Few pics from Beijing

Tian'amen Square

Wangfujing commercial street

The forbidden City

The forbidden city 2

The temple of Heaven

Hiking on the Great Wall of China

On Sunday we joined a tour for a 10K walk on the Great Wall. After an unending bus ride we finally got to this amazing but most paranoid human undertaking that is the 6500 Km long Great Wall of China. It's construction - in the span of 2 centuries - claimed nearly 200 000 lives.

The day before yesterday it was very foggy and a bit raining. We've been told it has been like this for a week so you can imagine our delight at watching the sun shining on a blue sky this Sunday morning. The walk started in Jingshanling, a not too touristique portion of the Wall. If not for the dozen of local people chasing after us to try to sell all sorts of things the altmosphere would have been very peaceful. The view was simply breathtaking.

Some parts of the walk were a bit difficult as it was very steep. Plus, the Simatai area of the Wall hasn't been restorated yet. It then made the walk a bit physical but very much enjoyable. Check out the photos below:

Meeting an old friend

I graduated university almost 4 years ago and since then people in my year have all spread around the world. Of course, many are still in France, but others - myself included - have settled abroad. Last night we had dinner with one of them. He now has been living in Beijing for more than a year. It was quite strange to meet him after so much time, not to mention on this side of the world. It didn't stop us having a good time though. We went to the restaurant and had a roast duck. The restaurant was really nice, the duck as well. I would have liked to go for a drink after but Connie and I both felt quite tired so we said goodbye and went back to our hostel for a quiter night than the previous one.

En route to China

We arrived this morning in Beijing nearly 36 hours after leaving Kyoto. Quite a mad journey. Let me tell you: we left Kyoto around 8pm on Wednesday on a night train to Shimonoseki. At first I was a bit worried that the night will be a bit tough on the train but I was pleasantly surprised to see the quality of the reclining seats in Japan. All electric with plenty of room leg. The only issue was that we arrived at 4.30 in the morning but our ferry was only leaving at 13.00. Plus, there was no heating in the station. We frose our .... off for 3 hours before getting some breakfast and embarking on our ferry to China.
The ferry was not great to say the least. I think it's quite an old boat that would need serious refurbishment inside. But nevertheless we manage to have a nice time there, mostly sleeping.
After about 28 hours on the boat we finally arrived in China, in Qingdao. The first impression of China is that it's quite dirty and very messy. No comparison with Japan. The funny thing there is that people were staring at me a lot. I guess not many foreigner come around this place. I read in my guide book that Chinese people are very curious and that's why they stare a lot. It was quite strange at first but then it made me laugh.
The last bit of the trip was really the worst. We took a night train from Qingdao to Beijing. The problem was that they had no beds left so we had get simple seats, not even reclining. Boy, that was really a nightmare. There was no space to get confortable and way too many people. It really made me think of a train to carry cows rather than people. And this for close to 10 hours.

But we're there now and decided to have fun!

On the challenges of traveling together

Connie and I have been together almost one and a half year now. Before she left London, we used to spend a lot of time together. However, we never stayed more than a few days constantly together like we do now. So, of course, it can be a bit challenging at times:
I have to admit, I didn't plan many thing for this trip, leaving a lot to Connie. I thought that since she already knows the area she was better suited for it. A lame excuse, I know. The truth is this trip doesn't mean the same to her than it does to me.
On the one hand, my knowledge of Asia before I met Connie was slim to none. Now, I'm learning...slowly. Besides, my idea of this trip was that it would be quite relaxing. So, when Connie ask me what to see next, it usually goes something like:

- Connie: "What do you want to do now?"
- Ludovic: "Euh...not sure. Where are we by the way?"
- Connie (fuming): "We're at the Ginkaku temple."
- Ludovic: "Oh yeah...what's there to see?"

