China Highlights - Part 3: From Rice Terrace to Viewing Terrace

When Clare and I had been looking at tours for China we very nearly settled for a shorter options, which excluded the 3 nights in Yangshuo and Guilin (the more rural areas).  Fortunately Clare had the wisdom to see it would be crazy to miss out on the chance to see this side of China.  She was totally right!

I’m a city girl, and I love living in Glasgow.  But there’s nothing quite like standing on a mountain taking in beautiful scenery.  Longsheng was one of these moments.  Translated as ‘Dragon’s Backbone’, this area is reached by driving up a narrow and increasingly twisty road, not designed for people who suffer from vertigo!  The road ends and a path leads visitors up to the village.  Rice terraces cascade all the way down the hillside into the valley and then back up the other side.  Louise (our guide) said that we had chosen a good week to visit, as the area was much greener than the previous week when she had been there.  The rice is planted in such neat rows, and each small field is kept full of water by a clever irrigation system that trickles and filters down the mountain.  We stopped at a restaurant in the village and had lunch, which included sticky rice, cooked in the middle of a big piece of bamboo – very tasty.  We then wandered along to the end of the village to a viewing point.  Photos just don’t do it justice.  I loved being there.

Three days later I found myself on a different terrace, taking in a very different view – Hong Kong’s skyline!  All of China was hot, but Hong Kong was on another level - I started sweating as soon as I stepped out of the air conditioned hotel lobby, and that was only as 9.30am!  Living in Scotland does not prepare you for 40 degree heat.  I eventually resorted to doing as the locals do and put my umbrella up for some well needed shade.  Hong Kong has lots of air conditioned shopping centres, which gave us temporary shelter and a chance to cool off.  We also found some shady spots in HK's parks and kept the exotic birds and monkeys company for a few hours during the hottest part of the day.

 

When we weren't avoiding the sun, we were taking in the sights.  The Star Ferry between Hong Kong Island and Kowloon gives a short but good view of both sides of the harbour - not bad for about 20p each way!  Skyscrapers of all shapes and sizes line the coast.  On Hong Kong Island, this soon gives way as the land rises steeply, culminating at around 522 metres above sea level at Victoria Peak.  Other than incoming flights, this has to be one of the best vantage points around, with spectacular views of the harbour, Kowloon, HK Island and other islands.  There is a footpath to walk up The Peak, but who in their right mind would walk up in this heat when you can get the tram to the top.  On this, you can enjoy watching the unlucky few who didn't get seats try not to fall over as the funicular railway becomes increasingly angled.  At the top there is, unsurprisingly, a shopping mall (admittedly a small one by HK standards), visitor centre, viewing platform and a Madame Tussauds...!  And apart from a rather dubious looking Brad and Angelina, it was actually pretty good!  Where else can you take cheesy, over-posed photos and get away with not feeling embarrassed?!  Understandably geared towards a Chinese audience, I didn't recognise many of the figures.  But I did have my photo taken with the likes of Audrey Hepburn, Albert Einstein, Tiger Woods, Jonny Depp, Barack Obama and The Hulk.  The last is definitely a contender for my next Facebook profile picture.

Post Madame Tussauds we wandered around the mall, had a leisurely dinner, got some ice cream from the Haagen Daaz shop and arrived on the roof in plenty of time to claim the viewing spot which we'd sussed out earlier in the day.  It was amazing watching dusk fall over Hong Kong and gradually see the buildings light up.  It's definitely not an environmentally friendly skyline, with buildings competing to have the best, brightest light show.  Some skyscrapers had multi-coloured lights, some had images and words projected into the side, and there were others with different light sequences.  Like a forest of tall, thin Christmas trees, the overall effect was like nothing I've ever seen before and I took dozen of photos of the view to try and capture just how impressive it was.

Shake a pom pom!

