Monday, October 24, 2005
You left me for a two-week business trip today... :( After seeing you off, I joined a Chinese school friend at a 三自 Christian church in 海淀區. I also visited the Beijing University campus.
Saturday, October 22, 2005
The Beijing Googlers had a outting to 司馬台長城, so I tagged along. It's about an hour farther than the famous 八達嶺長城, but it's worth the trip because it's the most well-preserved part of the Great Wall. When we got to the end of the 司馬台長城, we took the "flyover" across the reservoir to get back to the foot of the hill.
We had a very special dinner at a vegetarian restaurant (淨心蓮). There was no meat in any of the dishes, but the taste and texture definitely made me thought I was eating meat.
We had a very special dinner at a vegetarian restaurant (淨心蓮). There was no meat in any of the dishes, but the taste and texture definitely made me thought I was eating meat.
Thursday, October 20, 2005
I got 風疹 and a fever today... I look like a walking map because my entire body was covered with reddish spots that look mosquito bites. But, even so... I was asked to leave the room because the Googlers needed our room for interview. Can't say I was happy about having to roam the streets with a fever, but thank goodness I got the room back in early afternoon.
Also learned that northern China doesn't have 片糖, so I'll have to resort to 糯米酒 if, God forbid, I ever get 風疹 here ever again.
Also learned that northern China doesn't have 片糖, so I'll have to resort to 糯米酒 if, God forbid, I ever get 風疹 here ever again.
Tuesday, October 18, 2005
Had my first ink painting class with the Chinese Culture Club today.
Monday, October 17, 2005
We decided to take it easy on our last day in Chengdu. We asked Kwun's chauffeur to take us to 武侯横街 to check out the Tibetan stuff, but to our dismay, the merchandise there weren't exactly appealing to us. So, we quickly as the chauffeur to take us back to 琴台街 for lunch. We had lunch at a Tibetan restaurant and tried a few traditional dishes. 酥油茶 was definitely not our cup of tea, but the 土豆包子 was quite good.
We had to do our laundry and pack new luggages to move to 海淀區 as soon as we got back to Beijing. It looks like we've been spoiled pretty badly by 東方廣場... Even though the 天鴻科園大酒店 is supposed to be a 4-star hotel, the quality of the room wasn't anywhere near pleasing us.
We had to do our laundry and pack new luggages to move to 海淀區 as soon as we got back to Beijing. It looks like we've been spoiled pretty badly by 東方廣場... Even though the 天鴻科園大酒店 is supposed to be a 4-star hotel, the quality of the room wasn't anywhere near pleasing us.
Sunday, October 16, 2005
We went to 青城後山 with Kwun today. It was unexpectedly cold and foggy at the mountain, but we still spent the whole day hiking. We went to a 藥膳 restaurant for dinner because we all thought a healthy, non-oily meal would do us good after freezing our butts off today. And, after dinner, we went a massage parlor named 西藏藥蒸 with Kwun. It's very similar to the bath house we went to in Shanghai, except this one makes a much bigger deal out of privacy.
Saturday, October 15, 2005
We were going to be adventurous and go to 峨眉山 today, but we decided to stay within the city for the day since you weren't feeling well. We went to 青羊宫, 武侯祠, 琴台路, and 永凌.
Friday, October 14, 2005
We hitched a ride with Kwun and her coworkers to 樂山大佛. There wasn't much to see, except the big buddha carved out of the side of a hill. Much of our time was spent in lining up to go down the downs to feet of the buddha.
We took an ad hoc tour around the 樂山 city by taking a local bus back to the transit station. I was bombarded with 超級女聲 and discovered the girl who won this national contest has a voice that is deep enough to be mistaken for a guy's. This singing contest was very similar to the American Idol, but its scale is much bigger than the American Idol. Imagine all of China's poulation voting for whom they think should win the contest. One of the reasons why the show was so popular in China was that this was as close to democracy as the Chinese had ever gotten. What an irony that a unisex won a girl's singing contest... Does this remind anyone of the American presidential race? The result from neither 超級女聲 nor the presidential race makes much sense.
