Xi'an: Into the Heart of China!

After saying farewell to Shanghai, we headed off toward the train station with fond memories of our previous train experience. But as luck would have it, we were in for a whole new one. When we booked our train tickets back in Shanghai, we were told that the tickets we purchased were for hard sleepers, something we weren't really looking forward to. However, when we got to the train, we found that we didn't have a hard sleeper after all, but rather a hard seat (which are basically the very worst possible seats you can get on the train). The hard seat carriages are the only carriages that have standing room, so they are extremely overcrowded (as in people were sitting on our shoulders) and to put it mildly, there were extreme elements of hygiene that were indeed lacking. We sat in our seats for the 17 hours (despite one Chinese man insisting to the train worker that since he was Chinese, he should have a seat instead of the foreigners). We made sure to keep an eye our bags every so often and tried to pass the time by reading, listening to our music, and trying to avoid the obvious stares coming from all directions. When morning finally arrived and the train stopped, we were more than happy to get off and find a place to drop our bags and get some rest. We had arrived in Xi'an, the literal and figurative heart of China as well as the ancient capital of 12 Chinese Dynasties (starting as early as 1046 BC). We were anxious to get out and explore the city, however, first thing had to be first. As we learned from our extended time in Shanghai, we had to get our train tickets out ASAP if we wanted to leave Xi'an on the date we were hoping for. As Amanda sat with the bags, Jono went into the extremely crowded station to try to get in and out with the tickets. Three hours later, as Amanda sat outside trying to ward off stares and strange people pestering her, Jono emerged with the tickets. He waited in line for three hours, because the lady at his counter went on her lunch break without a replacement and she was at the only English speaking counter! Although by the end of the third hour, Jono emerged with the tickets and we were on our way. We were more than ready to find a place to settle down by this time, so when we met a tour guide willing to take us to the Bell Tower youth hostel, we followed without complaint. We got set up in our room and then hit the sack for the rest of that day! The next day we were back to our usual energetic selves and we were out exploring the streets of Xi'an. We wondered around the markets, and made our way toward the Muslim Quarter, a very old and popular part of Xi'an which is an interesting mix of Islamic and Chinese architecture and culture and had been a part of Xi'an for at least 1400 years. The next morning was our big day. We woke early and caught the local bus one hour out of the city center, where we made it to the archaeological wonder that has made Xi'an famous throughout the world. In 1974, while digging for a well, some local Chinese farmers discovered the shattered form of a head from off of a terracotta warrior buried far beneath the ground. In the years to follow, archaeologists would undercover more than 7300 terracotta warriors, horses and chariots, buried for over 2000 years. These warriors were commissioned to be build by the emperor Qin Shi Huang in order to protect him and to allow him to continue his reign well into the afterlife. Not far from this site is his tomb, which is currently being excavated, but which is one of the largest mausoleums in the world. We spent four hours walking among the three pits that hold the warriors, marveling at the wonders that lay, still in the ground, beneath us. Upon returning to the city, we decided that it was time to get some much needed exercise. We rented some bikes (even though we were a bit wary from our last bike rental fiasco, but we vowed not to let these ones out of our sight) and we headed to the enormous wall that enclosed the city of Xi'an. We rode around for a few hours until we were beat and then decided it was time for a change. We headed toward the Big Goose Pagoda, another of Xi'an's most famous landmarks. We walked around the grounds for some time, and then stayed a bit longer to watch the evening fountain and music show, that was held on the Pagoda Square. The fountain and music show, regarded as the best in Asia, was quite a sight to see. People were jumping in between and through the jets of water, splashing about and enjoying the show in a whole new way. It lasted for well over 20 minutes and drew in a crowd of more than 4000 people... pretty impressive! Our time in Xi'an was short, and although it seemed that we had too many days in Shanghai, we unfortunately had too few in Xi'an. Which just goes to show that you never know what will lie in store at the next destination, one of the joys of traveling!

Scammed in Shanghai!