-> Connie kicking Ludovic

On the other hand, Connie can relate to most of the places we go to. She lived in Japan for a few months. So, sometimes she gets frustrated at my lack of decision-making and my ignorance of the places we visit. As for me, I get sometimes frustrated at my inability to get as exited as her at what we see.
But hey, I guess traveling is as much about discovering new places as it is about learning about yourself and the person you travel with.

A few picts from Tokyo

Yokohama

Tokyo at night

Shinjuku

Me and my new friends

A temple near by our hostel

Shibuya at night

A night at the temple

Even before arriving at Takayama I was already quite surprised. Although I knew it was up in the mountains I somehow thought the weather will be nice and worm. Silly me! There was still some snow and it was really cold. Once out of the station, we went directly to the tourist information center - only 10 meters away - to find out about accomodation. We picked one among the cheapest. It was an old temple now inhabited by a family. We thought: cool, it's a good experience of traditional Japan. And at first we weren't disappointed. The temple was really rustique, a very surreal atmosphere. However, we soon realised that it was really - and I mean REALLY - cold inside. And it got worse when we tried to take a shower: the bathroom had no heating and no hot water either. Our only option was then to go to bed with our cloth on to keep us warm. So I guess the lesson here is don't stay in temples during the winter!
On a brighter note, Takayama is a very nice city with a lot of character, some beautiful old streets and a few old-style house that you can visite. Plus, the journey in the mountains is worthwile.

Goodbye Tokyo, Hello Takayama

Peering through the window of our train at Mont Fuji, we are heading towards our next destination: Takayama. There, we will stay only for one day before heading further west to Kyoto.
After wandering around the streets of Tokyo for almost five days it is with a bit of sadness that I say goodbye to the city. I really enjoyed the atmosphere of the place: the energy of Shibuya, the activity of Shinjuku, the peacefulness of smaller quarters such as Higashi-Mitsubara - Connie lived there for a few month -. Moreover, I really appreciated how clean everything was. It actually is very impressive. I think it gives a good insight into the Japanese mindset. Everything they do is executed as close to perfection as it can be. It is very interesting to witness.
Now with Takayama and Kyoto next on our travel agenda, we will have a closer look at the traditional Japan.

PS: I unfortunately have not found a place to upload our pictues yet.

Lost in Translation

New York bar, Park Hyatt hotel, Tokyo. Connie and I are sipping a fine coctail while listening to live jazz music. This is hardly the lifestyle we were expecting when we embarqued on our backpacking voyage around East Asia. This morning we woke up in our small hostel room in Kuramae - north east of Tokyo -.　Needless to say it had nothing in common with the 5 star hotel we are seating in as I write these few lines down my notebook.

Connie and I really like the movie Lost in Translation so we decided to go and see the hotel that served as the primary location for the shooting: the Park Hyatt hotel - in the Shinjuku area -. After searching for it for a few minutes we located the hotel and decided to have a drink in the bar featured in the movie. At first, we both felt a bit out of place - in our backpacking cloth - in this environment but after a few sips of my New York and Connie`s Cotton Club we eased in our seats and started to enjoy the live music...

Drunk Man Game

I came across this game again today: http://www.wagenschenke.ch/site/index.htm. My best score is 94 :)

Less than 3 days to go

The last few days have been quite strange. I am not exactly sure why but I haven't been in a great mood lately. I know I should feel very exited about my coming trip, and in a sense I am. However, when I go home in the evening after my day of work I don't feel so good. All I want is close my eyes for a second and when I reopen them it's Saturday morning and I'm on the plane flying away from London. I like London, I really do but sometimes you really need to get some fresh air some place else. Plus, I miss having my girlfriend around. I didn't realise how important all our small talks were to me. It is important to have someone you can share all the insignificant details of you life with. I guess that's what makes me a bit sad.
To pass the time, I watch a lot Scrubs (see picture). It's really a cool series. It makes me laugh a lot. But now I can feel that the wait is almost over. Two more nights after this one and I'm out of here. YES!