Friday, November 30, 2012
Wednesday, November 28, 2012
Crazy Kowloon
Spent the afternoon walking through a few markets in Kowloon. Basically every imaginable bootleg watch and electronic device you ever wanted. Need a Rolex, Izod, and USB drive shaped like Superman? No problem...no prices are displayed, a bargainers paradise!
Chilled with a walk through the park before heading back to Hong Kong Island.
Weather here has been the same every day: 70 to 75 degrees, humid, occasional drizzle.
Chilled with a walk through the park before heading back to Hong Kong Island.
Weather here has been the same every day: 70 to 75 degrees, humid, occasional drizzle.
Tuesday, November 27, 2012
Russia and Trans-Siberian review
Finally have a moment to write up a review about Russia.
It was a dream to go there, as we've both for some time been interested in Russian culture, literature, Soviet space exploration, Soviet-made keetars, and assorted silliness like that.
As it turned out, the visit to Russia was more like a sleepless night than a dream. Here's some notes:
ST PETERSBURG:
--arrival was by the speedy and clean high-speed train from Helsinki: on time and no problems, border formalities were done on train and were a breeze;
--we arrived at night, so saved the exploring for the next day...despitre staying at a nice well-regarded hotel, our first impression of Russia, and this held true at the 2 hotelsd we stayed at was that the places reek of cigarettes, cigars, and vodka;
--The Hermitage: large for the sake of being large...grotesquely huge...quantity over quality seems to be the theme here as no wall may be left unadorned even if it's a copy...the place is so overdone, that basement displays on ancient Russia are impossible to view as crates of artworks are piled in front of them with no security, no climate control and people smoking...come to think of it, this is the only museum we've ever been in where people are allowed to smoke...so much for conservation;
--The Russian Museum was also absurdly huge...we were originally denied entry at the main entrance...no problem as we just walked straight over to a side entrance and waltzed right in...saw the entire museum and although it is more refined than The Hermitage, it's still quantity over quality;
--happy we walked past Dostoyevsky's apartment as that perfectly encapsulated this town: on edge, grimy, anything can happen at any time (like busloads of riot police pouring out and people running in all directions, yep, we witnessed that);
--couple bright spots are the restaurant Levin, pro hockey, the circus, the philharmonic...The St Petersburg Opera's performance of Aida though was hilariously inept, we're sure some of the extras were girlfriends of some rich oil baron and we saw plenty of Ed Wood-style mishaps.
MOSCOW
--travel to Moscow was by the high speed train...again, efficient and on-time and clean...the guy sitting next to us though drank vodka non-stop and talked super loud on his cell;
--same deal on the hotel, it reeked!;
--security gates are everywhere, but they never work and never beeped no matter what you carry through...we stopped bothering with putting our stuff through the scanners, no one cared;
--Red Square: except for one day it was under construction;
--Kremlin: fascinating on the inside, but you will be yelled at for stepping off the sidewalk;
--Gorky Park: nice respite;
--other bright spots: Pushkin Museum, The Conservatory Orchestra, Bolshoi Ballet was excellent, Simple Things restaurant;
--weird stuff: pro basketball (10 minute quarters, near empty arena, not even taxi drivers could find it), the GUM mall (you can buy an expensive suit, watch, and a Bentley all in one place!);
--The Gulag Museum was very interesting and worth a trip for sure.
Overall, Russia proved to be an absurdly wild place: confusing at most times and rarely satisfying. A truly Russian experience: the best, mediocre, and worst days of he trip.