18. Do something arty that I've never tried before

 

Today I completed another item on my list - that's 2 ticked off now!  I'd noticed a few weeks ago that Paperchase were offering some craft classes, including one on how to make paper pom poms.  So, having never tried that before, I signed up and went along today.  Unfortunately I was the only one at the class, but the two members of staff were lovely and chatty, so it wasn't weird.  I made a big, blue and frouffy (there is no other word for it) pom pom from tissue paper.  It's pretty massive, and I'm not quite sure what I'm going to do with it now!  I think these would look amazing if there were loads of them, all different colours and sizes, suspended from the ceiling in a room, perhaps for a wedding or a party.

 

 

The next thing I made, was less of a pom pom and more of an origami flower.  They had some nice coloured paper to use, which worked well, as it was a different colour on each side.  Again, so simple to make, but they look pretty!  They had several 'here's one we made earlier', including some that were hanging off a ribbon, almost like fairy lights.  I made a smaller one from handmade paper when I got home.

 

 

And I made some smaller versions of the pom poms at home as well.  They actually work better on a larger scale, than small, but it was good to experiment.  They might not be massively original, spectacularly arty, or a masterpiece of a creation, but it felt good just to sit for an hour and try something without any pressure.  I needed that.

China Highlights - Part 2: River Cruises and Rainstorms

As impressive as the cities and big tourist sites were, I think my favourite place that we visited was Yangshuo.  Located in Guangxi province (which neighbours Vietnam), Yangshuo is home to huge limestone karsts which jut out of the ground creating a spectacular landscape, often used in Chinese paintings.  We arrived in Yangshuo at night so had a nice surprise waking up in the morning.  Louise, our local tour guide, had organised a bike ride and river cruise for Clare and me (we were on a longer tour than the rest of our group).  So off we set on our bikes through the crazy streets.  Even though Yangshuo is a small town and not one of the big cities, I was still terrified of being mowed down by another vehicle!  Soon enough we turned off the main road and were cycling along quieter roads through farmland, rice paddies and fields full of lotus flowers.  I felt like Julia Roberts in ‘Eat, Pray, Love’!  We stopped to visit a local farmer and his family, who welcomed us into their home and showed us how to grind soya beans for milk.  The elderly man proudly showed us his bird who could ‘count’ in English, and his wall of photos, postcards and mementos from other tourists.  He also had a jar of pickled snakes (boke) and a picture of himself with Barack Obama (not real unfortunately). 

 

 

We continued cycling, stopping occasionally for a water break and sweaty selfies (it was SO hot).  Soon we came to the River Li and hopped off our bikes and onto our bamboo raft!  It was an amazing experience, taking in the landscape while being punted down the river by a guy at the back of the raft.  Fortunately there was a beach umbrella to keep us in the shade.  Although mostly a calm river, at points there were small dams which we went over, running the risk of getting wet feet and a wet bum!  The commercial savvy have set up platforms from which they can take photos of the tourists.  We gave it our best pose, but didn’t go and buy them.  There were also ‘drinks stalls’ – women on rafts in the middle of the river with cool boxes!

 

That evening we went to the Sanjie Liu Impression Show – an open air song, dance and light performance put together by Zhang Yimou who directed the 2008 Beijing Olympics opening ceremony.  The show takes place on the river and features a cast of 600 people, including fishermen, children and local minority women.  It was an amazing setting, with illuminated limestone hills providing an impressive backdrop.  The show combines music, dance, moving platforms on the water, boats and lights.  One of the scenes included fishermen coming out with cormorants, which have been trained to dive into the water and swim back to the boat with a beak full of fish.  This age-old practice is still used in some areas of China.  The necks of the birds are tied to prevent them from swallowing the fish, although apparently they are allowed to eat every 7th fish as they refuse to work otherwise!  It was a fantastic show, very cleverly put together, and made all the more dramatic by the interruption of a huge thunderstorm in the middle!  I thought I’d seen some flashes of lightening in the distance, and as the show progressed the flashes came closer and closer.  It’s quite funny listening to the sound of several hundred ponchos (provided at the entrance) being opened up and put on, as the rain started and audience members scrambled for cover.  Our seats were at the back, directly in front of the covered ‘presidential’ seats, so we legged it over the barrier and took shelter with as many other people as could fit in.  It very quickly got to the point where an announcement was made to say the show was going to be stopped, and the cast members swiftly exited the now very choppy water.  There was something quite exciting and dramatic about it – pouring rain, thunder cracking directly overhead and horizontal lightening forking across the sky.  The storm gradually passed and another announcement was made to say the show would resume shortly.  I’m so glad we stayed put and hadn’t left like some of the audience.  It was an amazing show, and I loved watching it.

