Day 127 - 127. päivä: A letter to China

Dear China,

we've had our ups and downs. I have been gone for a long time, however every time I come back, there seems to be more of the former and less of the latter.

兵马俑 The Terracotta army

You did not make it easy to come back. We were stuck in Hong Kong for a week trying to get our visas, but in the end it gave us an awesome chance to explore the islands of Hong Kong and Kowloon. Unfortunately that forced us to spend a huge chunk of our budget we had been saving for USA and Europe, but we will worry about that when we actually run out cash. We also thought we could save some money in the mainland, but travelling and trying to catch as many tourist attractions as possible in one month is not cheap, even though you, China, are. I guess it was somehow lucky I got sick as soon we were about to leave Hong Kong, so in Shanghai we did not get to do any of the pricey touristy stuff we had planned. My hairdresser was a bit expensive, but worth it. I can warmly recommend Ashley at Franck Provost at 35 Shaanxi road in Shanghai. She did miracles with my falling, dry, brittle mess of a blonde hair.

Our communication has not always worked too well. For some strange reason it seems that the extent of my Chinese vocabulary does not correlate with how well I can get myself understood or things done. It seems that it is more a question of location (come on, Xi'an, why is my Chinese almost useless there when in Beijing I'm more often well understood than not?), and necessity: speak Chinese or stay hungry. Speak Chinese with the driver or walk. Speak Chinese or get a smoking room in a hotel. And oh dear how fast the language is getting back, in the past month I've regained most of my spoken Chinese skills. I think you like me better now, too, since we can communicate. At least that one taxi driver seemed to be having fun whilst we were discussing the differences between iPhone and Nokia Lumia GPS. The other one was happy forcing me to learn to pronounce the name of our hotel properly; he wouldn't let me out of the car before I got it right. Never underestimate the taxi drivers here when it comes to cruel but effective teaching methods.

长城 The Great Wall at Mutianyu

I would also like to discuss about your hygiene problem. There is a reason they call Beijing one of the most polluted cities in the world. Take a shower or something, it would be nice if the citizens and travelers could actually breath. But how, oh how, can it be even worse somewhere else? After Xi'an, the air quality in Beijing seems quite okay, actually. According to what I've heard, the internationally less famous cities are even worse. I like this country, but I am not sure if wearing a mouth mask most of the year would go too well with my hair style. My hair and skin are not very happy, either. I must add, though, that the past few days you have really tried your best, and we have seen the blue sky and sunshine and amazing sun sets. That's when you are at your most beautiful.

You have been very nice and understanding every time I have
introduced new people to you. I wasn't sure how you'd treat them, but at least a couple of Germans and one Finn seem to understand why I miss you so much. Of course, spending some good old Beijing nightlife for a few nights with karaoke, early morning food and beers and annoying the hell out of several taxi drivers and many, many people on subway can make anyone falling in love with you.

Victoria Peak in Hong Kong

You have a history which you are proud of, and partially for a very good reason. I have been to the Great Wall several times before, but it never seems less amazing. Thousands of kilometers of history in the middle of the most beautiful land you can offer located in Mutianyu, combined with a cable car ride up and a toboggan ride down are something I will always want to go back to. Tian'anmen Square, Forbidden City and Beihai in Beijing were a compulsory part of the tour I gave Ari, and they show the controversy of your past and the official history you talk about. The Teracotta army in Xi'an was new to me, and literally took my breath away for a moment. It is difficult to describe the feeling you get when you see thousands of armed clay warriors with horses and real armory, whose sole purpose of existence was to accompany an emperor in the afterlife. Talking about megalomania...

北海 Beihai

The public transportation in Hong Kong, Shanghai and Beijing are wonderful, and even in Xi'an it works, as long as you can read the signs in Chinese. A whole morning's adventure can be based on a decision to get to the Terracotta Warriors by public buses. It is also cheap, and many cities have their own public transportation card you can use even in taxis and some stores. The food is awesome, although I'm sure in Shanghai they spend like half of the whole country's white sugar stash everyday. Anything with Sichuan pepper can make your face fall off, and tastes like heaven. It is a bit so and so to call myself a vegetarian when most times there is no way to be sure what I am eating, no matter how many times I ask since here chicken powder does not count as "having meet" in one's dish. Thus often the only "safe" way to eat vegetarian is to go one of the many vegetarian restaurants.