TRANS-SIBERIAN TRAIN
--6 days on the Mongolian route of the train, one of the craziest things we've ever done;
--the station in Moscow is another absurdly huge place with little direction as to where to go and the ever-present worthless security scans;
--coal-fired heaters and coal-fired samovar...the Chinese attendants did all their cooking on the top of the boiler...in fact, that's all they did was cook;
--2-bed room to ourselves...all the English-speaking passengers were kept in one coach segregated from the Russians...we weren't permitted to enter the Russian coaches;
--another absurdity: the train stays on Moscow time all throughout Russia despite the fact that we crossed 5 time zones...the dining car kept on Moscow time so breakfast was served at 1 PM --real time/8 AM train time...we had to pass through 28 doors to get to the dining car;
--toilets empty to the ground;
--scenery was amazing: an amalgamation of cold frozen forests, heavy industrial wastelands, small beat up towns...Lake Baikal was cool....Mongolia landscapes were snowy and dusty...saw camels, wild horses and basketball courts;
--Mongolian immigration agents were dressed to the nines in fur coats and brought their kids along;
--at the Chinese border, the train wheels (bogies) have to be changed as the track size in China is different than Mongolia and Russia...so, the coaches are rolled into a giant garage, hoisted off the wheels, and lowered onto a different set of wheels, all while you site in your room and get jostled around;
--a Mongolian passenger somehow was allowed to stay in our coach a few rooms down...heard him talk loudly on his cell in Mongoilian, punctuated with in English: 'what am I made of mutton!!';
--Chinese part of the trip was uneventful, quick, just a couple stops before Beijing: mountains, corn fields, parts of The Great Wall, skyscrapers under construction, lots of coal mining.
And, that's about it....more to come. FLICKR update soon.
It was a dream to go there, as we've both for some time been interested in Russian culture, literature, Soviet space exploration, Soviet-made keetars, and assorted silliness like that.
As it turned out, the visit to Russia was more like a sleepless night than a dream. Here's some notes:
ST PETERSBURG:
--arrival was by the speedy and clean high-speed train from Helsinki: on time and no problems, border formalities were done on train and were a breeze;
--we arrived at night, so saved the exploring for the next day...despitre staying at a nice well-regarded hotel, our first impression of Russia, and this held true at the 2 hotelsd we stayed at was that the places reek of cigarettes, cigars, and vodka;
--The Hermitage: large for the sake of being large...grotesquely huge...quantity over quality seems to be the theme here as no wall may be left unadorned even if it's a copy...the place is so overdone, that basement displays on ancient Russia are impossible to view as crates of artworks are piled in front of them with no security, no climate control and people smoking...come to think of it, this is the only museum we've ever been in where people are allowed to smoke...so much for conservation;
--The Russian Museum was also absurdly huge...we were originally denied entry at the main entrance...no problem as we just walked straight over to a side entrance and waltzed right in...saw the entire museum and although it is more refined than The Hermitage, it's still quantity over quality;
--happy we walked past Dostoyevsky's apartment as that perfectly encapsulated this town: on edge, grimy, anything can happen at any time (like busloads of riot police pouring out and people running in all directions, yep, we witnessed that);
--couple bright spots are the restaurant Levin, pro hockey, the circus, the philharmonic...The St Petersburg Opera's performance of Aida though was hilariously inept, we're sure some of the extras were girlfriends of some rich oil baron and we saw plenty of Ed Wood-style mishaps.
MOSCOW
--travel to Moscow was by the high speed train...again, efficient and on-time and clean...the guy sitting next to us though drank vodka non-stop and talked super loud on his cell;
--same deal on the hotel, it reeked!;
--security gates are everywhere, but they never work and never beeped no matter what you carry through...we stopped bothering with putting our stuff through the scanners, no one cared;
--Red Square: except for one day it was under construction;
--Kremlin: fascinating on the inside, but you will be yelled at for stepping off the sidewalk;
--Gorky Park: nice respite;
--other bright spots: Pushkin Museum, The Conservatory Orchestra, Bolshoi Ballet was excellent, Simple Things restaurant;
--weird stuff: pro basketball (10 minute quarters, near empty arena, not even taxi drivers could find it), the GUM mall (you can buy an expensive suit, watch, and a Bentley all in one place!);
--The Gulag Museum was very interesting and worth a trip for sure.
Overall, Russia proved to be an absurdly wild place: confusing at most times and rarely satisfying. A truly Russian experience: the best, mediocre, and worst days of he trip.
