. Here was the usual ordinary mix of mums,dads, business men, grandpas and nannas. Not a rogue in sight. and all bound for Shanghai for as the notice said, ‘no stops between Hong Kong and Shanghai’ Not a curved blade to be spotted. Not even a tattoo, opium pipe or a sinister rogue to be seen. In fact the most sinister looking character I saw on the train was Rob, who had not shaved for some considerable time and had that grimy look of the long-distance traveler.

Yes, non-stop to Shanghai, a distance, by the GPS of just a whisker under 2,000 kms and on an electrified line the whole way. Average speed for the journey was something around 100 kmph, and that included two long unexplained stops

The beds on the train turned out to be comfortable, if a mite narrow. We all managed a sleep of some sort.. but we were all a bit bleary  eyed in the the morning.

The scenery that  we saw during the daylight hours was strange to the Kiwi eye. Where we are used to seeing endless acres of green  paddocks and rolling hills dotted with sheep or cattle, and just  the occasional remote farmhouse, here, for mile upon mile upon mile we saw endless acres of  small paddy  fields or vegetable gardens.

And everywhere were dwellings. From crumbling single level hovels to 6-8 story apartments to palatial houses, often over a hundred all identical.

There seems to be no transition between farming, residential and commercial areas – all  are jumbled together in what can only be described as a huge shambles. Imagine a brickworks surrounded by market gardens broken up  by residential areas, and you will have some idea. Oh, and the ponds and rivers that permeate all areas. I guess the ponds are used to irrigate both paddy and veggie plots, but the ponds back right up to the backs of houses, giving the whole area a dank and mosquito-ridden appearance. And these scenes are repeated seemingly endlessly. There seemed to be little evidence of mechanization on the agricultural side. Many people digging away with the trusty chungkles but not too many tractors.  And this is strange because this country is just booming with development.  New roading, massive fly-overs, new rail tracks, new buildings both commercial and domestic. Everywhere huge projects under way, and yet the rural scene seemed strangely primitive. A country of contrasts alright.

Shanghai railway station is huge, and set up rather like an airport terminal. The trains that arrive from Hong Kong are handled like an incoming flight and all passengers are  subject to customs and passport checks.

 a fairly lengthy business, but handled with speedy efficiency. Chinese Officialdom loves to throw its weight around, but as long as you do as you are told, they are very polite.

We decided to get tickets for the next two  stages of our journey, while we were at the station, and this opened my eyes to some more of the China Way. Rob and I found our way to the ticketing hall. A hall with at least 50 ticket booths, each with a never-ending queue of noisy bustling impatient customers. Bedlam reigned supreme, but one booth had the magic words “English speaking counter” to which we headed.

I understand that before the Beijing Olympics they  ran special training courses for the Chinese hosts, to teach them how to smile and  be warmly welcoming. These ticket booth operators definitely could use that course. Not a flicker of a smile. Not a hint of welcoming you as a paying customer. Not a suggestion of a ‘gooday mate, how’s your day goin?’ No it was a grim humour-less lot behind those glass walls. Sad to see.

Even more interesting was the sight when we returned to Rach and the kids who had been waiting patiently while we went in search of tickets and money with which to purchase same. There they were, surrounded by a group of about 15 men. I assumed these were touts looking for business, so when I reached Rach I asked her if she had struck up a deal with any of them. ‘No I’ve just been as sociable as I can she replied. Then I learned, these were not touts but just people that wanted a close look at this European family. We have caused a bit of a stir quite often in the past, but this open silent inspection, shoulder to shoulder was bizarre. I was so taken by it, I decided to take a photo of them all. You should have seen them melt away when I pointed a camera at them!

Well we have arrived safely. We are in a delightful hostel with all mod con, at a fraction of Hong Kong prices and eating all sorts of delicacies at the very best of prices! All is well with the world!

well I am on the train,  (actually WE are) rocking gently and silently along at (according toRobs GPS) a steady 125kmph. It would need to be reasonably comfortable because this is going to be a 20hr trip, from Hong Kong to Shanghai. The train is incredibly smooth, but maybe that is just because I have been conditioned to NZ’s rail systems – the last epic journey I took from Auckland to Wellington, we did much of the trip at 20kmph because, the Conductor informed us, the rails were buckled due to the heat – and that was on a mild spring day! Even at that speed the train rocked and rolled a bit like the ride I recently had at Disneyland. So this is proving to be a silky ride.