China Highlights - Part 1: I Am Tourist

I still can't quite believe that I've been to China! Over 2 weeks I visited 7 different places, and that barely scratched the surface.  China is such a vast country, and doesn't seem to do anything on a small scale.  Both the cities of Beijing and Shanghai have a population of 21 million people.  Compare that to the whole of Scotland which is around 5.3 million - crazy!  I went to China with my friend Clare as part of an 'On the Go' tour.  Starting in Beijing, the tour covered Luoyang, Xi'an, Yangshuo, Guilin and Shanghai, and we added on a couple of nights in Hong Kong at the end before flying home.

 

China is a land full of contrasts and controlled freedom.  Home to some of the most technologically advanced cities in the world as well as beautiful scenery and rolling rice terraces.  It was really interesting travelling on the bullet train between some of the cities (and not just because it can reach speeds of 300km/hour!).  Huge skyscrapers seem to suddenly give way to rural areas and farm land - suburbs just don't seem to exist.  The train passed through several 'ghost cities', eerily full of empty apartment buildings and seemingly few people.

 

Given what I'd read about China's history from the past century, I was surprised at how many historical sites and artefacts are still intact and open to visitors/ on display.  China's history is as vast as the land, stretching back over many dynasties.  A bit much to take in for an ignorant tourist like me, but fortunately we had (on the whole) very good tour guides explaining things to us.

 

It's never possible to see and do everything that a country has to offer, especially in only 16 days.  Joining a tour group gave us the chance to pack in as much as possible without the stress of having to sort our own accommodation and transport.  Apart from Hong Kong, I think China would be quite difficult to navigate by yourself.  Some people embrace those awkward language barrier situations, but having had my fair share in Rwanda, I was quite happy to trot around after our local guides.

 

Of course we did the best known attractions: The Great Wall, Forbidden City, Terracotta Warriors, the skylines of Shanghai and Hong Kong, pagodas, temples and good food.  I embraced my inner tourist - camera around neck, reapplying my factor 50 sun cream whilst adjusting my backpack full of 'just in case' items, which of course I didn't need.  Standing on The Great Wall was, well, great!  It's so iconic and it just felt so surreal to be walking along it.  We visited the section at Badaling aka tourist destination for all, complete with souvenir shops, restaurants, a hotel, overpriced ice creams and hundreds of other camera wielding visitors.  Some sections of the wall are incredibly steep, with railings to hold onto.  Add to this the blistering hot sunshine, and soon enough the crowds thin out and give way to a more peaceful view, only occasionally interrupted by the die-hard souvenir sellers.  It's incredible to see how the wall winds it's way through the hills, not seeming to follow any contour line, as if a child drew a squiggly line as to where it should be built.  According to Google [spoiler alert], apparently the Great Wall is not, I repeat not, visible to the naked eye from space.  How disappointing!  Fortunately, I no longer need to go to space to see it.

 

 

 

Another highlight for me was visiting China's national treasure - the panda!  It's estimated that only 1000 - 3000 giant pandas remain on the planet, making them one of the world's most endangered species.  Shaanxi Rare Wildlife Rescue & Breeding Centre has been operating since 1978, acting as a shelter for ill or injured giant pandas in the region, as well as other rare wildlife.  We arrived at 8.30am, just in time to see some of the pandas being given their breakfast.  It was amazing to see these creatures so close up - they look incredibly cute and cuddly!  Also at the centre were golden monkeys (including one who seemed to enjoy bouncing off the wall and body slamming the floor - an aspiring wrestler?!), black bears, an impressive looking leopard (in a less than impressive enclosure), red pandas (very inquisitive and a beautiful colour), ibis birds, peacocks, owls and vultures.  The centre had open enclosures for the pandas, which had been totally empty when we'd walked past earlier in the day.  We tried again later on and found 3 pandas!  One of them was hiding at the back, but the other two were close to the front of the enclosure so we had a great view of them.  At first they were just chilling, munching on some bamboo, but then they started play fighting - rolling over, pushing and punching each other!  They also competed with each other to see who could climb a tree first.  I reckon they were brothers!  I loved seeing them so close up and could have watched for hours.