Since my parents were going to 九寨溝 also, I got to meet them in Chengdu after dinner. I played the role of a tour guide and took them to 锦里一條街. We tried a few famous snacks of Chengdu and returned to the hotel to chat till you came to the hotel with the high altitude medicine and electric plug adapters. My parents were happy to see you, but we ended up keeping them awake till 1 in the morning, even though they needed to get up at 6 the following morning.
We took an ad hoc tour around the 樂山 city by taking a local bus back to the transit station. I was bombarded with 超級女聲 and discovered the girl who won this national contest has a voice that is deep enough to be mistaken for a guy's. This singing contest was very similar to the American Idol, but its scale is much bigger than the American Idol. Imagine all of China's poulation voting for whom they think should win the contest. One of the reasons why the show was so popular in China was that this was as close to democracy as the Chinese had ever gotten. What an irony that a unisex won a girl's singing contest... Does this remind anyone of the American presidential race? The result from neither 超級女聲 nor the presidential race makes much sense.
Since my parents were going to 九寨溝 also, I got to meet them in Chengdu after dinner. I played the role of a tour guide and took them to 锦里一條街. We tried a few famous snacks of Chengdu and returned to the hotel to chat till you came to the hotel with the high altitude medicine and electric plug adapters. My parents were happy to see you, but we ended up keeping them awake till 1 in the morning, even though they needed to get up at 6 the following morning.
Thursday, October 13, 2005
After the relaxing day yesterday, we picked up the speed today. The two points of interest on today's list was 都江堰 and 青城前山.
都江堰 is a hydraulic engineering project that is designed by an ancient Chinese named 李冰, who lived in the ZhanGuo period. This is the only ancient hydraulic engineering project that is still in use today.
青城前山 is filled with Tao temples and is said to have produced the most Tao saints. I find the Tao monks to be a bit on the weird, creepy side, since they still wear their hair and dress in outfits as seen in movies.
At night, Kwun brought us to a tea house to try the famous Chengdu snacks and to catch more traditional Chinese performance. After that, we enjoyed 2 hours of foot and body massage at a massage parlor frequented by Kwun. (The 水晶泥 was really fun!)
都江堰 is a hydraulic engineering project that is designed by an ancient Chinese named 李冰, who lived in the ZhanGuo period. This is the only ancient hydraulic engineering project that is still in use today.
青城前山 is filled with Tao temples and is said to have produced the most Tao saints. I find the Tao monks to be a bit on the weird, creepy side, since they still wear their hair and dress in outfits as seen in movies.
At night, Kwun brought us to a tea house to try the famous Chengdu snacks and to catch more traditional Chinese performance. After that, we enjoyed 2 hours of foot and body massage at a massage parlor frequented by Kwun. (The 水晶泥 was really fun!)
Wednesday, October 12, 2005
Today was supposed to be a chill day, so we felt free to sleep in till 10-ish again. After a late brunch at a Mediterranean restaurant that's across from Kwun's place, we spent the whole day at the Panda Breeding Research Base (大熊猫基地). We were completely mesmerized by the cute, cuddly pandas there. The highlight of the day was the "Panda Kindergarten" where Big Panda MaMa was playing with her young ones.
Kwun took us to a hot pot restaurant called 皇城老媽. The interior design was absolutely splendid, and the hot pot was amazing. We also got to watch 川劇，變臉，and various other stage performances while we enjoyed the hot pot.
Kwun took us to a hot pot restaurant called 皇城老媽. The interior design was absolutely splendid, and the hot pot was amazing. We also got to watch 川劇，變臉，and various other stage performances while we enjoyed the hot pot.
Tuesday, October 11, 2005
Today was the last day of my 九寨黃龍 tour. We made a few compulsory shopping stops before visiting the 黃龍 park. To the tour guide's dismay, no one bought anything from the destinated stores.
The air got thinner as we approached the park, but I've learned from my experience at 九寨溝 to take it easy with myself. Since 黃龍 is located at a higher than 九寨溝, Siu Heng and I spitted the high altitude pills with another girl on our tour. And, just to be on the safe side, I also got a can of oxygen.
黃龍 wasn't nearly as impressive as 九寨溝, but it's beautiful in its own rights. The pools of different colors are pretty cool, but the swamps of people definitely took a hefty toll.
