One of the weirder things about my stay in China is how the number of Chinese Visas in my passport has grown exponentially. Five Visas in one year when I never actually left the country (except for stupid Hong Kong, which I could have sworn was in China) is pretty impressive.
So those five visas coupled with the stamps I've collected over the years have left my passport mighty full. It's a nice thing really, and I've grown strangely attached to the little blue book. So much so that I just can't wait to get some new big bad visas in it from my upcoming jaunt through South East Asia.
The only problem, is that my passport doesn't have enough pages.
Enter the U.S. Consulate in Shenyang, China. This branch of the embassy located a mere four hours away from Dalian by train offers the super cool service of adding in new pages. So with an email sent to double check when they were open, Corey and I hoped a train to the capitol of Liaoning Province (home to Dalian).
Shenyang itself is... uninspiring. Dirty, crowded, and dirty. But maybe I'm just being an ass for no reason.
We make our way to the embassy and are confounded when the gates are closed. There are no Americans or signs in English explaining why the place was shut.
I managed to use what little Chinese I've accumulated to ask the guard what was up, and he responded with a courteous (but a bit snarky I'd say) "Ming tian". Tomorrow. Not what you want to hear after you spent four hours on a rather uncomfortable train.
Wei shen mo? Why?
I'm sure he gave me a legitimate explanation, but as they say... it was like he was speaking Chinese or something.
Another American dude rolled up to the Consulate with his Chinese Girlfriend/Prostitute in tow and after he talked to the guard, he explained to us that it was Presidents' Day.
What? Really? I did email the consulate. They could have bothered to tell me that when they say they're open Monday-Wednesday, that doesn't include the upcoming Monday.
I mean, who celebrates Presidents' Day anyway?
- Shawn
Showing posts with label Epic Journeys. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Epic Journeys. Show all posts
Thursday, February 21, 2008
Friday, February 15, 2008
Harbin... It's Cold
Sorry for not posting this sooner. I'll just cover by saying that I've been battling frostbite for the past few days.
Harbin is cold. Really, really cold. I went in hearing all the hype of how terrifyingly freezing it's supposed to be, and prepared myself accordingly. I even grew a massive beard the likes of which hadn't been seen since the days after Al Gore lost the election in 2000.
The funniest part of this is that when we actually made it to the icy northern city of Harbin, it was in the middle of a heatwave. So by all accounts, it was pretty nice there.
Still miserably cold.
Thank god for wonders of facial hair. I have no idea how Corey survived.
So why bother going to a place as miserable as the link between China and Siberia?
The answer is the magnificent ice festival, which is truly one of the more remarkable things I've ever seen. They build gigantic replicas of buildings out of ice, and it really is impressive.
Before we get to the ice festival, the city itself isn't too bad. Its Russian ties have left Harbin with some nice architecture, including an old Church, and even a Synagogue or two.
After checking out the "city", we crossed a nice and thoroughly frozen river to get to the snow festival - the scrawny, less hyped up, little brother of the Ice Festival.
Still, despite the lack of press, the smaller sibling proved to be a scrappy fighter indeed, boasting some pretty impressive snow work. It had hundreds of snow sculptures, some designed by international teams, and proved once and for all that American made snowmen... suck.
We got up nice and early the next day to make sure that we had time to hit the Harbin Tiger Park. Much like the Dalian Zoo, visitors can pay for their bloodlust and get a find variety of animals to be fed to the tigers - just on a much, much larger scale.
It was awesome.
The next stop was the Japanese Germ Warfare Museum, which really helped get to the heart of exactly why the Chinese hate them so damn much.
But finally, it was time for the Ice Festival... words won't really do it justice, and the pictures will just come close.
If you really wanna experience it properly, you should take your laptop outside, blow these pictures to as big as they get, and then while it's freezing cold, run a cold hose over yourself.
Still though, you probably won't enjoy it as much, so you might as well just hop on the next flight to Harbin.
Or check these pictures out. Indoors. That works too...
Stay warm,
Shawn
Harbin is cold. Really, really cold. I went in hearing all the hype of how terrifyingly freezing it's supposed to be, and prepared myself accordingly. I even grew a massive beard the likes of which hadn't been seen since the days after Al Gore lost the election in 2000.
The funniest part of this is that when we actually made it to the icy northern city of Harbin, it was in the middle of a heatwave. So by all accounts, it was pretty nice there.
Still miserably cold.
Thank god for wonders of facial hair. I have no idea how Corey survived.
So why bother going to a place as miserable as the link between China and Siberia?