Ni How! We arrived in Shanghai after a long (20 hour), yet plush & comfortable train ride in the soft sleeper section. We got off the train feeling ready to jump right in to our time in Shanghai. After finding our hotel (we decided to up the standards a bit after our cupboard-sized experience in Hong Kong) we were off to check out some of the sites. We taxied it down to The Bund, a popular tourist destination which at one time was the center of British Influence in Shanghai. There we took in the views of the misty river and the towering sights before turning around and making our way up Shanghai's most popular shopping area known as Nanjing Road. The street is full of shops, restaurants and tonnes and tonnes of people. We ate a quick dinner and avoided the touts who were calling us from every corner to look at “rolex” watches, brand name sunglasses, etc. Then we met some young Chinese students hanging around the museum and engaged in what we thought was friendly conversation. After some time they told us that they were heading to a tea house, and asked us if we wanted to tag along. It sounded like fun! We tried a dozen or so different teas of various, plants, fruits, herbs, spices and even a “flower-ball” tea which was a green ball that opened up to reveal a flower once immersed in water. We ended up having a really nice time, that is, until the bill came. While the prices were shown to us at the beginning of the ceremony we didn't fully understand the fact that those prices were per teeny tiny tea cup. We were definitely not prepared to shell out the kind of money that was required, but what could we do? We had already drunk the darn tea!! We thought that $40 a person was expensive for an hour's worth of a tea ceremony, however the Chinese university students seemed to not be startled by the bill. We went back to our hotel feeling that something just wasn't right. After a bit of investigating on the Internet, we learned that this tea house scam is one that is often used on tourists all over the country. They got us, (and they were darn good too!) but we were thankful that our bill wasn't as high as some of the others we read about (most who were paying over $300 a person for some stupid tea!) The next day we were back at the train station, trying to arrange some tickets to our next destination. We were disappointed to learn that we would have to spend an additional three days in Shanghai, because all the train tickets to our next stop were sold out (as summer holidays are still not finished). We spent the rest of the day wondering around the city, eventually making it to the old town, where we were greeted with stunning antiques, food and souvenir markets every where we looked! We stopped for dinner and feasted on some local specialties, including Shanghai dumplings (delicious!!!) and some other tasty treats! We spent the next two days enjoying some much deserved R&R. We lazed around our hotel, watched a few movies and enjoyed some more delicious food. We also made it out to the markets and the Bund a few more times but it was nothing that we hadn't already done. We visited the Oriental Pearl Tower, an architectural highlight in Shanghai and a symbol of the future for the Chinese people. And we even made it up the Grand Hyatt building (a huge towering hotel/office building which emerges like the tower of Orthanac {Lord of the Rings Reference} out of the night sky). We enjoyed our time in Shanghai, even though we got scammed (big time!). So if you're ever in China and you're invited to a casual tea ceremony... find out exactly how much, and who's paying before you take your first sip!

Hello Hong Kong!

Lay Ho! After a quick and easy plane ride, we arrived on the Chinese island of Macau (formerly under Portuguese rule). We grabbed our belongings and hoped on board a bus, headed towards the centre of the island. Our plan was to spend only one day in Macau, so we quickly found a place to put our bags (not the nicest of places, let me tell you!) and then we were off to explore the city. As you may or may not know, Macau is considered to be the“Vegas of the East”, so there wasn't too much to do other than pop in and out of the many casinos and see what they had to offer. We explored about six of them, we came to the realization that they were all more or less the same, we decided that we might as well call it an evening. We headed back to our hotel and packed it in for the night. The next morning we woke up early and boarded the turbojet leaving from Macau to Hong Kong. After a fast yet smooth one hour ride, we skimmed our way to Hong Kong Island. With our packs on our backs we then proceeded to make our way over to Kowloon Island, just a subway ride away, to find ourselves a hotel for the next few nights. After about an hour of lugging our over-sized rucksacks around we found the “beautiful” Mirador Mansions. We made our way to the 14th floor and set up in a very, very small room. Having just come from South East Asia, where you can get a really great room for cheap, this small, overpriced room blew our minds. Nonetheless, we decided to make the most of our time in Hong Kong. We headed out for the evening and spent the night wondered around the streets in the pouring rain (wet... but worth it!). The next morning, despite the rain, we were up with the best intentions of seeing more of Hong Kong. We made our way throughout the northern Kowloon Peninsula and enjoyed the sites. By evening we made our way to the “Avenue of the Stars” where we saw the handprints of many famous Chinese Movie Stars (although we only recognized a few of them). That night we made it to the night market, and met up with our friend Xue, who we had previously met on our Halong Bay adventure in Vietnam. On our last full day in the city we were up early and ready for adventure. With clear skies and no rain on the forecast, we made our way to Victoria Peak, the highest peak in Hong Kong which overlooks the Hong Kong Harbour. We took the tram up, got our photos, and then decided to walk down (not the best of ideas). We spent the rest of the day exploring parts of Hong Kong Island and we were back at the Victoria Peak Tram again at night to do it all over again, and the view at night is even better! We enjoyed our time in Hong Kong. The energy of the city was a nice change from the relaxed pace of Southeast Asia. Our first encounter with China was great and we only hope that the best is yet to come!