The air got thinner as we approached the park, but I've learned from my experience at 九寨溝 to take it easy with myself. Since 黃龍 is located at a higher than 九寨溝, Siu Heng and I spitted the high altitude pills with another girl on our tour. And, just to be on the safe side, I also got a can of oxygen.
黃龍 wasn't nearly as impressive as 九寨溝, but it's beautiful in its own rights. The pools of different colors are pretty cool, but the swamps of people definitely took a hefty toll.
Monday, October 10, 2005
I woke up really early in the morning for a full day at 九寨沟. Dozens of tour buses poured into the park's parking lot along with us. It wasn't hard to tell that Fall is the peak season here.
We were given one full day (8am to 5:30pm) to roam around the park. 9.5 hours may seem like a very long time, but believe me, it's not even close to amount of time this beautiful deserves.
Since regular cars aren't allowed inside the park, we were quickly ushered to the environmental shuttle. The shuttle took us straight to the highest point of interest so that we wouldn't have to walk uphill, but I almost begged the guide to let me off when I saw the beauty of 镜海, 犀牛海，诺日郎瀑布, etc.
The amazing scenery throughout the park literally took my breath away. Although I was literally out of breath from the thin air and poor physical condition, I pushed onward to try to at least get a glimpse of every part of the park. And, because of my foolhardiness, I got a very interesting story from this quest. I got so sick from an overly stuffy shuttle that was full of tourists with oral hygiene and BO problems that I puked everything that was ever in my system as soon as I got off the shuttle. One of the custodians scolded at me for making a mess while I was still puking, and she demanded that I clean up my own mess. Siu Heng was such a gentleman that he did the job on my behalf, and as he was scooping up what was my breakfeast, a passerby, who just couldn't resist the opportunity, treated Siu Heng as the impromptu custodian.
I felt much better after losing my breakfast and staying away from the BO-plagued shuttle buses, so we were actually able to visit all the spots we wanted to see. 九寨沟 is definitely the most beautiful place I've ever been to. Of the 九寨沟五绝, four can be seen in the park (翠海、叠瀑、彩林、雪峰). There wasn't much of a 彩林, but I wasn't about to complaint. Knowing how much I love snapping photos at anything and everything, we didn't leave the park till 6:20pm.
The day wrapped up with the last of the 五绝 - 藏情. It was a self-paid dance/fashion show featuring the 藏 and 羌 minorities. The girls were gorgeous, and the guys were extremely tall. (Not very good-looking, but at least they got the height.) The first traditional Tibetan dance with the funny music and huge dog-faced masks totally creeped me out, but the show as a whole was a delight.
We were given one full day (8am to 5:30pm) to roam around the park. 9.5 hours may seem like a very long time, but believe me, it's not even close to amount of time this beautiful deserves.
Since regular cars aren't allowed inside the park, we were quickly ushered to the environmental shuttle. The shuttle took us straight to the highest point of interest so that we wouldn't have to walk uphill, but I almost begged the guide to let me off when I saw the beauty of 镜海, 犀牛海，诺日郎瀑布, etc.
The amazing scenery throughout the park literally took my breath away. Although I was literally out of breath from the thin air and poor physical condition, I pushed onward to try to at least get a glimpse of every part of the park. And, because of my foolhardiness, I got a very interesting story from this quest. I got so sick from an overly stuffy shuttle that was full of tourists with oral hygiene and BO problems that I puked everything that was ever in my system as soon as I got off the shuttle. One of the custodians scolded at me for making a mess while I was still puking, and she demanded that I clean up my own mess. Siu Heng was such a gentleman that he did the job on my behalf, and as he was scooping up what was my breakfeast, a passerby, who just couldn't resist the opportunity, treated Siu Heng as the impromptu custodian.
I felt much better after losing my breakfast and staying away from the BO-plagued shuttle buses, so we were actually able to visit all the spots we wanted to see. 九寨沟 is definitely the most beautiful place I've ever been to. Of the 九寨沟五绝, four can be seen in the park (翠海、叠瀑、彩林、雪峰). There wasn't much of a 彩林, but I wasn't about to complaint. Knowing how much I love snapping photos at anything and everything, we didn't leave the park till 6:20pm.