Accommodation does not get quite the same level of accolades, however. The carriage is divided up into cubicles, each with 2 sets of 3-high bunks facing each other. The bunks are designed for the average-sized local inhabitant, which means that Rob will have to fold himself up like a carpenters ruler to fit into its length. Unfortunately the width is proportionately narrow too – so he is in for an uncomfortable night!  There  are no curtains over the bunks, and no curtain over the corridor entrance to the cubicle, so all is open to public scrutiny. I shall not be changing into my Shorty jamas tonight!

The corridor is carpeted and has little fold-down seats hinged to the side of the carriage. These are necessary because the bunks are permanently made up, so if you want to claim your seat during the daytime, you have to recline on your bunk. As a fair degree of athleticism is required to get into the top two levels, the corridor  seats are in great demand. We have staked out our claims!

Our last  morning in Hong Kong was most enjoyable. It was a bright warm sunny day and there were two tasks to be done. One was to pick up our passports (with Russian visas) from the Ruskie embassy over on thee Island, and the other was to take the older kids over to the tallest building to see if we could get to the top and have a look-see. Rach drew the short straw and took ER with her to do the passports. I got the long straw and had the pleasure of taking the 4 older kids across the harbour to do the tall building thing. To add to the fun, we all walked together to the ferry terminal, then Rach took one ferry and we took another. The race was on! Who would get to return to base first? We both had to cross the harbour. We both had to walk to a tall building; we both had to go a long way up in the building, do our business and then return. At the start we were clearly ahead.

                        Thats Rach with ER  at the far left hand side Our ferries left at the same time and as we waved to our rivals across the briny we could see that we were going to dock well before them. Our trip up the tall building was delayed a bit as we were directed to register at the lobby. After going down to the basement car park we eventually arrived at the lobby where the kids presented their student travel ID’s to be scanned, and I solemnly presented my ARC Senior Citizens Travel pass. All were dutifully scanned and full authorized Visitor ID’s were issued and hung around our necks.

We were ushered to the lifts by security personnel and were not allowed out of their sight. The lift whisked us up to the 55th floor in precisely 40 secs. J timed it for us of course. It was fascinating visit. The 55th floor was only just over half way up but the view was still breathtaking.

And the viewing lounge was actually sponsored by the HK Treasury, so it was actually an information display

 on how  their banknotes were produced. (an interesting fact is that 3 different banks are authorized to print money for HK – and they are all different!) So a thorough look at everything took a bit of time. Then we remembered the race! So off we flew, back down the lift, hand in our passes and race back to the ferry terminal.

 Catch the ferry and race back to the digs. Up the lift and – rats! Mum was standing there. She had beaten us by 5 mins. OK she beat us, but I bet we had the most fun.

I hear rumours that people are asking “Where are you going?” and all my dear father-in-law can answer is “Hong Kong”. That is true, but even though there is more to it than that, he has good reason for sounding so senile. He’s coming with us and our plans are fluid and constantly under revision. For example, we were loosely planning on heading through Scandinavia to get to London from Tallinn…..but we’ve been invited to spend some time with a family in Latvia and so we’re looking in to going that way. Why wouldn’t you?
But closer in the future…after Hong Kong, we take an overnight train to Shanghai, where we’ll take in the sights for a few days before boarding another overnighter for Xi-an, resting place of the famous Terracotta Warriors. We abide at a cheap youth hostel for a week (originally a traditional Chinese house built around an indoor courtyard apparently) before taking another overnight train, this time to Beijing. This is our launching pad for seeing The Wall and moving on to Mongolia….where we will stay in a number of gers (you know, those felted wool tents) with two or three different families. Then the train journey continues – four days and nights of it across Russia to Moscow. There we “couchsurf” (sleep on the couch of friendly folks who offer hospitality via the internet)….and then we’ll do the same in St Petersburg and Tallinn, Estonia……..after that? Scandinavia or Latvia? We’ll let you know when we do.