 

 

 



 

 

#tryingtoconvincemyselfthatiamnottoooldforhashtags

16. Do a 30 day photography project

I'm so pleased that I've completed the first thing on my 30:30 list!  During the month of June I did a photo-a-day project on Instagram, where I had a different theme or word for each day.  Instagram is definitely a good way of getting used to #hashtags.  Next stop, Twitter?!!  Some days were much easier than others to think of what to photograph.  But I really enjoyed doing this, and will definitely do another one in the future. 

Here are my photos:

(Click on the photo to see a larger version)

These are the words/ themes (as set by @fatmumslim on Instagram):

Day 1: Joy (a hot chocolate on a rainy Sunday afternoon)

Day 2: Doing (some piano practice)

Day 3: Family (the swans in my bathroom)

Day 4: Ordinary (standard day in Glasgow - wet!)

Day 5: 11 o'clock (pile of papers to get through at work)

Day 6: Adventure (researching my helicopter ride)

Day 7: Pattern (pretty mugs)

Day 8: T is for... (tulips!)

Day 9: We live here (a wee corner in my flat)

Day 10: Flying (bird in the sky)

Day 11: The beginning (most important meal of the day!)

Day 12: Pastel (embroidery threads)

Day 13: Simply (classic Glasgow)

Day 14: Cross (legged on the sofa with my dinner)

Day 15: Lovely (summery fruit salad)

Day 16: In the shadows (window blinds)

Day 17: Peaceful (sunny evening in the Botanics)

Day 18: Quirky (wee giraffe pals from Rwanda)

Day 19: Habit (sitting in the car)

Day 20: Yay! (happy holidays)

Day 21: Here I am (in Beijing)

Day 22: Growing (expanding my cultural mind in China)

Day 23: In this moment (an amazing walk on the Great Wall)

Day 24: What June looks like (frozen yogurt)

Day 25: Sun flare (in the Botanics, Glasgow)

Day 26: Dreaming (while riding a bike round the city walls in Xi'an)

Day 27: Loving (a bit of culture at the Terracotta Warriors)

Day 28: Bed (another day, another hotel)

Day 29: Delight (evening show on the water in Yangshuo)

Day 30: The end (leaving Yangshuo and the first completed item on my 30:30 list!)

More photos and thoughts on China coming soon...

Pre-travel jitters

As the name of this blog suggests, I'm a bit of a nervous traveller.  I love the idea of seeing new places, trying new things and being spontaneous, but I'm actually much more of a home-bird who likes routine and familiarity.  I get stressed about packing, have a fear of public toilets, and hate any kind of creepy crawlies.  Insects (especially ones that bite) seem to love me - the mosquito bites I got in the Dominican Republic turned bright purple, and I had fleas in Rwanda, much to the horror of my parents who tried to persuade me to return home with as little as possible in my luggage.  And despite the impression that I give to others that I'm organised, I'm much more of a last minute person than I like to admit.  Which of course, just adds to my stress levels!

But I am so looking forward to sitting on that plane tomorrow.  Once I'm in that seat there's no more packing to be done, lists to check or work emails to send.  I'm heading to China for a couple of weeks - my first holiday for several years.  I've realised this week that I am so like my parents pre-holiday.  I have this nagging feeling that I need to make sure the flat is super clean and all the washing is done before I leave.  And I was up until about 11pm last night finishing off last minute work things, and am popping in to work today despite having started my annual leave.  I'm sure you can work out which parent is which!

As for my 30:30 list, I'm hoping to be able to tick off number 29 in China - try an unusual type of food.  Deep fried scorpions anyone?!  And what are the chances of being able to do number 8 - fly first class.  Do you think it counts if I walk through or stand in first class for a few seconds?!  I wonder if I try and explain my list at the check in desk...