The day wrapped up with the last of the 五绝 - 藏情. It was a self-paid dance/fashion show featuring the 藏 and 羌 minorities. The girls were gorgeous, and the guys were extremely tall. (Not very good-looking, but at least they got the height.) The first traditional Tibetan dance with the funny music and huge dog-faced masks totally creeped me out, but the show as a whole was a delight.
Sunday, October 09, 2005
I met up with Siu Heng and his friend Albert for a local tour to 九寨溝. But, since we didn't have to get to the airport till the afternoon, we didn't wake up till 10-ish. Lunch at 祖母炖品 was surprisingly delicious and affordable. The 天麻鴿子湯 and 芭芭牛肉 were especially memorable.
We didn't get to 九寨黃龍 airport till very late in the afternoon, so we immediately headed for the hotel, which is about 1.5 hours from the airport. The 九寨黃龍 airport is one of the few high-altitude airport in the world. I wasn't feeling particularly well when I got off the plane, but I didn't think much of it at the time. Little did I know, that was just the beginning of my battle against high altitude syndrome.
The tour guide warned us that the food wasn't going to be great in the next few days, but we had to eat up on whatever that's availabe to us because we needed the energy to stay warm and to last the long walks.
We didn't get to 九寨黃龍 airport till very late in the afternoon, so we immediately headed for the hotel, which is about 1.5 hours from the airport. The 九寨黃龍 airport is one of the few high-altitude airport in the world. I wasn't feeling particularly well when I got off the plane, but I didn't think much of it at the time. Little did I know, that was just the beginning of my battle against high altitude syndrome.
The tour guide warned us that the food wasn't going to be great in the next few days, but we had to eat up on whatever that's availabe to us because we needed the energy to stay warm and to last the long walks.
Saturday, October 08, 2005
I left for Chengdu today. This was the first time we were apart from each other since we had left the states.
The plane ride only lasted about 3 hours, but the last hour was plagued with incessant turbulence.
I met a pretty interesting person during the ride. He told me about all the interesting places I could check out in China, and as we were getting off the plane, he offered to take me to Kwun's place. It was a good thing that I took up his offer, too. The address Ben had written for me was apparently wrong!
The plane ride only lasted about 3 hours, but the last hour was plagued with incessant turbulence.
I met a pretty interesting person during the ride. He told me about all the interesting places I could check out in China, and as we were getting off the plane, he offered to take me to Kwun's place. It was a good thing that I took up his offer, too. The address Ben had written for me was apparently wrong!
Wednesday, October 05, 2005
We went to 天坛公园 and cruised around the park today. As every other major tourist attraction in Beijing, it's under major renovation right now, so we didn't get to see the central temple.
You were totally geeking out with the 9-theory at 天坛. And, I actually went so far as counting the tiles to prove that the number of tiles in each ring around the actual 天坛 is always a multiple of 9. This is because the ancient Chinese believe that 9 represents the sky.
At night, we hanged out at Tiananmen Square and flew a very long kite. It has 80 little kites and flew up to around 80 meters. The kite costed us a fortune, but it was fun.
You were totally geeking out with the 9-theory at 天坛. And, I actually went so far as counting the tiles to prove that the number of tiles in each ring around the actual 天坛 is always a multiple of 9. This is because the ancient Chinese believe that 9 represents the sky.
At night, we hanged out at Tiananmen Square and flew a very long kite. It has 80 little kites and flew up to around 80 meters. The kite costed us a fortune, but it was fun.
Monday, October 03, 2005
Today's my birthday, but you still had to work from home. I was expecting a very special celebration, but we had a very quiet dinner with Sharon at a fusion restaurant and went karaoke afterwards. The birthday cake was pretty tasty, but it felt weird eating a cake that I bought myself...
Sunday, October 02, 2005
We went to 雍和宫 today. We received CDs as entrance tickets instead of the normal paper ones. It looks like the Chinese government is trying to modernize the ticketing process.
There were a lot of tourists there, as usual, but I think we've gotten used to the crowds. There're crowds of people no matter where you go here in Beijing.
You were very fascinated by the 班禅喇嘛 selection process.
There were a lot of tourists there, as usual, but I think we've gotten used to the crowds. There're crowds of people no matter where you go here in Beijing.
You were very fascinated by the 班禅喇嘛 selection process.
