China pics (above), HK pics (below)
Quebec pics
This is a tough blog to write because it IS the end of this journey. It was the most interesting, eye-opening, and awesome journey I've had so far. Blissful and lasting memories of incredible landscapes, kind people, weird people, moments of heat-induced insanity, and first-times (scooters, exotic dishes, and I didn't mention this in my Indonesia entry but seeing the BIGGEST lizard EVER..swear it was 3 ft long, 200 lbs). Thailand, India, Indonesia, and China did not disappoint at all! I am so grateful to have had the opportunity to do this and all the people who supported me (especially my family) and followed along on this blog. I hope you have enjoyed reading this as much as I have enjoyed writing it (If you have any feedback, I would love to hear it).
I have been procrastinating on updating you on where I've been since mid-July partly because of internet access , denial that I am going back to my 'normal' life, and a feeling that those of you who may still be following along are probably busy enjoying the last of summer. I have certainly felt heartily embraced by the energy of our beautiful BC summer in the couple of days since returning home.
Here is one of my final on-the-road entries from our last Asian destination, China. Also a bonus entry from an unfrequented gem in Quebec, the Gaspe.
China is Impressive
Two big chinese beers and a spicy chicken meal later at a 100 percent mandarin speaking restaurant in Beijing just puts me in a great mood to write! Getting off the beaten track to do as the locals do is what makes me love to travel. We went to a back alley restaurant and struggled to order but ended up having a good meal at a fraction of the cost of mainstream restaurants (a big beer is $1.50 Cdn!) and a memorable experience.
Based on this recent attempt to order food with a purely chinese menu (no pretty pictures, no English, no Cantonese speakers around), I have concluded that:
1) My Mandarin is awful. I speak Cantonese, another dialect of Chinese. The written language is the same but tones, words, etc. of the spoken language are quite distinct. So, using my marginal Cantonese, I bumbled my way around China with Nick who was learning from me (eek). Some words I blurted were accurate but there were more times where I was just making up a mandarin sounding word. I need help. Xu, are you interested in being a mentor?
2) I did not pay attention to reading Chinese characters during Chinese lessons. I would love to learn them now. I was captivated with reading or just mostly looking at Chinese characters. This skill is buried so deep in my pre-teens that I was really excited to know some characters. It actually felt much easier to learn the characters than what I remembered from school where we had to memorize and dictate a story every week.
Beijing is a great city that I was really impressed with. I have traveled to many parts of Asia. Beijing is a place I would recommend to everyone, especially to those who have never been to Asia. It offers modern comforts, amazing site-seeing opportunities, the magnetic energy of Asia, and a glimpse of old ways of life and traditions. In the span of 3.5 days, we powered through the Forbidden City, Tian'namen Square, Temple of Heaven, Summer Palace, Great Wall, Ming Tombs, old neighborhoods (hutongs) by bike during a flash rainstorm, ridiculously cheap shopping for fake name brand goods and quality Chinese goods, and eating at numerous tasty street stalls.
Most of the sites were very busy with a constant flow of tour groups and visitors from all over China. This was especially true at the Forbidden City which frankly had less to offer than the Summer Palace. To avoid the crowds at the Great Wall, we paired up with another couple and rented a car that got us there at 5am. Although we were tired, getting there early was worth it as you can see from the picture with no people around. On a side note, we took a bobsled ride to descend. It was so fun to race down and manoeuvre hairpin corners at full speed! Based on this whole trip, I conclude that I love speed!
There was one thing that was quite unusual with Beijing. The sky is constantly white and misty. I am not sure if it was a cloud of pollution and/or a result of the high level of humidity. Aside from feeling sticky all the time and some fuzzy photos, it didn't bother me. If it was poor air quality, we did not notice it but that might have something to do with a two month lead up of pollution.
So Beijing was cool but now onto Hong Kong which is awesome partially because it runs through my blood. I loved speaking Cantonese. It made me feel like I was part of the culture and it was a traveling advantage. I was so happy to eat HK style Chinese food (cha sui/ BBQ pork, wonton noodles, choi/ green leafed veggies, congee). HK is modern. The public transit takes you everywhere with internet access at each station and wi-fi while riding if you want.
There are some interesting sites including the world's largest seated Buddha and the nightly light show. But what HK seems to be best at is non-stop shopping. You can also shop til you puke! There's a variety to spots to go to from street markets to mega malls some cheap, others chic.
We also stopped by Macau, the Las Vegas of the East located near Hong Kong. The cheapest table started at $20 so with little money to spare, gambling was not on our agenda. What was on the agenda was seeing our 13th and final UNESCO World Heritage site (wow!) of this trip. Macau itself is a UNESCO site as it was once a Portugese colony and has retained some of this flare in its buildings and streets. Unfortunately, the Portugese culture did not have as much sticking power.
Sitting at my computer in Vancouver, it blows my mind that I even went on this trip because it feels like three months flew by so quickly. Yet while I was away, time felt like an eternity; every single minute of which I treasured. Enjoy the moment as it presents itself and you'll find happiness and creativity. That's as far as I'll go with my philosophical rant...
Quebec Knows How to Play
Free Cirque show in Quebec City, friends in Riviere Du Loup (Nico's hometown), good food, hugs and double cheek kisses, and family in Capucin which is in the Gaspe Pennisula. I'll let the pictures do the talking. Salut!