I'm making progress with some of the other things on my list too:

Number 16 (do a 30 day photography project) is coming along well. I'm really enjoying planning my photo according to the theme for that day.  The 13th was 'simply' so I took this photo:

This is 'simply' Glasgow for me.  No matter how many times it gets taken down, 

there's always a new one on it within a few hours.

And this was from the 17th - 'peaceful'

In other news, I've read 7 out of 27 books in the New Testament (number 2 on my list).  And yes, I did start with some of the shorter books - wouldn't you?!  I've lost 3.5 pounds (number 21) and I'm learning how to play Clocks by Coldplay on the piano (number 12).  And I walked up Dumyat a few weeks ago with my dad in preparation for number 23 - climb a munro.  Seems I am as unfit as I thought I was!!  But the views from the top were worth it...

A good place to start

On reflection I wish I had included a few more items on my list that were one-offs rather than things that might take a while.  When I write to do lists, I often put in a couple of things that I've already done, so I can score them off straight away.  A wee boost to start me off!  But there will be no such cheating here. :)

I haven't completed anything yet, but I've definitely made some progress...

20. Upcycle 2 things from a charity shop (non-textiles)

I found the necklace pictured on the left in a charity shop in town today - just what I had been looking for.  Inspired by something I saw on Pinterest, I wanted to combine the chain with another necklace, which I think I might have got in Lanzarote, but never wear.  And so the two necklaces became the one pictured on the right.  I'm really looking forward to wearing it.  Not bad for £2.

16. Do a 30 day photography project

My good friend Lynsey texted me on Sunday with a suggestion of a photo-a-day challenge she had seen on Instagram.  Each day of the month has a different word/ theme and you take a photo to capture your interpretation of this.  Perfect!  This photo was from day 1 - joy.  A hot chocolate to cheer me up on a rainy Sunday afternoon.  It's early days, but I'm enjoying thinking of what to photograph for each day and it's good to have moral support from Lynsey.

12. Take up piano again and learn to play 6 new songs

This photo was actually from day 2 of the photoaday challenge - 'doing'.  I dug out my old keyboard from home and brought it through to the flat.  So far I've practiced every day and am pleasantly surprised that I can still play it.  I'm learning how to read music again and rediscovering muscles in my hands - stretching an octave is harder than it used to be!  I have some sheet music for Coldplay and so far can just about play 'Life is for living' (secret track on the Parachutes album).  It's short and quite simple, so a good place to start.  I tried to play along while listening to it on my ipod last night, but I'm not quite at that stage just yet!

By the end of this month I'll have ticked off at least 2 items, which I'm looking forward to.  It's good for me to have something to work on, and I really need these small achievements/ encouragements at the moment.

The list!

I've had a really busy couple of weeks, and have been deliberating what to include on the final list, but I think it's time to get on and publish it.  With the idea of giving the list a bit of structure, I decided to divide it roughly into 6 categories: life/ general, travel, learning, creative, get active and activities.

So here it is... my 30 before 30 list!

1. Volunteer for a good cause

2. Read the New Testament

3. Write down 30 good memories/ achievements from my twenties

4. Read a new book every month

5. Take a months break from Facebook

6. Go on a road trip around Scotland

7. Have a weekend city break somewhere in Europe

8. Fly first class

9. Fly in a helicopter

10. Go on a hot air balloon ride

11. Do an evening class in something I haven't tried before

12. Take up piano again and learn to play 6 new songs

13. Learn to play the ukulele

14. Read the instruction manual for my camera and finally learn how to use it properly

15. Learn to make a stop frame animation

16. Do a 30 day photography project

17. Make an item of clothing for myself

18. Do something arty that I've never tried before

19. Make something new on my sewing machine every month

20. Upcycle 2 things from a charity shop (non-textiles)

21. Lose 1 stone

22. Do a 5k

23. Climb a munro

24. Try snowboarding again

25. Get a massage

26. Get a make up lesson

27. See a band I've never heard of before

28. Go to a ballet performance

29. Try an unusual type of food

30. Do something fun to celebrate my 30th!

I've made a start on a few things, but will keep blogging about my progress over the upcoming months.  If I was really cool, I would start one of these hashtag things - #KT30:30

*Disclaimer: Hopefully I'll be able to stick to this list, but if it looks like something is really not going to be achievable, I am going to give myself the option of changing a couple of things!