July and August will be spent on a history trip round Great Britain – for a couple of weeks one of Rob’s sisters will join us too. We’ll drag old stories out of Dad and record as many as we can!

After that Dad probably zips to Canada with said sister/daughter and then returns to continue on our odyssey to Europe.
Italy calls, Turkey offers good food, Romania is cheap, Poland has old memories….who knows where we’ll end up?
Can you see why this Blog Author is a bit vague about his plans? It’s not his fault.

Not that I am getting excited……………!

There are still a bunch of things to do but at least I have finished wrestling with a spreadsheet to keep track of the finances.

IT’s a mite distressing to find how much electrical gadgetry I have to cram into my padded backpack. What with notebook, external HD, camera, mobile cables and power supplies for all the gadgets , plus all the ‘valuables’– it adds up to a fair swag of junk. I cannot afford to do my favourite trick of walking off and leaving it somewhere,

Then of course there is Rob’s camera to bring along (still have not heard from the Insurance co. re payout?)

Then I need to go and get a last-minute fitting of a new pair of ‘ears’. 

Definitely no time to chase off and get both eyes re-tested for a  pair of specs after the cateract interlude

Then all that will remain (after clearing up the clutter in the house) will be to sit heavily on the suitcase and try and get the lid to stay closed. The weight is definitely over the limit – I’m rather glad I did not go with the idea of a backpack for that lot!

As Rob (rather hopefully) observed the other day: “once you have given us all the goodies it will be much lighter” LOL

Starting a Blog is no simple task for this old-ish chap.

Apart from the technical hurdles to overcome (eg how to add a ‘post’; how to import a picture or other image; what type-face to use; etc etc) there are the more disturbing philosophical issues to be faced: why do you want to write this? Who do you think would want to read it? Are you capable of writing anything interesting? What is interesting to you may bore the pants of other readers etc etc.

So for the sake of satisfying the casual enquirer, and also to keep myself on track, here is the background to this Endeavour

Profile:

I am the 77 year old father of 3 children: girl, girl, boy, 2 years between the first 2 and then a 6 year gap to the boy- an unexpected pleasure!

 My wife was a Chinese/Malaysian, which means that she was Chinese, but a citizen of Malaysia (until she came to live in NZ)  I say was, because 10 years ago she died in an accident involving an out-of-control car while we were out for a walk.

My two girls each had 3 children; my son had eight – blessing me with a total of 14 grandchildren

I have to say, because I am biased, that our children were blessed by inheriting the good features of the parents, while the weaknesses appear to have been suppressed!

Equally, the grandchildren have always given us cause for much delight. While she was alive, my wife, (the grandchildren’s ‘poh-poh’) poured a huge amount of energy and time into their upbringing.

We have been, and still are, a close-knit family with a lot of love, time and respect for one another.

Not long after I lost my wife, my son Robert suggested that I build on a small section in the same small sub-division, close to his own home (which he had just built)

So for the last 4 years or so I have been more or less sharing my life with Robert, Rachael and their 8 children. I should mention that Rachael Home-schools her tribe, so I see more of the children than had they been at school

Last October Robert decided to take a year off work, and the family embarked on a 12 month ‘pilgrimage’ starting in Singapore and traveling overland to eventually arrive in the UK. (You can keep track of their experiences by visiting their blog on http://blogs.bootsnall.com/kiwifamily/

I actually joined them for 5 weeks at the start of their journey – it was an opportunity to   re-visit my Malaysian/Chinese in-laws and further cement the bonds we have with them. 

 After a week in Bangkok with Rob and Rachael and tribe, I returned to Auckland and left them to continue their travels:  north to Chiang Mai and beyond.

The original plan was that I would re-join them when they arrived in the UK, but I found myself envying their experiences in Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam. I mentioned to friends that I wouldn’t mind being with them right now, and the answer I invariably got was, “why not”.

Why not indeed, so after making sure that my added presence was not going to be a burden, the die was cast. On the 5^th March I set off again to rejoin the group in Hong Kong .

There is more to it than that, but this is quite sufficient for the time being.