The answer is the magnificent ice festival, which is truly one of the more remarkable things I've ever seen. They build gigantic replicas of buildings out of ice, and it really is impressive.
Before we get to the ice festival, the city itself isn't too bad. Its Russian ties have left Harbin with some nice architecture, including an old Church, and even a Synagogue or two.
After checking out the "city", we crossed a nice and thoroughly frozen river to get to the snow festival - the scrawny, less hyped up, little brother of the Ice Festival.
Still, despite the lack of press, the smaller sibling proved to be a scrappy fighter indeed, boasting some pretty impressive snow work. It had hundreds of snow sculptures, some designed by international teams, and proved once and for all that American made snowmen... suck.
We got up nice and early the next day to make sure that we had time to hit the Harbin Tiger Park. Much like the Dalian Zoo, visitors can pay for their bloodlust and get a find variety of animals to be fed to the tigers - just on a much, much larger scale.
It was awesome.
The next stop was the Japanese Germ Warfare Museum, which really helped get to the heart of exactly why the Chinese hate them so damn much.
But finally, it was time for the Ice Festival... words won't really do it justice, and the pictures will just come close.
If you really wanna experience it properly, you should take your laptop outside, blow these pictures to as big as they get, and then while it's freezing cold, run a cold hose over yourself.
Still though, you probably won't enjoy it as much, so you might as well just hop on the next flight to Harbin.
Or check these pictures out. Indoors. That works too...
Stay warm,
Shawn
Tuesday, January 8, 2008
A Very Beijing New Year
Hello everyone, and a happy 2008 to you all!
This New Years, Corey and I headed to Beijing to meet up with a motley assortment of our friends who were all passing through China for a variety of reasons. It was great to see them all after such a long time, and it was great to be back in Beijing.
December 31, 2007
Our first day was spent rehashing our last Beijing trip, as we showed our friends around Tienanmen Square, the Forbidden City, and the Ho Hai Hutongs.
Even though we'd done it all a few months earlier, it was nice to revisit. There were even a few changes - especially at The Forbidden City.
For instance:
The Forbidden City now seems to be sponsored by American Express.
And the very out of place Forbidden City Starbucks has been shut down and replaced with an inferior quality Chinese knockoff. (Probably for the best though... that Starbucks was a little much).
We also enjoyed a fine New Year's dinner of Peking Duck. There were no epic celebrations that evening though, since we had a big bad hike along the Great Wall planned for the following day.
So with bottles of water in hand, we watched the clock turn to midnight. (And Corey ceremoniously dropped a rubber ball she had in her pocket).
New Years Eve ended for us at approximately 12:05. Crazy, I know.
January 1, 2008
New Years day started bright and early as we began on a hike from the Jinshaling section of the Great Wall to the Simatai portion. (Elephant brained readers may recall that we did Simatai last time, although this was a different part of Simatai... the more you know...)
The Great Wall is really a thing of beauty that can never really be explained, or properly captured in pictures as far as I'm concerned. I've been blown away every time I've seen it, and covered with snow, and friends that I've known for years, the wall was all the better for it this time around.
We also celebrated EST New York New Years on the wall with a fine bottle of champagne. I can think of far worse ways to spend New Years.
January 2, 2008
Sore from the day before, and saying farewell to the majority of our friends who were in town, this day was taken a fair bit slower. We checked up on the construction of the Olympic Stadium (after being dropped off by our Taxis in the middle of the highway). Very nifty if I do say so myself...
The afternoon was spent hunting down Falafel (mmm... falafel), and then that evening, we checked out a performance of the Beijing Acrobatic Troupe. Pretty cool, but nothing I couldn't do myself really.
January 3, 2008
The last day in Beijing was an eventful one, as we made sure to knock a few more Beijing landmarks off the proverbial list. First up was Chairman Mao's mausoleum. I wish I would have been able to take pictures, because it was really one of the weirdest things I've ever seen. And I've seen jerkied rats on a stick. You head into his mausoleum (or should I say Mao-soleum) and there he is, lying in a glass case covered by a red sickle and hammer flag. Admission is free, as I'm sure he would have liked... but then there's the gift shop... which would probably made him tear out what little hair he had left. All the Mao kitsch you could probably want... mere feet away from his pickled body. Oh, China.
Afterwards we went to the Temple of Heaven which along with playing host to a lively and fun park, was quite the temple itself. Well worth a visit next time you're in the capital of the People's Republic.
Lunch followed, and it involved Donkey Dumplings and these caramelized potatoes that were almost too sweet. Almost.