Some ground rules

As soon as I hit 'publish' on my blog post last night, I slightly regretted it.  Maybe this is a stupid idea, people will think it's cheesy, now that I've made it public I can't go back on it etc.  But I still posted a link to the blog on Facebook today, and actually I feel better already for having a project on the go.  Something to focus on, which will hopefully help me to feel a bit more motivated about life again.  And people have been really positive about the idea so far!

 

There are a lot of '30 before 30' lists out there already.  Some people seem to have started when they turned 25.  Given I have less than 11 months to go now till my birthday, I think it might be slightly unrealistic to include items such as 'get married' or 'write and publish my first novel'.  I'm also not that keen on some of the more vague ideas I've seen, for example learn to accept myself as I am.  Some things take longer than 11 months. 

 

So I've decided to set myself a few ground rules.  Nothing too strict, just a few things to help me at this initial stage.

 

1. The list can't include anything I was planning on doing already this year (eg. go to China, get my first credit card) - that would be too easy!

2. I'd like the items on the list to have goals/ final outcomes rather than being open-ended.  Something I can quantify or take a photo of.  I like being able to tick things off a list knowing that they've been completed.

3. A good number should be fun things!

4. But I also want to have some challenges in there too - I'm a great believer in pushing myself out of my comfort zone every now and then.

5. I want to involve other people as much as I can.  Because it's good to share, and that will help with number 3.

 

:)

The idea

You may be shocked to know this, but I turn 30 next year.  I know, I know – I don’t look a day over 21...ish.  The days of hoping I wouldn’t get asked for ID have been replaced with being secretly pleased when I am.  Or slight mortification when the young whipper-snapper at the till tells me to ‘take it as a compliment’.

 

Recently I’ve had conversations with friends of a similar vintage about impending thirty-hood and the realisation that we are most definitely in our late twenties.  There should be a list of ‘You know you’re in your late twenties when...’  My personal list includes sometimes having to turn Radio 1 off because it’s just too noisy, feeling mildly appalled at what the kids wear these days, feeling too old to go into Topshop, and wondering if it’s time to start using anti-wrinkle cream.

 

Yes, I am dreading turning 30.  Most people aren’t that keen on the idea of getting older, and these milestone birthdays just seem to rub it in your face.  I’m quite sure that most people who are over 30 already would shake their heads at me, and offer little/ no pity.  But it’s all relative.

 

I’m sure I’ve written before about expectations.  When I was at school I had this plan as to how my late teens/ twenties would pan out.  It went something like this... Leave school, go to uni, graduate, get a ‘good’ job, get married, buy a house, have 2 kids and live happily ever after.  A little naive perhaps?!  I did graduate (eventually) and I do have a job, for which I’m very grateful.  But I struggle to come to terms with the disappointments and hurts of the past decade.  I tend to think about the challenging times, rather than remembering all the good things that have happened, the friends I have made, the things I have achieved.

 

I’ve found the past few months particularly difficult, for a variety of reasons.  But as I sat in a coffee shop today wallowing in self-pity (a bad habit of mine – the self-pity that is, not sitting in coffee shops), I made a decision.  I don’t want to spend the next 11 months looking back with disappointment and forward with dread.  Instead I would like to take a step towards making peace with my twenties and embracing my thirties.  So I’ve decided to make a '30 things to do before I’m 30' list.  I know it’s a bit of a cliché and I don’t anticipate that this will instantly solve the disappointment/ dread issues.  But I hope that it will give me a bit of perspective, some much needed motivation and the chance to have some fun!

 

This blog was initially started to record my travels to Rwanda in 2012.  I’m still a 'frightened traveller' in many ways.  If no one reads this, that’s ok – I like blogging as a way of keeping a record.  If there is anyone reading this, I’m open to suggestions on what I should include on my list.  I’m not quite sure what this is going to look like, and I know it’s certainly not a new idea, but it’s something I really want to do.

 

I better get writing that list... 331 days and counting!