Last day in Hong Kong

Almost time to go back to work. We had a nice day today - we took the subway out to Lan Tau island near where the new airport is. There's a good cable car that goes from there up to the Po-Lin monastery. There's a giant 34 metre high bronze seated buddha there which is the main tourist attraction. It does look pretty cool sitting up on its hill.

Included in the admission price is a vegetarian meal over at the monastery after you've climbed up to the buddha and come back down. In the buddha there were two crystal relics of the Shakyamuni Buddha. His cremated remains were said to have left 84,000 tiny crystal relics. The Po-Lin monastery has two of them. You couldn't actually see them as they were about 15 feet behind a barrier and in some elaborate crystal urn thing.

The meal at the monastery was great - I'm not a fan of vegetarian food in the slightest as many of you will know, but the meal was first rate.

After the meal we were planning on doing a walk back down to the subway place. We had a guidebook thing we had picked up which suggested it was manageable, but we got half way up the Lantau peak before realising exactly how far up we had to walk before we started the descent. We decided to turn back and take the cable car back down...quite glad we did as it seemed like an awfully long way to have to walk...

Anyway - pictures!

Cockle pickers perhaps? Saw them on the sand bars from the cable car

Same - but in the water...



The butterflies were nice but totally unco-operative

Buddha on the hill through some foliage

At some point the sculptor must have got bored of putting the hands on...

The main hall of the Po-Lin monastery

Again, buddha through the trees

Buddha from the steps

View down from the buddha

Side view

Bit closer

View from the cable car station

Oh Starbucks...

View back down the cable car

Ditto

The paintings I bought...

I unwrapped the paintings I bought and took a few photos. Not bad I think you'll agree - I had bargained the price down from 1,200 yuan to 750 yuan - 750 yuan being about 55 pounds.


Spring

Autumn

Summer

Winter

Shanghai and now in Hong Kong

We're now in Hong Kong - we had yesterday in Shanghai and I have to say I was less than impressed. When we were there in 97 it seemed pretty vibrant and upwardly-mobile, but today it hardly seems to have moved since then. Sure, there are lots of new high-rises, but it lacks the depth Hong Kong has and the interest and historic features that Beijing has. Everywhere you looked there were signs for Prada, Coke, Pizza Hut, Pepsi, etc etc. All talk no substance basically.

We also went on what is possibly the worst thing in the world. It was advertised as a "Sightseeing Tunnel" which took you under the river in Shanghai. It turned out to be something like the lame haunted house rides you have at fairs etc...

Here's the website:

http://lyw.sh.gov.cn/en/scenic_spot/bundtunnel.aspx

I particularly like this review from the New York Times:

"For a look at Shanghai kitsch at its worst, you can take a trip across -- actually, under -- the Huangpu in plastic, capsular cars. The accompanying light show is part Disney, part psychedelia, complete with flashing strobes, blowing tinsel, and swirling hallucinogenic images projected on the concrete walls. The tackiest futuristic film of the 1960s couldn't have topped this. The five-minute ride will have your head spinning and you wondering if the Chinese central government isn't giving Shanghai just a little too much money."

Anyway - a few pictures:

This was on the check-in desk at the airport...

Me relaxing in the pool here in Hong Kong

Shanghai Skyline

Ditto

Tacky!

Street food

Hand Carry Crabs!

Skyline again.

Last day in Beijing - sightseeing

I had a good day's sightseeing today - and I remember going to each of the places I went today back in 97. A lot of the buildings have been restored a lot since I was here last, so it was interesting to see them in all their glory. Today was a really nice day weather-wise - crisp morning...sun shining and very little pollution haze. I guess it's a bit of a rarity!

We went to Tiananmen square first this morning - we took the subway. Kitty, my guide, had warned me that the subway was pretty crowded and chaotic, but when we got on it wasn't any worse (and in fact was probably better) than rush-hour in London. Certainly better than a comparable Central line journey!

The square is pretty huge. There are large rectangular paving slabs that make up the square. Each slab could comfortably accomodate two standing people, and so the theory goes that there are 500,000 slabs, and therefore a million people could stand in the square. There were a few things set up for the national day which was at the start of October, and they were just taking them down. Mainly flower displays for the Olympics and a model of Lhasa in Tibet.

At one end of Tiananmen square is the gate to the Forbidden City which has the famous portrait of Chairman Mao on it (apparently a new one is painted every year by the same artist - cushy job!). At the other end of it is the building which houses Chairman Mao in his preserved state. There was a massive queue so we didn't bother doing that...

Went into the Forbidden City, some of which is under restoration in preparation for the 2008 Olympics in Beijing. I think they're trying to make sure everything is tip-top for the arrival of the tourists.

After the Forbidden City we went to the Temple of Heaven - a nice park area with a bunch of buildings and temples in it. Following on from that we went to a pedestrian street with a lot of artists' shops and antique shops. I picked up a number of nice chinese paintings which I'll hang up back in my flat.

Depending on whether I unwrap them before I get back to the UK or not, I'll post pictures sooner or later.

Pictures follow:

The Temple of Heaven

Inside the Temple of Heaven

Pagoda atop the hill looking at the Forbidden City

Me in front of the Temple of Heaven

A big incense burner in the Forbidden City - biggest in Beijing apparently.

The "mountain" inside the Forbidden City

Nice dragon relief on one of the doors in the Forbidden City

This front block is a marble carving made from a single piece of marble.

Inside the Forbidden City

Ditto - nice restored roof

Bridges over the golden river inside the complex

...

Gateway

Military Manoeuvers

Ditto

Front gate

Chairman Mao's building

The front gate to the Forbidden City

Ditto

What the Olympic stadium will look like apparently...

Chairman Mao's building again

One of the famous statues outside

More food...

We went to what is apparently the most expensive restaurant in Beijing (possibly China?). This isn't saying much - granted it's fairly pricey, you could certainly be out-priced in London. It's called the Temple Kitchen Restaurant, and the website is impossible to find via google. There are a few reviews of it however if you look hard enough.

We had picked our set menu in advance and it was very nice. The restaurant is set in the grounds of a functional temple, although they have sectioned off the restaurant part. It's beautifully decorated and the food was great too.

Pics follow:


In one of the little courtyards looking up

Lots of goldfish in the water

Looking up again

"Bird's nest in Coconut"

We think the one on the left was calves hoof or something

In our little private room

Abalone in Oyster Sauce - very nice...my comparison was that Abalone was the duck of the sea...I imagine I'm probably plagiarising someone somewhere...