We visisted the Lama temple (no Llamas unfortunately) which was cool, and then completed our visit with a bargaining bonanza at the Silk Markets (see a few posts down... I got to do it all!), and farewell Beijing burritos.
Then it was time to hop our night train and head back for Dalian.
Happy New Year!
- Shawn
This New Years, Corey and I headed to Beijing to meet up with a motley assortment of our friends who were all passing through China for a variety of reasons. It was great to see them all after such a long time, and it was great to be back in Beijing.
December 31, 2007
Our first day was spent rehashing our last Beijing trip, as we showed our friends around Tienanmen Square, the Forbidden City, and the Ho Hai Hutongs.
Even though we'd done it all a few months earlier, it was nice to revisit. There were even a few changes - especially at The Forbidden City.
For instance:
The Forbidden City now seems to be sponsored by American Express.
And the very out of place Forbidden City Starbucks has been shut down and replaced with an inferior quality Chinese knockoff. (Probably for the best though... that Starbucks was a little much).
We also enjoyed a fine New Year's dinner of Peking Duck. There were no epic celebrations that evening though, since we had a big bad hike along the Great Wall planned for the following day.
So with bottles of water in hand, we watched the clock turn to midnight. (And Corey ceremoniously dropped a rubber ball she had in her pocket).
New Years Eve ended for us at approximately 12:05. Crazy, I know.
January 1, 2008
New Years day started bright and early as we began on a hike from the Jinshaling section of the Great Wall to the Simatai portion. (Elephant brained readers may recall that we did Simatai last time, although this was a different part of Simatai... the more you know...)
The Great Wall is really a thing of beauty that can never really be explained, or properly captured in pictures as far as I'm concerned. I've been blown away every time I've seen it, and covered with snow, and friends that I've known for years, the wall was all the better for it this time around.
We also celebrated EST New York New Years on the wall with a fine bottle of champagne. I can think of far worse ways to spend New Years.
January 2, 2008
Sore from the day before, and saying farewell to the majority of our friends who were in town, this day was taken a fair bit slower. We checked up on the construction of the Olympic Stadium (after being dropped off by our Taxis in the middle of the highway). Very nifty if I do say so myself...
The afternoon was spent hunting down Falafel (mmm... falafel), and then that evening, we checked out a performance of the Beijing Acrobatic Troupe. Pretty cool, but nothing I couldn't do myself really.
January 3, 2008
The last day in Beijing was an eventful one, as we made sure to knock a few more Beijing landmarks off the proverbial list. First up was Chairman Mao's mausoleum. I wish I would have been able to take pictures, because it was really one of the weirdest things I've ever seen. And I've seen jerkied rats on a stick. You head into his mausoleum (or should I say Mao-soleum) and there he is, lying in a glass case covered by a red sickle and hammer flag. Admission is free, as I'm sure he would have liked... but then there's the gift shop... which would probably made him tear out what little hair he had left. All the Mao kitsch you could probably want... mere feet away from his pickled body. Oh, China.
Afterwards we went to the Temple of Heaven which along with playing host to a lively and fun park, was quite the temple itself. Well worth a visit next time you're in the capital of the People's Republic.
Lunch followed, and it involved Donkey Dumplings and these caramelized potatoes that were almost too sweet. Almost.
We visisted the Lama temple (no Llamas unfortunately) which was cool, and then completed our visit with a bargaining bonanza at the Silk Markets (see a few posts down... I got to do it all!), and farewell Beijing burritos.
Then it was time to hop our night train and head back for Dalian.
Happy New Year!
- Shawn
Thursday, November 22, 2007
Qingdao
As soon as the weekend was behind us, Corey and I (along with Aarty and Simon) boarded a plane for Qingdao - the Chinese city known for it's beaches, open seas, German architecture and most importantly: the TsingTao beer brewery.
During the German occupation of Qingdao, they founded the TsingTao brewery in the early 1900's, and introduced the wonders of beer to China. It's clear that the Chinese haven't looked back since, and TsingTao (pronounced CHINGDAO, for all you cats at home) still remains the flagship beer here in the People's Republic.
Before we left for Qingdao, our Chinese coworkers told us that Qingdao would be similar in many ways to Dalian. It was on the beach, and it was of a size similar to our own.
Well, they got their two reasons correct, but Qingdao was really nothing at all like Dalian. It was a warm (feelings, not climate) and friendly place, with unique architecture, and a welcoming vibe that is sometimes missing from Dalian.
Our Hostel was in an old converted church in the heart of Qingdao's old city - which at many times made me forget I was in China (besides the ever-present sounds of hacking up spit left and right.)
