Hello Everyone,

Well as you can see Liz hasn't made a new post in some time. I have asked her to, but she's a slacker, so just quickly, she is in London (for those that don't know), is working at a salon in Notting Hill which she seems to be enjoying, living in a share house and generally having a good time. Hopefully the fact that I've made a post on her behalf might actually motivate her to do it herself! If she doesn't keep you informed, I will.

Bye for now
Tarns.

Hey everyone! I was just going through a package that Lizzy sent to me a while ago so and I found some photos on some cd's. So, I thought that it might be a good idea to put them up for you to see some. I have mainly chosen ones that have Lizzy in them and some scenery ones so I hope you enjoy them !
Cheers
Dan

Can you see me from space?

Up before the sun we departed for the great climb, on the Great Wall of China. I was in a bit of a quandary. To Climb the wall in Simatai, or to do the 10 kilometer hike from, somewhere to there? I did the maths and decided to go with my first instinct and do the walk at Simatai. Only because I was worried that the 10 Klm walk was going to be really hard and I was going to be left, dead, somewhere, on the Great Wall of China! There was only a 4 hour time limit and from what I heard, it was hard going on those that didn't normally run marathons. Well, we all know I learnt my lesson when I climbed Mount Kinabalu. I'm not a normal girl with super powers. I am just Lizzy, the not so fit.
The bus driver swiftly and expertly, maneuvered us through the early morning traffic, around cows, past chickens and through road works, to get us to our destination relatively on time. (A real first for Asian standards) Firstly, we dropped the suckers off at the start of the 10 klm marathon, style hike and we, then arrived at the site of our little expedition. I was amazed that the wall looked so small, especially when you know it's one of the only things on earth that they can see from outer space. As I hiked up towards the starting point of my journey, I realized why. It's perched on the very peak, of a rather large mountain range. Just walking the few Kilometers to the first tower, I realized that I had some serious work ahead of me to climb all the 12 towers, in this section. But I was on a mission and since I had a fair whack of the Chinese population watching on and commenting on my weight, as I did so, I had something to prove. Like, don't judge a book by it's cover! Something along the lines of that...
I powered on and reached the top of the first station in a running jog.
It was mezmorizing. The sheer size of what I was standing on. The man hours that went into building this monument. The amount of labour it would have taken to finish such a project.
I could only imagine men with loads of stones and mortar, trudging up through dense mountain foliage, to reach the peak of the mountain. Only to unload and turn around and do it all over again. All to prevent the invasion by other states of China and outer tribes. As well as to symbolize the greatness and power of an Emperor.
The Great Wall of China was built at the expense of many lives. It involved the backbreaking toil of tens of thousands of people including conscripted soldiers, slaves, convicts as well as ordinary people. I could feel the souls of each person in the stones beneath my feet.
It was a shame that I had a farm woman following me, nagging me, to make a quick buck. My attempts at telling her to leave me alone was futile and I had to resort to asking, someone else's guide, to tell her to go away. Eventually she disappeared and I had the remainder of the walk to myself. Leaving me, to the beauty of this great wonder of the world.
The elevation and angle of slopes are hard to describe and pictures do it no justice. As well as the uneven texture of the ground and the different sizes and shapes in the pavers. One moment you are struggling for breath walking almost face level with the ground, then you are taking one tiny step, for 3 big steps, down a steep drop. Winding your way up a and over a mountain range. Looking over the lands of China and behind you the wall snakes, like a dragon, disappearing into the far horizon. Each step you take gets you closer to the sky and I was wondering...Can you see me from space?
I struggled in parts but I had all the time in the world. Well, a good 4 hours of it anyway and I was in no hurry for this experience to be over. I took as many stop as I could, to take in the sights that were in front of me and as many photos possible. Though somehow, I managed to race up the wall and reach the 12 th tower in about an hour! I took advantage of my quick pace and sat at the highest, restored spot of the Great Wall and pondered life and it's many questions.
It wasn't until I started my trip down that I realized how, truly steep my climb up was. My knees were aching under the pressure from the angles of the slopes and the amount of stairs. Again, I was imagining myself as a warrior or soldier, who had to climb and patrol the walls. Especially those in a suit of heavy armor, weighed down with weapons. I wondered if there was a battle would these guys have had the energy to protect anything? Or how they survived the bitter cold winds and snow in winter. They must have been fit men, with no other choice but to survive.