You always seem to have friends waiting for me here, and you have kept them the same. Your beer is cheap, good and available everywhere. Your weather is nice sometimes even for two months a year, when it's not too cold or windy or rainy or hot or sandy. You offer cheap services, and sometimes one gets lucky and finds some good quality, too. We got Ari a tailor made suit for a certain special day, and the three piece suit for 1800 yuan turned out really well at this small tailor shop hidden in a diplomatic compound in Beijing. I have used some big tailor shops before, but good quality fabrics are rare in them.

天安门广场 Tian'anmen Square

Dear China, we are going now, for our visas are expiring. But we will be back, okay? I am sure it won't be another two years this time.

爱米

P.S: Coming up: Just photos, China edition (get ready for more black, white and gray...)

P.P.S: Next stop: San Francisco, CA, USA

P.P.P.S: Coming up soon ish: Tips for the travelers based on real life experiments by Ari

Day 107 - 107. päivä: Surprises of all sorts and two very futuristic cities

Hong Kong at night from Victoria Peak

Surprise No. 1: So, yeah, you ever tried something you thought would be very easy and simple, but which turned out to be pretty much the most complicated and annoying process you have ever gone through, and later on you realize that you should have know it wouldn't be easy? We have; applying for a Chinese visa in Hong Kong. Our plan was to get the applications in on Wednesday, pay extra and get a rush service, collecting our passports on Thursday or maybe Friday, and take the T100 train to Shanghai on Friday afternoon. Yeah, right, as if...

Victoria Harbor next to Avenue of Stars

In short (we'll save you from all the painful details; there's plenty): We went to the embassy four times, on three separate dates. We had checked and double checked all we need on the governmental website, printed out and filled in the forms available on the said website, attached everything that was required, and went to the address given online (on the government website) on Wednesday morning. That address is wrong, here is the correct one! Once we got to the visa office, there was a short queue to get to the security check. On the 3rd floor of the building, after queuing in another line, we were told our forms were old, and given the new ones to fill in. Only after that were we given queuing numbers to the admission desks. There we were, of course, told that we were missing a whole bunch of attachments, and we were to go back to our hotel to get them. That's also when we were finally given the full list of things we'd actually need to attach. This all took about a whole morning to go through. Of course, our hotel was not in Hong Kong Island, but in Kowloon. So, on Wednesday afternoon, we were back with all the correct papers and queuing again. At this point we were told no rush service to get the visas was available (unlike told online), and it'd take until next Monday to get the visas. Naturally, our train to Shanghai would be leaving on Friday, in two days. So, since a ticket TO China and OUT of China are both required, and the travel dates would have to be AFTER your visa's issued, we were sent away once more, to cancel our reservations in Shanghai,  and get new tickets and hotel dates for after possibly getting the visas. So, next morning, on Thursday, we went back to the admission office, and once again queued, and presented all our new travel documents, and fresh visa forms (which we had once again filled, with new travel dates), and finally got a blue paper saying that we may collect our visas on next Tuesday. That's the story in short.

What the (apparently secret?) list given to us says you'll need when applying for a tourist visa to China in Hong Kong:

- Round-trip tickets to and from China
- Hotel booking confirmation in China (if not under your name, the person who booked the hotel needs to write and sign a paper saying you'll be staying with them, plus a copy of their passport)
- Copy of your passport and Hong Kong visa and a fresh passport photo
- The NEW visa form (collect it at the admission office) filled in (we only did it three times to get it right)
- 200 HKD upon pick up
- an address of a friend or a hotel in China
- Ability to resist the temptation to kick/hit someone or scream mindlessly when being sent to another line after a couple of hours of waiting
- Ability to understand that there WILL be waiting. The office is open from Monday to Friday 9-12 -AM and again 14-17 PM. The queue starts forming an hour before the doors open. Deal with it!

So, your neighborhood is crowded..? This is Hong Kong.

Surprise No. 2: Today's the Tuesday, and YES, we got the visas :D

Surprise No.3: It turns out there is quite a few Chinese, whose English is better, and Mandarin worse than mine... Not so common in the mainland, but apparently a default setting in Hong Kong.

Surprise No.4: We found a sauna! An actual, true, real, authentic Finnish sauna. It is located at the Mira hotel Hong Kong. The hotel is in any way a real nice one, but the Harvia sauna was what really made our extended stay in Hong Kong have an awesome kick start.