The first sight we hit up was the German Guesthouse, a former residence of German bureaucrats that even housed Chairman Mao for a while. His bed was on display as well, seemingly untouched and uncleaned since the time he stayed there.
From there, we meandered around the area, winding up in a rickety revolving observatory where we got some pretty good views of the city.
We walked down to the waterfront (which unlike Dalian is covered in beautiful sandy beaches), and even got to witness a nutjob going for a swim (something that is actually fairly common in the winter months over here).
Then it was time for the brewery! We headed to the Qingdao brewery and found ourselves on the epic "Beer Street" where everything was decorated to match the theme.
The brewery tour itself was interesting enough, although it did house some very... twisted... artifacts from the German era. Very, very twisted, especially if you're reading inbetween the lines. Or maybe I'm reading too much into it.
The highlight by far was a hilarious "Tipsy Room" that made you feel instantly drunk when you walked in.
We enjoyed some free (as in not free, but included in admission) tiny cups of TsingTao and went on our merry way.
The next day, we visited the Catholic Church (once named St. Michael's, now just "The Catholic Church), which was surprisingly large and apparently still in use. There is a very strange Catholic Chinese community here in China. A few of the Chinese Teachers at our school are Catholic, but when asked they seem to know little to nothing about their chosen religion. Strange, but nothing a giant church shouldn't fix.
We spent the rest of our last day wandering around Qingdao, winding up by the beach front again.
While walking along the water, we were treated to a scene straight out of Miami beach. A bunch of men in speedos playing Volleyball. The only difference was that it was freezing cold, and on the other side of the world from Miami.
On our way back to the hostel, we strolled through a market and of course got to enjoy watching people cook (or maybe just straight up eat) live scorpions. Mmmmm. Good to know the German influences don't run TOO deep here.
'til next time, I'll be drinking a TsingTao or three for all of you out there,
Shawn
During the German occupation of Qingdao, they founded the TsingTao brewery in the early 1900's, and introduced the wonders of beer to China. It's clear that the Chinese haven't looked back since, and TsingTao (pronounced CHINGDAO, for all you cats at home) still remains the flagship beer here in the People's Republic.
Before we left for Qingdao, our Chinese coworkers told us that Qingdao would be similar in many ways to Dalian. It was on the beach, and it was of a size similar to our own.
Well, they got their two reasons correct, but Qingdao was really nothing at all like Dalian. It was a warm (feelings, not climate) and friendly place, with unique architecture, and a welcoming vibe that is sometimes missing from Dalian.
Our Hostel was in an old converted church in the heart of Qingdao's old city - which at many times made me forget I was in China (besides the ever-present sounds of hacking up spit left and right.)
The first sight we hit up was the German Guesthouse, a former residence of German bureaucrats that even housed Chairman Mao for a while. His bed was on display as well, seemingly untouched and uncleaned since the time he stayed there.
From there, we meandered around the area, winding up in a rickety revolving observatory where we got some pretty good views of the city.
We walked down to the waterfront (which unlike Dalian is covered in beautiful sandy beaches), and even got to witness a nutjob going for a swim (something that is actually fairly common in the winter months over here).
Then it was time for the brewery! We headed to the Qingdao brewery and found ourselves on the epic "Beer Street" where everything was decorated to match the theme.
The brewery tour itself was interesting enough, although it did house some very... twisted... artifacts from the German era. Very, very twisted, especially if you're reading inbetween the lines. Or maybe I'm reading too much into it.
The highlight by far was a hilarious "Tipsy Room" that made you feel instantly drunk when you walked in.
We enjoyed some free (as in not free, but included in admission) tiny cups of TsingTao and went on our merry way.
The next day, we visited the Catholic Church (once named St. Michael's, now just "The Catholic Church), which was surprisingly large and apparently still in use. There is a very strange Catholic Chinese community here in China. A few of the Chinese Teachers at our school are Catholic, but when asked they seem to know little to nothing about their chosen religion. Strange, but nothing a giant church shouldn't fix.
We spent the rest of our last day wandering around Qingdao, winding up by the beach front again.
While walking along the water, we were treated to a scene straight out of Miami beach. A bunch of men in speedos playing Volleyball. The only difference was that it was freezing cold, and on the other side of the world from Miami.
On our way back to the hostel, we strolled through a market and of course got to enjoy watching people cook (or maybe just straight up eat) live scorpions. Mmmmm. Good to know the German influences don't run TOO deep here.
'til next time, I'll be drinking a TsingTao or three for all of you out there,
Shawn
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