Cambodia: From Phnom Penh to Angkor... What?

Soursdei! We arrived in the Cambodian Capital of Phnom Penh exhausted after our two day tour of the Mekong Delta. We woke early the next morning with plans to make the most of our one and only day in Phnom Penh. We set off right away with our friends Tom and Cat, as well as our tuk-tuk driver for the day. Our first stop of the day was at the S-21 Tuol Sleng prison where members of the Khemer Rouge held over 20 000 prisoners under the Pol Pot Regime. We walked around the complex which was a school before it was turned into an interrogation and torture centre. The longer we walked around and learned about its history, the more our hearts ached for those who were taken innocently from their homes and dragged to this terrible place. Of the approx. 20 000 people who were placed and tortured within the prison between 1975 and 1979, only 7 people made it out of the prison alive. Our day didn't brighten any as we made it to the next stop on our tour of the city. About 15km outside of the city, we made it to the “Choeung Ek Killing Fields”, the place where the prisoners from the S-21 camp were taken and beaten to death (since the Khemer Rouge didn't want to waste bullets they simply bludgeoned them with metal pipes, garden hoes, etc.). As we walked around the fields, we were stunned to see that the area was still littered with clothes, teeth, and bones of the victims. It was disturbing to see and it made us truly understand how terrible and grisly the genocide in Cambodia truly was. Our last stop for the day was along the river, and what we saw there reflected the outcome of the recent genocide. Many poverty stricken and disabled people lined the streets, asking for anything to better their lives. However, although these people were so poor, their attitudes and spirits were some of the warmest and most friendly that we have run into in our travels. The Cambodian people, although they have suffered a horrendous past, were some of the sweetest and most open people in the world. Tom & Jono capped off the evening with the ingesting of a huge deep fried tarantula like spider (a local treat). Mmmm... Spiderlicious! We left Phnom Penh with a heavy heart and a newfound admiration for the Cambodian people. After another six hour bus ride, we made it to our next stop, Siem Reap. As we settled into our new guesthouse, we were greeted by our old friends Steve and Laura. Along with Tom and Cat, the six of us hung around for the night and planned out our time in Siem Reap. Bright and early the next morning, our small group was out and about and ready for a day of fun. Our tuk-tuks picked us up and we were off to Angkor Wat, one of the Seven Forgotten Medieval Wonders of the World, and it is also considered to be the worlds largest religious complex. This complex was built from the 9th to the 13th century by the Khmers, and these groupings of temples made up the capital of their ancient kingdom. We spent a good eight hours traveling by tuk-tuk from one unique temple to another. We were able to explore the temples and, at one point or another, we all felt like either Indiana Jones or Laura Croft (which reminds us that Angkor Wat was in fact one of the principle locations for the Tomb Raider). We spent the next two days at Angkor Wat as well, exploring the ancient ruins, talking with monks, and just enjoying each other's company (it's nice to have friends with you along the way). We finished up our time in Siem Reap with the boys exchanging Angkor Wat photos (there must have been 3500 between the three of them!) and the girls enjoyed some “chill” time over foot massages! The next day we were up (early, once again) and back on the road. As we looked back on our time in Cambodia, we realized how special this small country was to us. Although our time here was short, we felt as though Cambodia will always be in our hearts.

Vietnam: Never Leave A Man-da Behind.