Surprise No.5: In the end, we really enjoyed our time in Hong Kong, even as much as to say that it was a good thing we didn't get our visas any earlier. Victoria Peak, the Symphony of lights show and just going around the city were really worth all the trouble we went through rescheduling such a big part of our trip. We got an 80% refund of our train tickets, and were able to cancel the hotel in Shanghai; in the end, we only lost a couple of hundred euros, and gained a ton of beautiful experiences. Also had time to drink a lot of Tsingtao...

Surprise No.6: Judging from a one-night layover in Singapore, the city is not bad. Well, I guess that's not a surprise to anyone who's ever been there. It's also a great place to meet a friend for a morning coffee :)

Singapore

P.S: If you're staying in Hong Kong for more than 3 days, get the Octopus Card!

Day 98 - 98. päivä: Here and there and everywhere.

It has come the time to say goodbye to Indonesia. A short layover in Singapore today, and tomorrow we will enter Hong Kong. There our task will be to get our visas to mainland China. The next few days we'll also try and not lose all our money; Singapore is the most expensive city in the world, and Hong Kong is not far behind. So, goodbye to cheap luxury, too. We will, however, be enjoying China for a month after that. There there won't be a need to stretch one's yuan, since you can find pretty good stuff for pretty cheap there. If you know where to look, that is...

But until we actually get to China, we can still enjoy the easiness, cleanliness and hospitality of Bali for a few more hours. Ever since we started the trip, we have had a daily budget, which we routinely have gone under. It means that every day it has gone bigger. THAT means that we have once again been able to stay a couple of nights in a super fancy place with no worries of extra bugs or dirty towels. Conrad Bali can boast having the largest swimming pool in Bali, as well as their own beach. Morning runs are pretty awesome by the sea, running a nice, tidy prick road watching the sun rise and checking out other resorts' "backyards". Otherwise our accommodation has once again varied from budget in Kuta (super touristy, busy, noisy, lot of services and a beach available) , to cute resorts Ubud (touristy, small, nice, quiet, a vegetarian's paradise).

Speaking of mornings and sun rise, we climbed two hours on Mt. Batur to see the sunrise with a group of other tourists. Worth the climb (on all fours at some point), the view was spectacular. It was also incredible to feel the cold air in your lungs and on your skin the first time in months. Goose bumps have never felt so nice! The trip cost us 700 000 IDR per person, and we took off from Ubud at 2:30 in the morning, and were back already at 10:30.

Being known for extreme sports lovers' paradise, Bali offers a ton of other activities, as well. We tried some, but not nearly all of them. Most of the trips included food of a kind, and vegetarian food was always available, as long as we asked for it when booking the trip.

Mountain biking was well organised, and we got a chance to not only eat breakfast looking over Mt. Batur crater lake, but also visit a local coffee plantation and taste the rarest coffee in the world, Kopi Luwak. Being processed through a civet cat's digestive system before washing, drying and roasting, the end product of the coffee beans is also locally known as "cat-poo-chino". It tasted like coffee. In the end of the two-hour bicycle ride downhill, we had a chance to try and ride uphill for 8 kilometers. In the heat and humidity, it turned out to be a um... a bit challenging, unlike the very easy downhill part. An awesome lunch was provided afterwards. There were also huge spiders available. Also spider petting. Luckily that was not mandatory.

Rafting  was water, water, jungle, water, amazing nature, swimming in the Telaga Waja river, physically semi-challenging and pure awesomeness. 2,5 hour ride took us through such cool waters and scenery that the pretty high price didn't really bother us. Just remember to hold on, and wear clothes suitable was soaking ;) You can also bring your camera and other stuff to the boat, the guide will give you a waterproof bag for them.

Tandem paragliding  provided beautiful nature, a good way to beat your vertigo, gliding over the sea and an amazing way to experience a moment of tranquility. It was not physically challenging, although the winds and the "bag" you'll be sitting in do set their limit when it comes to weight. I got to do a whole 15 minutes, while Ari only got about 5 minutes, plus a beach landing. This applied to the rest of the group, as well, for the winds were not strong enough that day.

