Mission 30 by 30

Okay I have a bucket list.

On my bucket list is one goal, with credit to Quinn ;), is to visit 30 countries by the time I turn 30.

Well my thirtieth bday is coming up in November so I need to step on it as I have been to 24 countries so far.

Where can you knock off 6 countries in 3+ weeks??? Yep, Europe.

So here is the plan.

26 July- Paris
27 July- Paris
28 July- Munich
29 July- Munich
30 July- Prague
31 July- Prague
1 August- Berlin
2 August- Berlin
3 August- Vienna
4 August- Venice
5 August- Venice
6 August- Nice
7 August- Cannes
8 August- Monanco
9 August- Barcelona
10 August-Barcelona
11 August-Barcelona
12 August- Rome
13 August- Vatican City
14 August- Rome
15 August- London
16 August- London
17 August- London
18 August- Home

Japan

I have to say China was a struggle for me. I love travel and love to get really into the culture of the place I am visiting but after China I thought perhaps my travel days were over!

It was hard core, the spitting, line butting and smoking. I wasn't sure I really wanted to see much more of Asia. Plus I was getting excited about the next phase, starting my new job with RIM.

But the second I arrived in Tokyo I was refreshed. What an incredible city. With the most amazing people. I was staying in a really lovely guest house. Tiny, but that's Tokyo for you.

At the hostel I met a really lovely girl travelling with her dad. This was her first trip outside the US and we quickly bonded as I showed her the ropes of travelling. We headed out to Shinjuku which is the Times Square of Tokyo.

Tokyo was all lit for Christmas with a mix of Buddhist culture. You press a button on the light displays and it tells your future.

The next day I explored the temples in Tokyo. Again an amazing mixture of Buddhist culture. From the healing incents to the fortune sticks I really loved the atmosphere.

For those that heard that Japan was a crazy expensive city... yes it could get expensive and compared to the rest of Asia it is. However, there are plenty of inexpensive if not free things to do. Such as the view from the 47 floor of the Police office tower in the city. Where I was lucky enough to get the very few days of the year you can see Mt. Fuji.


Of course there are some must when in Japan. Sushi! I love sushi, so I had it for lunch and dinner 6 days in a row! As well as for breakfast at the fish market (more on that later).

Another is the "lifting stone". I heard about the stone on a Japanese News Show (think "Thank god you're here" or "Royal Canadian Airfarce") apparently you go to this rock and perform a few cleansing rituals then try to lift the heavy stone. Then you ask the stone a yes or no question and try to lift it again. If it is lighter than before is it a yes answer, heavier then a no. I travelled to this small neighbourhood, found the temple and the stone. I got a no answer :(

The imperial palace is another must do in Tokyo. It really is gorgeous and a lovely walk in the middle of the city, kind of like Central Park.

And last but not least, the fish market. The morning of my flight home I woke up at 3:30am to get to the fish market for the 4:30 Tuna Auction. This is a real market where 100kg Tuna's, fresh from the ocean and auctioned off to bidders from around the world.

After the auction I walked around and was spotted by a fish monger who immediately stopped his work to ask me about the sweater I was wearing. It was my Vancouver Olympics jumper. In very broken English he proceeded to explain that he and his new wife were heading to the Calgary Stampede for their honeymoon! Hey not my choice of romance but whatever :P. At this point we were now BBFs. He takes me to his stall and explains how to "fillet" (not sure the proper name) a tuna. Explaining how the belly is the fattest and best part, slicing a sliver off for me to try (yes at 5am in the morning).


Now righfully tired I head off to the airport for my trip home to Toronto! What an amazing trip!!!!

Here are a few stats from the past month and a half.

- 42 days
- 10 countries
- 2 hemispheres
- 7 time zones
- 7 flights
- 61 hours on trains
- 7 ferry's
- 35 nights in hostels
- 27158 km or 16876 miles
- 6 Pad Thais
- 8 Sushi meals in Tokyo
- 2.5 buckets of drink
- 3 stitches
- Hearing, Blue's "Too Close" a dozen times on the way to the Volcano in Bali
- one million fantastic memories

Next... mission 30 by 30 :)

Beijing- better late than never

Before I start my next blog I find it only fair to finish the last.

I left off with Beijing.

I arrived in Beijing after my 12hr train ride from Xi'an. I was bunked with 2 men and they desperately tried to teach me Mandarin the whole trip. I think they thought it was quite the novelty to have a blond girl travelling with them.

Needless to say I arrived tired and not feeling 100%. I decided to forgo the bus as I was finding it very hard to read the street names and communicate with the drivers to let me off in China. So I opted for a taxi! Well that was an adventure.

I arrived in a queue of at least 200 people. I was an immediate target as they tried to sell me an inflated fare. But I knew exactly what I wanted and that I was only paying 25 yen, the 150 they offered.

So I wait in the line which was quite possible the only line in China, as Chinese do not queue. This line was monitored by the police, but of course someone tried to jump the queue and a full on fight ensued! The police were distracted by the fight so chaos broke out in the line. I just stood back and waited for my turn as the punches flew.

