The Summer Palace

I spent the entire Friday at the Summer Palace just outisde of Beijing city, by the Kunming Lake. Practically a small city outside of the city walls, it holds everything your mad-as-a-hatter Emperor or Empress needs. Story has it that the craziest of Empresses kept her son locket up in a building here for 10 years while executing his will. The same lady apparently also had 108 dishes prepared for every dinner. No wonder the palace gounds also hold a god-knows-how-many-stories Buddha temple, which is actually the main structure seen on most photos from the palace. A good four steep staircases are needed to reach it, and it wasn`t all that impressive once inside--but the building is amazing. I had two boat trips on the Kunming Lake just because it was such a lovely thing to do, and as I finally walked towards the Garden of Harmony (such a lovely garden!) and the exit, I aquainted a Chinese logistics student who wanted to talk in English. I took the rare occasion that has proved to be so far--and though I never learned his name (Chinese people never introduce themselves to me by name), I found out he had a most wonderful day because he had seen so much lovely scenerey and had been able to practice his English with three different people. I suppose that`s a good standard for any day.

Yonghegong Lamasery Temple

My favourite place in Beijing so far is the Younghegong Lamasery--a temple dedicated to the Tibetan buddhism and the Dalai Lama--situated in the centre of Beijing city. The Yonghegong consists of some fiv main tmples, with two side temples to each main temple. Inbetween the buildings are little courtyards with pine trees, benches, and a sweet smell of the insence offered to Buddha from all the worshippers. The atmosphere was amazingly tranquil as I sat down on a bench with three local women. As we sat there I was browsing the pack of postcards I had bought, with pictures from all th main sights of Bijing. The local women next to me clearly peeked ovr my shoulder, and so we started the possibly weirdest and sweetest conversation I hav ever had.. As neither of us spoke a common language, I pulled out my guidebook which has th handy expression "I don`t speak Chinese" in Chinese. They laughed understandingly and seemed to think it nifty to have a book like that. Then they pointd to "American" and looked at me. I found my little dictionary and the word for Norway--and they all nodded approving, then told all the local police men who had gathered to look at us that I was Norwegian. Someone said "Norway" in English, but noone would admit to it when I asked if anyone spok English... As I started writing my postcards (the three ladies still looking, chattering and peeking at me), I found the word for grandparents, trying to explain what I was doing. The eldest lady nodded very approvingly to my writing postcards to my family--and then they asked to see the card I`d finished, chattering like a whole mad chicken farm at my Latin letters, before they smiled, waved and continued their walk to pray at the next temple.

The rest of my day included a friendly lunch with Chris from South-Kora, whom I met very randomly at a restaurant, and then a long stroll in the Houhai hutong with beers and dinner with Ivan from Serbia/Hungary and his unnamed friend from England--which was all very lovely, but nothing compard to the three ladies..

Beijing, sweet Beijing

I`ve been waiting to write more in part because I wanted to have the energy to add photos and mike it all nice (and rather shortish, but intersting)--as it turns out, after my fresh awakening at 7 am in th morning to gt started early, no technical supply in this hostel will recognise neither my camra or my iPod, so alas; no photos yet.. But I`m still happily away, so her ar a few words trying to convy the ongoing cultur shock/exprience I am in:

Tusday started early with a trip to the famed Great Wall of China. And it was great... I went ther with my newfound Scottish mates Peter and David, and a bunch of other people from the hostel. The trip to get there was long, with surprisingly civilised driving compared to other countries I`ve been to, and after a few hours of bumping along we picked up our 72-year-old Chinese guide. He, obvioulsy, only spok one nglish word; ok!--with an xclamation.. W coudn`t figure out his name, but he guided us up th hills to a section of the Great Wall that was rather rugged and worn-down. The weather was rather crap too--foggy and a bit og rain every now and then--so I found myself expecting little fun. Howver, the fog cleared up somwhat, and as we walked along the wall for som two hours its condition got better, as did its greatness. Seing it strtching into the horizon in front of me was simply breathtaking! I`ve alrady decided to do an additional trip to a differnt section whn I come back to Beijing in December.