One of the less extreme activities we did was the organic vegetarian cooking class, in the middle of rice fields. We got to pick our own vegetables, and learn from the best how to make Balinese dishes. Or at least we got to participate, while the family women did most of the hard work. The one thing we learned was that no matter how much we'd like to make all those dishes at home, we just cannot find nor the ingredients or the equipment in Finland (e.g. the huge stone grinder used for grinding the peanuts for gado-gado, the sauce which tastes of pure heaven).

How did we book these trips? We simply walked into any of the many "travel agencies" i.e. wooden boxes laid by the streets, selling the trips. The service was reliable and smooth nearly every time. We were always picked and dropped off at the hotel, and all the tour guides spoke if not perfect, at least understandable English.

To balance things out, we got to experience the Balinese new year and the Quiet Day in Ubud. The locals celebrate the new year by building huge monsters, each village and district their own. These monsters would be then carried around the streets and apparently beaten up, as well, on their way to be burned. All this to get rid of evil and bad thoughts. Must admit, it was pretty creepy to see them on fire in a dark cemetery, where the Ubud monsters were burned. We were told that the scariest looking are saved though, apparently being saved by their coolness.

Next stop Singapore, then Hong Kong, then mainland China. Should be interesting!

Day 85 - 85. päivä: Just photos: a monkey and coffee edition

Yup, we saw like 50 humongous wild spiders today, so to take off the edge, we're posting a ton of pictures of monkeys and coffee here. They were taken in Malaysia (Batu caves) and Indonesia (Monkey forest in Ubud and a Balinese coffee plantation). Enjoy!

Can your mum do this?

Time to shave, mum?

Wassup?

Just minding my own business...

Monkey Forest in Ubud, Bali.

Drinking morning coffee at Mt. Batur.

Brewing Kopi Luwak.

Coffee and tea samples, a.k.a. little pieces of heaven in Indonesia.

The coffee maker napping (civet cats are nocturnal)

Drinking the most expensive coffee in the world.

Roasting coffee beans to make "Cat-poo-chino"

Has your baby ever climbed on a random tourist's back to examine his twig?

Bye 'till next time!

Day 84 - 84. päivä: It's all in the numbers

Enjoying the bus ride in India

We started this trip nearly 3 months ago. Since then, we have stayed in 25 or so hotels (lost count some time ago), visited 5 countries, used public transportation for free in 3 of them (didn't have to pay for a bus in UAE, got a free taxi ride to the airport in India, and got a free bus to the right stop in Malaysia), visited an odd number of cities and towns, and eaten in countless restaurants. We have taken 10 flights. We have talked to many taxi drivers giving us an insight into the local life, tried to adjust our brain to converting Euro to 5 different currencies, while trying to compare the strange currencies with each other, too. We have taken a train once, buses and motorbike taxis weekly, even daily and taxis we can't even count anymore.

Penang National Park

We have crossed the Equator once (by plane), hiked in jungle in 2 different countries (check out Penang National Park in Malaysia), eaten vegan and vegetarian food based on local dishes in most of the places we've visited, visited a doctor zero times, been really sick once, very tired very many times and done our own laundry in just one place. We have sat down planning our next move tens of times, missed no planes and got nothing stolen. We have taken hundreds of photos, of which some were really good ones (published some but not all of them here and on Facebook). We have seen breathtaking scenery in all the countries we've been to, a ton of Russian tourists, and half of the population of Finland (Malaysia was an exception with almost no other Finns in sight). We have tried local beers in 4 countries, and liked all of them except for the sample of 2 brands here in Indonesia (sorry, Bali Hai and Bintang). We have seen one wild baby horn bill, baby cats and dogs, and a couple of very aggressive monkeys.

Our accommodation has varied from less-than 5 euro beach hut in Goa to 5 stars Sheraton Imperial in Kuala Lumpur. We have stayed in cities, towns and beaches, in really super touristy areas (Patong beach in Thailand) and a quiet paradise island (Koh Phra Tong, Thailand), far from nature (Delhi, India) and very close to it (Ubud, Indonesia). We have seen what a really modern city looks like (Abu Dhabi, UAE) and how a really old, historical town has been restored and taken care of (Georgetown, Penang island, Malaysia). We have been carrying our bags ankle-deep in mud, and been treated like royals.