With Northern Vietnam behind us, we popped on a 10 hour night bus and headed down to the centrally located city of Hue. Although we were dead tired (due to lack of sleep and one of the worst night buses imaginable), we decided to venture out into the city for the day and make the most of our time. Our first order of business was to see Hue's Ancient Citadel which was both the Ancient Imperial Headquarters for the nation as well as a strategic location during the Vietnam War (known in Vietnam as the “American War”). After strolling around for quite some time, we decided to spice up our day with a motorcycle tour of the city. Our guides took us to some beautiful and historical sites, including temples, covered bridges, pagodas, rice fields and even to one of the royal tombs. We returned back to our guest house, and after a tasty waterfront dinner we thought it best to lay down our heads and catch up on some much needed sleep! The next day we were up and at it again, heading out by bus to our next destination. We arrived in the city of Hoi An just after noon, and were thrilled to have the rest of the day to enjoy ourselves. We decided to up our usual budget-backpacker standards and book ourselves into a hotel with a pool. We spent three days just lazing around the pool, enjoying the sun and doing absolutely nothing at all (A sort of “backpacker's vacation”). We only managed to drag ourselves out of our hotel for two reasons. The first of these was to get some custom made clothes for Amanda (at amazing prices!), and the second was to meet up with some friends who we'd met along the way. After a few days of recuperating and lazing about, we set back out on the night bus for the beach city of Nha Trang. We arrived in town at six in the morning, and got settled in. Three hours later, thanks to our good friends Steve and Laura, we were out the door and on a boat around the beach. We had fun with our friends snorkeling, swimming and partying on the boat (even though we were beat from the night bus). We spent the rest of our time in Nha Trang in similar fashion to our time in Hoi An (poolside). We lazed on the beach, sped through a couple of books and soaked in the sun. After a quick couple of days, we once again boarded the bus (our final Vietnamese night bus) and headed down the densely populated Ho Chi Minh City (aka Saigon).Upon arrival, the first order of business was to head to the hospital and look after Amanda's ear ( as she somehow managed to pick up an inner ear infection somewhere along the way). After that we were out and about, checking out the sites of HCMC. We took in the War Remnants Museum, which was a real eye opening and heart breaking experience. The museum helped us to understand the horrors of the war, and also to understand how those events are still affecting the country and its people today. Not only does the country have to deal with the lasting horrors of dead family members (approx. 3 Million) and the countless war amputees and napalm victims, but they must also deal with the reality of the lasting effects of “Agent Orange”. In an attempt to gain territory & advantage, American forces sprayed hundreds of acres of land with this deadly chemical which literally destroyed any organic material it came in contact with. We were faced with countless photographs showing Vietnamese people whose skin and eyes were chemically burned to such a grizzly degree. However, while the war eventually came to an end, the horrors... did not. Even today hundreds of children are born with shocking birth defects such as lack of limbs or eyes, which was something that touched us to the very core. In the same vein, we came across dozens of photos of nations all over the world who marched to see the end of the War in Vietnam. Perhaps the most moving moment for us was when we saw a glass case which held numerous medals of honor, strength and awards which had been donated to the Vietnamese Government by a former US General who had served during the Vietnam War. In the top corner the General had included a small plaque in which he expressed remorse for his actions during the war. With sadness in our hearts we made our way to the market to escape the heavy “wet-season” rain. We returned to our guest house and met up with our friends Tom and Cat (who we'd met in Chiang Mai) and spent the rest of the evening catching up with them. We started the next morning bright and early, with a two hour trip outside of Saigon to the Cu Chi tunnels. Here we were able to see how the war was fought from the Vietnamese perspective. We were able to see how they melted down exploded US bomb shrapnel to create booby traps and makeshift weapons all in underground huts and tunnel networks hidden deep in the jungle. Tom & Jono were brave enough to venture into the extremely tight tunnels which were dank, dark, low & lengthy. After only a few minutes they were glad to be above ground and were thinking how amazing it was that people spent literally years living, working and fighting in such confined spaces. We were up bright and early the next day and heading out to our Vietnamese exit point which was to be the Mekong Delta. Along with Tom and Cat, we spent two days on various boats and buses, taking us through different parts of the Mekong Delta. We stopped in many small fishing villages and saw what life is like for many Vietnamese people outside of the main city centres. As we looked back at our Vietnamese adventure we realized how fortunate we were to be able to be friendly greeted by a nation with so many scars and hardships, and we would not soon forget the example of forgiveness seen across the faces, and the nation of Vietnam.