I leave you with some data about the Great Wall, under the rule of different Emperors. Just so you can imagine the sheer size, grandeur and time it took to complete, this amazing piece of history.

Period
Wall Built
Delineation or Location
Length (km)
Dates

Spring and Autumn (770-476B.C.)
Wall of Qi
South bank of the Yellow River in Pingyin County (Western Shandong) -northern slopes of Mount Tai-Yimeng Mountain area-seaboard in Jiao County
Over 500
c.685-281B.C.

Warring States (475-221B.C.)
Wall built under the Jianluo reign of Qin
West bank of Luo River in Shaanxi
Unknown
461-409 B.C.

Wall built under the reign of King Zhao of Qin
Tao River in Min County (gansu)-Ningxia-Northern Shaanxi-eastern part of Ordos Plateau in Inner Mongolia
Unknown
c.287 B.C.

Wall of Wei, west of the Yellow River
East bank of Luo River in Shaanxi-east bank of Yellow River on Ordos Plateau, called "the wall west of the Yellow River"
About 700
361-352 B.C.

Wall of Zhao
Yu County, Hebei-southern slopes of Yinshan Mountains, Inner Mongolia-Langshankou Pass, also in Inner Mongolia
About 1000
c.299 B.C.

Wall of Yan
Southeastern Inner Mongolia-northern slopes of Yanshan Mountains-Liaodong
About 1000
c.311-279 B.C.

Qin Dynasty(221-207 B.C.)
The Great Wall of Qin
Upper reaches of Tao River Gansu-bank of the Yellow River-northern slopes of Yinshan Mountains-Liaodong, called the 10,000-li wall of Qin
5,000
214 B.C.

Western Han Dynasty(206B.C.-A.D.24)
Wall of Han
A reinforced version of the wall of Qin, with deviation to the north or south at certain points all the way to Liaodong
5,000
205-127 B.C.

Wall west of the Yellow River
Lanzhou, Gansu-Yumen Pass-Lop Nor in Xinjiang
1250
121-101 B.C.

Guanglu Castle in central Inner Mongolia
Wuchuan County, Inner Mongolia-Urad Rear Banner, also in Inner Mongolia-People's Republic of Mongolia
About 1,000
102 B.C.

Juyan Castle in northwestern Inner Mongolia
Jiayu Mountain, Gansu-Ejun Banner, Inner Mongolia-People's Republic of Mongolia
About 750
102 B.C.

Northern Wei (386-534)
Wall of Northern Wei
Chicheng, Hebei-Urad Banners, Inner Mongolia
1,000
A.D. 423
Northern Qi (550-577)

Wall of Northern Qi
Luliang Mountain, Shanxi-Hengshan Mountains-Yanshan Mountains-Juyong Pass near Beijing
About 1,500
552-565

Sui Dynasty (581-618)
Wall of Sui
Yellow River Bend in Ningxia-Inner Mongolia-Shanxi-Hebei-coast of the Bohai Sea, where Yu Pass was built
About 1,500
581-608

Liao Dynasty (916-1125)
Wall of Liao and ditches
Present-day Heilongjiang and Jilin, characterized by ditches in front of the wall
About 1,000
From 908, before inauguration of the dynasty, to 1058

Jin (Jurchen)Dynasty (1115-1234)
Ditches of Jin
Morin Dawa Banner in Hulun Bair League (Inner Mongolia)-southwestern slopes of Greater Hinggan Mountains-northern slopes of Yanshan Mountains-western slopes of Yinshan Mountains, also characterized by ditches in front of the wall
5,000
1200

Ming Dynasty (1368-1644)
The Great Wall of Ming
Yalu river in Liaoning-Hebei-Shanxi-Inner Mongolia-Shaanxi-Ningxia-Jiayu Pass in Gansu
7,300
1368-1644

Up, Up and away.