Blue Manson, Georgetown, Malaysia

All this being said, it seemed like the perfect time to stay 5 nights in a small resort in Ubud, Bali. We have our own backyard, with a view over the rice field (and a small fish bond, too!). And, pretty much by accident, we found this not-mentioned-in-any-travel book-we-know-of, really cool hippie part of the town, where you can find vegan and vegetarian food, stay in old Balinese style houses and pretty much forget you're very close to the most touristy area in Indonesia, the beaches of Bali. The nature is close here, as well as any modern comfort one may need, but without all the dirt and noise of a big city. At least for now, we're happy to have left Kuta yesterday, and come here, instead. The bus ride for two was 120 000 IDR (8 Euro), booked via a travel agency. Today we'll sit down again, and decide if we'd rather book an organic cooking class, go for a bicycle tour or sunset hiking, or just book all of them. After all, here in Indonesia even a common traveler can be a millionaire.

Our backyard in Anini Raka Resort in Ubud, Indonesia

P.S. This blog has already been viewed nearly 2000 times, far more than either of us would have expected. It means not only our families are following our trip. Thousands of thanks :)

Vegetarian Fried Koay Teow and Vegetable Sweet and Sour Rice Set

Day 68- 68. päivä: Happy Women's Day!

A 420 meters high tower is high. That being said, it was not a total waste of money to pay 99 MYR per person to get to the open deck of Menara tower. The view from about 300 meters was unbelievable, especially with no walls or window glasses to block it, only a see-through fence and open air. The tickets also gave us access to the lower level observation deck, which has several binoculars for the visitors to use (and windows, so there's really no fear of falling...). Yes, first thing we did was look at our apartment. A 20 storeys building seems pretty small when you're at 276 meters.

Plus, I got to confuse some girls at the souvenir shop. I have noticed that the locals seem to speak Mandarin Chinese a lot here; even so much as to speak it to each other instead of Malay. The two shop assistants in the shop were not an exception, so I decided to give it a try, and started chatting with them. In Mandarin... The girls seemed a bit surprised first, but in a few seconds I found myself having a conversation in a language I have studied years ago, and have not spoken in nearly two years, except with a hotel clerk at Sheraton. Naturally, it didn't go quite fluently, but it was a start. And knowing that we'll be in China next month, it's really, really good to know I can still communicate in Chinese. I have been hitting my head against the wall for forgetting my electronic English-Chinese dictionary at home, but even that seems not to be a problem; they sell them around the city here. And with all the Chinese signs everywhere Malaysia has turned out to be like a huge Mandarin school for me. 

Today, however, is not for studying but deciding where to go next. We have no plans other than leave Kuala Lumpur next Wednesday. Any ideas?

Oh, and happy Women's Day! 

Day 66 - 66. päivä: Hotel hopping and book shopping in Kuala Lumpur

Sheraton Imperial Club room

Travelling is fun. It can also be tiring. That being said, after two months on the road, we begun our Malaysia part of the trip resting. And by resting, I mean staying at some luxury hotels for a week; Sheraton Imperial, Hilton Petaljing Jaya and Hilton Kuala Lumpur. At Sheraton we enjoyed free breakfast, complimentary laundry service, access to lounge with food and beverages, Wi-Fi and what not for three nights. At Hilton, we had no such luxuries, but hotel hopping between the two Hiltons served a practical purpose; Ari now has the Hilton Honors Gold Card. If we can ever afford staying at a Hilton again, we will have free upgrades, Wi-Fi and breakfast included.

How could we afford the luxury, though? Well, it is simply much cheaper in Asia than in Europe. A cheap, plain room in Sokos Hotel in Finland costs more than an Executive Club Lounge room in Sheraton Imperial Kuala Lumpur. So, if you want to get your money's worth, invest in luxury and comfort in Thailand, Malaysia, China or other Asian country (fine, we only know about those three, but one could assume the great level of quality in service and super low prices apply to most areas in Asia).

View from our balcony.

Now we're staying in a holiday rental apartment near Times Square mall. We booked it via Airbnb, and although a bit small, it is perfect for playing house for one week; I had no idea it would be this nice to do our own laundry and cook our own meals in an actual kitchen and even do the dishes. Whilst having a vacation from travelling, we have been exploring the city. Going to movies (Lego Movie), buying books at Kinokuniya (only like the best book store EVER!!!), visiting Bird Park and studying the local public transportation system have been the main excitements for us here in Kuala Lumpur. The people in the city are super nice, everybody speaks English, and prices are not bad. The plan, however, is to head to some more rural areas next week, to see some jungle and exotic wildlife. One can spend only so much time in the concrete jungle...