Wednesday. I was exhausted from all the travelling and walking, and my Scottish friends had left for Xi`an--so in lack of company and the mood to aquaint new people I caved in early on Tusday and sleep lat on Wednesday. Amazing! Then, as I was eating breakfast, contemplating what tempel to see, an American guy (Mark) offered me some fruit and recommended the cheap and lovely massages offered next door. I went along, and despite my stiffness and ticklishness making the girl say "please relaxe" in Chinese all the time it turned out to be a wonderful start to my day :) Walking out I found Tian`anmen Square just up th strt from where I live. Seing that it`s a 40 hectar square, I have to say I found it rather small and disappointing. It was filled with Beijing 2008-flower-stuff, Chinese pople taking photos of themselves in front of the Great Hall of the People, and a humonguos mausoleum for Mao. To me, the best thing Tian`anman offerd was a decent view to on of the few remaining Mao portraits, and an excuse to dive into Chinese history.. I proceeded to the Temple of Heavens (where the Long Corridor is, Maja)--rushing through the buildings in only 2 hours befor closing time wasn`t all that relaxing, but the park was stunningly beautiful, and the temple buildings were vry impressive and beautiful. However, the best fun was the Long Corridor, where old Chinese people were playing cards, singing, kicking small featherd "smurfs" (i.e. "somthings") around between them that looked like "basse", listening to the radio, reading, meditating...the corridor and surrounding park had it all!

(My apologies for any lacking e`s--they`re hard to get from this keyboard..)

In Beijing

As it turned out, I was i the right street (as everyone insisted)--but it carried on for quite a strech, and the other part, where the hostel is, was the only street that wasn`t signposted... As I finally arrived I was bathed in sweat, feeling like 9-year-old who`d lost her "I travel alone"-kit, and wondering how on earth I could have been looking for a hostel for three hours without finding it! And yes, it was less than 15 minutes away--less than 5, in fact.. I propmpty celebrated my newfound home with a shower and a few hours of sleep, seeng that I had none on the airplane coming here and it was technically 7 am by my watch.

Being rather exhausted, I still managed to join a 7.30 am trip to climb the Great Wal of China. It`s been an absolutely amazing experience, but I`ll rather write something about that after dinner :)

Lost in Beijing

My arrival in Beijing seemed nothing different from my arrival in any other foreign country at first - until the language barrier got to me... I am currently lost in Beijing, most likely no more than 15 minutes away from the hostel - an utterly lost! The streets are all signposted in pinyin as well as Chinese signs--but I`ve only got the address in a hand-written version from the tourist information desk at the airport, and alas; the signs look lovely, but are there three or four of them in the street name? And more importantly, what is the street name? Coming here I was directed to go staight ahead, then make a right. Yes, still straight ahead. Yes, still straight ahead. No, back a bit... No, no, no, make a left, right round corner. Me no know where is. Go back. Go straight. And so on... I`ve come to see most of the quarter, including a busy market street where most anything can be bought for a tenner. I try to smile, but without being able to talk I think I come off as somewhat odd--so when I ask for help, get none and still smile, the local elderly people have decided I`m great fun, and smile and wave back at me, using their entre bodies.. It goes without saying that the feeling of people having an odd touch to them goes both ways :) I`ve finally I located an internet cafe and a map with English street names and machine typed Chinese signs, so here we go again! I`ve only been looking for two hours now anyway: Yes, you make east down this road! You ask anyone!

Ready for take-off in 10, 9, 8 ...

Unlike 7 am this morning I am now some 5 minutes away from having all my stuff packed...and I feel pretty set and ready to go!Over the night I've managed to wash my jeans and dry them, much thanks to innovative use of floor heating and floor mats in the early morning hours. I've also come to realise that I have promised to bring the smelliest hat on earth along for my trip, documenting its touring of Asia (takk for den, Nico!). As I got it, it was a lovely little thing. However, as daylight dawned on me and I tried to pack it, I realised it would contaminate my entire backpack...so, it is now thoroughly washed and perfumed, and I'll let you know how it goes. Finally, as time draws nearer the point where I have to leave and catch my airport express train, I now have time to think about the fact that I have no travel itinerary, so for the next 3,5 months I'll be making life up as I go... Got to!

Almost ready for take-off

As I posted the first few words yeasterday it occurred to me that a lot of my friends obviously don't read Norwegian..so here we go in a language suitable for the more simple minds ;)

I am flying from Oslo to China on Sunday 7th Sept. My plan is to see quite a bit of China, Laos, Cambodia, Thailand, Vietnam, and then a bit more of China (including Taiwan) before I return to Oslo on the 22nd Dec. Hopefully whatever comes between the dates can be read and commented about here.

For now I am still in Oslo, realising that "all" my friends here now work and can only meet up during week-ends or in the afternoon. So my days are pretty open (apart from the graduate thesis I'll be handing in before I leave), but my eves are packed with fun. I am mostly not online, so give me a call if you want to reach me.