One lovely treat of this part of the trip is that a few of the backpackers from other parts of my trip were in the same hostel at the same time as me. Dave that I met in Shanghai, Sarah also from Shanghai and some new people doing a gap year from Holland and I were the only backpackers in the hostel and it was really lovely!

However, when I finally arrived at the hostel I was now feeling quite ill. Considering I had been spit on in Shanghai I suspected I had some form of flu. Well I don't remember much of the rest of that day or the next as I curled up in bed (unheated room, in north china in Dec, after spending 6 weeks in SEA, no wonder I was sick). I had a bucket to keep me company that the hostel lady found for me. All I knew is that I had to get well for my trip to "the wall"!!! I did at some point get out to the Olympic grounds and Tienanmen Square but not even sure how I did that, it was a bit of a blur. Thank goodness for pictures :)

So gathering all the strength I could (no food for 2 days) I venture with the crew to the wall, our section was 12 kms long and all steps. It was incredible. Not entirely what I expected. First off you take a chair lift up to the wall.

Then you take a go cart down to the bottom?!?

 

Still it was awe inspiring. Frigidly cold, I had to used my PJ bottoms as a scarf but fashion was not the goal today, it was conquering the wall.

Our last day in Beijing we did some hard core shopping! The Silk Market, now I thought I was a good deal finder/haggler. Well Sarah mopped the floor with me ;)

Poor Dave was such a good sport not only going shopping with us but shopping Beijing, where even the most season shopper can I only handle a few mins of "Pretty Miss, you my friend, I make you good price"

To celebrate our survival of shopping we all went out for Peking Duck, Beijing specialty.

Next Japan, nearing the end :( 

Xi'an- Terracotta Warriors have nothing on me :)

I arrived in Xi'an late as the trains in China are not terribly reliable. Not to fret my hostel lady had waited at the train station for 4 extra hrs for me! How sweet. The driver had left to do a tour so we took the city bus which was crazy. Xi'an is home of the honking horn. Honking EVERYWHERE all the time. It gets them nowhere, but they honk anyway.

Having been delayed by the train I was not able to see the warriors on this day which was ok as I was really starting to come down with a cold. Headache and swore throat, perhaps the result of being spit on in Shanghai. I planned to take it easy in Xi'an. I met a lovely Chinese guy named Michael (he told me his real Chinese name but Michael is far easier for me to remember and say). We agreed to go to see the Big Goose Pagoda. This temple dates from 400 AD and is key in the story of the Monkey King that brought back scriptures from India and placed them in the Pagoda.


We saw the Pagoda which was lovely, but I really enjoyed his company. He is young at only 20 years old and very Chinese in his culture (okay big surprise). He explained to me how he wants to become rich by owning his own factory so he can find a good wife and have a big house for her, his kids and his parents. He explained the 1 child rule and how the rich can have more children if they pay fees and he was surprised to learn I was 29 and single. He told me "you look very young, but 29 is very old in China to not be married"... thanks... I explained to him Canada and how are families work and even touch on the freedom of information, but I think that concept was lost on him.


I saw Michael again the next morning in the hostel and he was heading back to southern China, he wished me luck finding a husband. With that I was out to see the warriors. After 2hrs on the bus (honking and all) I was at the warriors. In my lonely planet book I was guided to buying food outside the gates, so I purchased innocent looking noddles from a women with a cart. She used her bare hands to pick up the noodles and place them in my bowl. Hmmmm... figuring I had a stomach of steel by now I ate them anyway and they tasted okay.


I ventured inside the warriors and followed the line of people to the viewing pits. Well before we got to the pits a few Chinese people turn, stared at me and started excitedly yelling at their friends all pointing at me. Next thing I know they are taking my picture and then throwing their arms around me and taking more photos. Whatever. Shockingly this happened again with a couple later on.

The warriors were... okay. I did the opposite order (which I recommend) pit 3 is the smallest collection but the most important warriors. Pit 2 is still being excavated but the scale is impressive. The last pit, 1, is the home of the most warriors. There must have been 500 warriors. It was very impressive, but I think I was expecting even more. Oh well, very glad I saw it.

Perhaps the weirdest thing was the pelts of CAT you could purchase? Why? Oh well as I have learned TIC "this is china".

Shanghai- My first bout of culture shock

I have been very lucky on my trip. Having travelled a bit in my past I know to expect the unexpected and that the journey is more important than the destination. But little could have prepared me for Shanghai. When the longest train ride ever finally ended in Shanghai's central train station bedlam broke lose. Everyone was pushing, shoving no order or common sense. The customs lines where one big stampede it was overwhelming.

After 20hrs on the train I went to use the washroom. I have come to expect swat toilets. What I didn't expect was human excrement EVERYWHERE. literally piles on the floor everywhere as if a dog had been locked in there. I thought I was going to vomit. I chose to wait till I reached the safety of my hostel.