With Yama gone, Eve off back home to Belgium and Gill still lost in Shanghai's magic, it was time for me to fly to China's capital, Beijing. I was looking forward to the luxury of a flight and the glamour of not taking another long train trip. I had breakfast from the local mini mart. Something not so tasty, but hey, what can you do when the restaurant staff, at the hostel, can't be bothered to open on time to serve breakfast! I was hoping that this wasn't how my day would be turning out. Full of annoying little encounters. Luck must have been on my side, because sitting just outside the Hostel doors was a taxi! A modern miracle really, an available taxi in a city of millions. In no time, I was at the airport and waiting at the gates for my flight to board. Calmly reading my book and enjoying some peace and quiet.
When the flight touched down at the Beijing airport it was a nice warm, sunny day. What more can a visitor ask for?
For the ground staff not to steal all that they could off my bloody bag, for a start! For the Taxi driver not to rip me off, an astronomical amount, when he drove me to my hostel, from the airport, for another. For the reception staff at the Hostel not to be rude and insulate but helpful and slightly happy. Just small asks really. Nothing too big or complicated.
I spent the rest of the day relaxing in the Hutong style court yard and organizing my trip to climb the Great Wall. I thought it best to stay as far away from the general public as possible and recuperate, for the next few days ahead. One big outing, into the big wide world of China, per day, was enough to send the most sane person, crazy. Yet alone a fiery kid like me!
Tomorrow was another day...And I was going to tackle the Great Wall of China!

A day trip away from madness

Eve and I decided to get away from the madness and visit zouzhou and it's famous gardens. The morning started early with a 2 hour train trip kinda, south-west. Most of which I slept through. On arrival at our leafy destination and a quick check of a guide book, we walked through the crazy, city streets, in search of one of it's best temples and bell towers. Not hard to miss. It was the big red building sticking 7 levels up in to the air! We caused quiet a stir yet again, as Eve was attracting heaps of attention, being blonde. Ah, all in a days work really. Must keep the locals entertained.
We reached the entrance to the Bell tower and after paying a hefty entrance fee, we climbed up the multitude of steep, steps to the top. It was a brisk morning and the cold morning air burnt my throat. The view from the top was magnificent and we could see across the city and it's fantastic gardens and Hutongs. It was well worth the slog up. After we climbed down, something which took me forever, as I was stuck behind a two year old, who wanted to do it all on his own. The stairs were so narrow, there was no opportunity of overtaking! My only opportunity was to run between staircases. Somehow, this super natural toddler, always seemed to beat me to the top of the next staircase. Makes me wonder? What did he eat for breakfast?
So, as I was saying, we made it to the bottom and found our way to one of the largest and most famous gardens in the town. The National holiday seemed to have attracted many people and we found it really difficult to look around. We were shoulder to shoulder and the tranquil surroundings seemed lost on us. I could appreciate that, during a regular time, not when the whole nation is on holidays,it would be a beautiful scenic spot. A place to come for contemplation and relaxation. Not bumper to bumper body contact and close proximity to strangers.
The next stop on our agenda was lunch...Or a late breakfast. I'm a real fan of the dumpling. The steamed dumpling, that comes in a wicker basket, full of yummy goodness. Eve however, is not. So we settled on a noodle soup hole in the wall. This was not your usual noodle soup joint but a freshly made, right in your face, noodle shop. The little man, with well developed arm muscles, may I say, rolled and pulled and flicked fresh dough in the air, on the bench and then expertly, dropped it into the boiling broth. From the boiling broth into our bowls and down our gullets. Fantastic!
Full and revived, we decided to tackle the main, mall-like street which boasted, yet another temple, surrounded by a market. On the way to the temple I became a warrior protector. Deflecting sly photo opportunities, from mobile phones, of Eve. At one point, I actually grabbed the phone from a man's hands and told him it's rude not to ask for a photo. I know she's a tourist attraction to people but nothing invades your privacy more than someone taking a sly photo, or, staring and pointing. I felt like I had to protect her from other peoples rudeness and it really upset me that I had to do this. She was appreciative of my efforts, even if they proved futile.
Coming across the temple, we hoped that it would give us a reprieve from the see of stares but we walked in to a bustling market area with a small temple, as it's centre piece. It was a great excuse to walk the back streets back to the train station and discover the Hutong culture, that lay behind the busy city streets.
We discovered small walkways with little food carts, kids riding rusty bicycles, old women making decorative designs with potted plants and crazy moto-cyclo men zipping through the small lanes. On the canals, snaking through the Hutongs, men rowed past in rickety old boats picking up trash and tourist boats leisurely floated by. The Hutongs are my favorite part of China. I love the closeness of the housing and the culture the buzzes away inside the walls and down the small alley ways.
Before long, we were back in the heart of the city and back to the hustle and bustle of reality. Too soon we were on the train back to Shanghai.