TRANS-SIBERIAN TRAIN
--6 days on the Mongolian route of the train, one of the craziest things we've ever done;
--the station in Moscow is another absurdly huge place with little direction as to where to go and the ever-present worthless security scans;
--coal-fired heaters and coal-fired samovar...the Chinese attendants did all their cooking on the top of the boiler...in fact, that's all they did was cook;
--2-bed room to ourselves...all the English-speaking passengers were kept in one coach segregated from the Russians...we weren't permitted to enter the Russian coaches;
--another absurdity: the train stays on Moscow time all throughout Russia despite the fact that we crossed 5 time zones...the dining car kept on Moscow time so breakfast was served at 1 PM --real time/8 AM train time...we had to pass through 28 doors to get to the dining car;
--toilets empty to the ground;
--scenery was amazing: an amalgamation of cold frozen forests, heavy industrial wastelands, small beat up towns...Lake Baikal was cool....Mongolia landscapes were snowy and dusty...saw camels, wild horses and basketball courts;
--Mongolian immigration agents were dressed to the nines in fur coats and brought their kids along;
--at the Chinese border, the train wheels (bogies) have to be changed as the track size in China is different than Mongolia and Russia...so, the coaches are rolled into a giant garage, hoisted off the wheels, and lowered onto a different set of wheels, all while you site in your room and get jostled around;
--a Mongolian passenger somehow was allowed to stay in our coach a few rooms down...heard him talk loudly on his cell in Mongoilian, punctuated with in English: 'what am I made of mutton!!';
--Chinese part of the trip was uneventful, quick, just a couple stops before Beijing: mountains, corn fields, parts of The Great Wall, skyscrapers under construction, lots of coal mining.
And, that's about it....more to come. FLICKR update soon.
Under Bridge Spicy Crab
Successfully traversed the Hong Kong subway system to munch on spicy crab, sautéed Chinese chives, and spicy fried squid along with some Tsingtao...
Monday, November 26, 2012
Soho Hong Kong Island
Walked around the area known as Soho in Central Hong Kong. Alley after alley of small food markets and noodle shops.
Shared a table with locals and travelers from Boston at Kau Kee and ate a quick bowl of brisket with noodles.
Less dizzified now but still marveling at this amazing city.
Shared a table with locals and travelers from Boston at Kau Kee and ate a quick bowl of brisket with noodles.
Less dizzified now but still marveling at this amazing city.
Leg 16 transport complete
Transportation part of Leg 16 is complete: the overnight train from Beijing to Hong Kong covering about 1250 miles.
Total miles to date: 18090.
Flickr photos to get an update this week.
Total miles to date: 18090.
Flickr photos to get an update this week.
Sunday, November 25, 2012
Saturday, November 24, 2012
Leg 16 begins today
Leg 16 begins today: the overnight train from Beijing to Hong Kong, followed by a stay in that city.
We left from Beijing West Railway Station, the largest in all of Asia serving about 150,000 passengers per day. Getting to the train proved very easy as the T97 train has its own entryway (on the lower level of the front of the building), and its own immigration check point. Took about 15 minutes from the time we stepped out of the taxi to the time we got into our rail car.
Coaches on this train are 4-berth sleepers, and we have to share with a Chinese family. No problems there--both have PhD's and just started an IT company. Next 24 hours should be interesting to say the least.
Note that our train car has no electric outlets, so I plan to turn off my phone and limit web access for the journey.
We left from Beijing West Railway Station, the largest in all of Asia serving about 150,000 passengers per day. Getting to the train proved very easy as the T97 train has its own entryway (on the lower level of the front of the building), and its own immigration check point. Took about 15 minutes from the time we stepped out of the taxi to the time we got into our rail car.
Coaches on this train are 4-berth sleepers, and we have to share with a Chinese family. No problems there--both have PhD's and just started an IT company. Next 24 hours should be interesting to say the least.
Note that our train car has no electric outlets, so I plan to turn off my phone and limit web access for the journey.
Last day in Beijing
Wandered around the hutongs today, eating snacks like fried chicken and egg crepes with hot chili sauce.
Later, happened into an alleyway/living room bar and shared a few beers with our new friend, Hey Hey.
Later, happened into an alleyway/living room bar and shared a few beers with our new friend, Hey Hey.
Friday, November 23, 2012
Lama Temple and Confucius Temple
Visited both temples today, followed by wandering around the surrounding hutongs for dumplings and beer.
Found some great dumplings: beef and carrot, pork with tea tree mushrooms and pork with hot green pepper, and cucumber and egg.
Found some great dumplings: beef and carrot, pork with tea tree mushrooms and pork with hot green pepper, and cucumber and egg.
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