Finding the hostel was the next chore, no one could help me as no one spoke English. Plus traffic laws seem non existent here. A red light is merely a suggestion and in no way guarantees the cars will stop. I eventually gave up and hire a taxi even he couldn't really help me that much. After 1.5hrs looking for the hostel I finally found it. I was tempted to look myself in my room for the next 24hrs until I could leave Shanghai.

I bravely ventured out in the afternoon to the french concession. A historical part of shanghai. It was lovely and then I enjoyed dumplings at a restaurant I found. With no English anywhere I point at the menu having no idea what I was ordering and lucked out that I got a pork and shrimp dumpling basket. Yummy!

That night I venture to the Bund a famous view point to watch the skyline on Shanghai. However, the smog made the view almost impossible to see. It looked more like foggy London than the clear day it was.

The next morning I walked to People's Square. Until recently is was prohibited to dogs and Chinese people (in that order). No longer the case I was wish it was that way still. I had read about a scam in my Lonely planet guide of Chinese students practising their English inviting you to tea ceremony's where they later charge you hundreds of dollars and wont let you leave until you pay. Well it was my luck that I was propositioned to a tea party. I told them no thank you and they persisted until I left. I walked down a bit further to a children's playground. This Chinese family saw me and held out they child to be to hold asking for a picture. I looked at the child and his penis was sticking out from his snowsuit! What is up with Shanghai? I later found out that many Chinese do not use diapers on their children but have slits in their clothing so they can go on the street/sidewalk etc. I ventured back to the safety of my hostel for another break.

Braving the city one more time I went out to Old town, which was really special. I particularly liked Old Town as it was the Chinese experience I was expecting. The buildings date back hundreds of years and the trees are in some cases 400 years old. Afterward, I had lunch at a 200 year old dumpling resturant. Again I chose blindly off the menu and had a lovely prix fixed selection of dumplings and wonton soup. Having enjoyed a great meal I packed up a headed to the train station for an overnight 14hr trip to Xi'an, but not before a man spit on me. He turned his head to spit just as I passed by and got it on my sweater, lovely.

Hong Kong- The ultimate China Town

Hong Kong is another city I could live in. It is clean and friendly. I was pleasantly surprised to find free wifi in many places allowing me to update facebook and my blog. I arrived at my hotel late on the 24th. I have stayed in small accommodations but this takes the cake. The room was at best 3x3 meters. The bathroom (shared) was maybe 2x2 meters.


I ventured out the next morning with a list of things to see and do. (Travel tip, plan out your days if you have limited time or you will wonder around not seeing anything). My plan, get my Chinese Visa, go to the top of Victoria peak, have lunch in SoHo, take the star ferry across the harbour, and see the light show at night from the harbour.

I wondered around for 2hrs trying to find the Chinese Visa place but finally found it and was on my way to "the peak". I took the bus up to the top enjoying the views and the famous tram down. I was very lucky I chose this route as the line for the tram up was several hours long! While waiting for my bus to the star ferry I over heard an older Australian couple fighting about the wait. How she wanted to wait because she really wanted to see the peak, he didn't want to waste their whole day standing in line. I felt awkward about listening but they really were carrying on. Then the "you never let me do anything I want" and the "you always get you way" started. I bravely tapped the women on the shoulder and told them about the bus. How you could get to the top via the city but for a third the price, no waiting and take the tram down. They left still pissed off at each other but seeking the bus. Hopefully this saved their day. (Travel tip, pick your travel partner carefully).

The star ferry is a hidden gem of Hong Kong. For 50c you basically get a harbour cruise on a vessel step in HK history. Before the bridges and tunnel on the late 1980's the ferry was the only way across. It has been in service for 200 years only stopping service during WWII (when it was used to shuttle troops out of HK).


For dinner I had some company. At the lifts of the hotel I met a nice guy James originally from the UK living in HK for 20 years. I asked him a recommendation for a dumpling house and he joined me for dinner. Even when travelling alone you don't have to be alone.

That night I venture to the harbour to watch the skyline come alive and the symphony of lights show. Hong Kong is a truly beautiful city. However, I can only imagine the electricity usage. Not very environmentally friendly.


The next day I wondered the markets which was quite interesting, I bought some food for my long train trip to Shanghai (20hrs). Some delicious BBQ Pork buns and bananas. Finishing up in HK with a Starbucks coffee (a little taste of home), then off to the train station.

More from Bangkok

I forgot to add two really funny stories from Bangkok.



The first was on the morning after we visited the grand palace, Torsten and I stumbled across a Thai man laying in the street. We watched as several people stepped over him, no one stopping to see if the man was okay. He looked a bit disheveled but to be completely honest, many of the Thai's look a bit disheveled. We stopped a women to ask her is he was okay. She took a look at him and said, he's probably fine... a few times we find one dead and he'll be there for a while, but this one just looks drunk.


Next was shopping. My friend Ainsley asked a store clerk for her size in a top. Ainsley is not large but any stretch but the women looked her up and down and said "you... extra large". Even despite my losing weight before the trip found myself in sizes 3 times larger than back home. I also has to resort to buying a man's shirt in order to get sleeves long enough.