Shanghai on National holiday

Or maybe it was?
Shanghai, on National Holiday, had the population of Australia gathered in it's People's park. A scary thought and even a scarier sight!
Eve and I decided to go to the Modern Museum of Art. Something we knew would be a challenge but didn't really realize, what a challenge, it really would be. Brave and well fed, we ventured a walk to the Jade Buddha Temple. We were pretty successful and made it there pretty much unscathed. Just a few photo's of us with locals, along the way.
The population of a small country town was gathered inside the temple walls, so it was a bit difficult to see the actually Jade Buddha. Just watching the locals celebrating and praying was enough of a cultural experience and we left happy and seeking our next destination.
After a long wait and practically jumping in to a moving taxi, we found our way to Remnin Park (People's Park).
Oh, My, God! It was a sea of back hair (plus the occasional Blonde colour gone orange!) people were shoulder to shoulder. It was as if we had come across a wall of protection and there was no way to penetrate the wall. That's the upside of hanging out with a Blonde. The wall parted like Jesus and the red sea. It was great. Like a modern miracle.
After a few lewd tongue gestures from an old, disgusting man and the usual grunts and stares from the crowd, we made it to the Museum. As we entered we we greeted by a huge LCD display of the communal weight, of the people, in the museum. Kinda a scary thought really. We proceeded through the gallery looking at some fantastic work but soon, we became tired of banging shoulder to shoulder with the population. So we seeked out lunch. Something you think would be easy but with the entirety of the Australian population, in one place, just getting to the street corner was tiresome. Then it started to bucket down! Bloody give me a break. Now I was cold, hungry and bloody exhausted!
Eventually we found a great little bento box restaurant, with great food, at the cost of a chocolate bar. China is exhausting at the best of times but this was going to kill me....Especially after trying to book a onward ticket to Qingdao.
After a few hours Eve and I found the ticket office, lined up for and hour and was told there wouldn't be any tickets, anywhere, for at least a week!
What!
My time was running out and I still had a few places I wanted to see! Eeeekkk.
What's a woman to do. After consultation with a few people, I decided I had to sacrifice a few destinations and treat myself to a flight. I was going to head straight to Beijing after Shanghai. This way I was still on track and it seemed like my only option for moving in the next week or so. Oh well, the sacrifices we make.

The King of Lions or The Lion King????????

After a good meal and a lie down, Gillian and I recovered from our little adventure at the clothes market. When we were lounging around on the bunks, in our room, we met Yama. A Chinese born girl, living in Korea, dating a Malaysian- Australian...Got it? Don't worry it took me a bit too.
Anyway, she asked me if I wanted to join her that evening, at the theatre, to see the King of Lions. MMmmm. I was tempted but I wanted to clarify that it was in English and the cost of the tickets. Well, Yes, it was English and as for the cost of the tickets, well, that would be determined by the scalper out the front of the theatre. The ones we would be buy the tickets from. The ones Scalping the tickets from out the front. MMMmmm. This is illegal at home and I was a bit concerned about it's legality here. Yama informed me that this was normal practice out the front of theatres in China. Apparently, business people are given the tickets, then resell them out the front of the theatre for a nice profit!
Good. Something that benefits both. Cheap tickets for us and a nice profit for some rich business executive! (Note the sarcasm)
Anyway, I was willing to give it a go. Even if it meant a night in lock up, explaining my situation to my consulate. So, all dolled up, Yama and I headed towards the theatre, only stopping for a hearty meal at a local get up. All expenses paid by Yama's absent boyfriend.
Out the front of the Shanghai Royal Theatre (a very posh looking building) I let Yama work her magic and finer skills of the Chinese language, to secure us VIP seats to The Lion King. The actual Lion King. The successful production that has toured the world. Here I was thinking I was seeing something I had never heard of! Lost in translation I guess. All for the price of about 50 bucks! Couldn't ask for better really.
It was amazing and low and behold, the Chinese were well behaved. Yama was like sitting next to a kid. In fact the whole theatre was like a bunch of kids. Enthusiastic about all that they saw on stage......
Maybe Chins isn't so bad after all?