LAOS - Paradise on the Earth

Heti rajan yli paastya nahtiin, etta laos on varma reissun suosikki. pikku kyla oli rauhallisin mita ikin oon nahny. tullimiehet pelaili jalkapalloa, vanha ukko poltteli piippua ja bussikuski torkkui tyhjassa bussissa odottamassa matkustajia.
Annettiin tullipomolle Vietnamin Lonely Planet josta ukko ilahtui kovasti. Bussi lahtikin sitten samana paivana mukanaan mina ja jukkis, eika ketaan muuta koko 175 kilometrin matkana. Luultavasti oltaisiin jouduttu yopymaan rajalla, jos oltaisiin toteutettu sunnitelma poltaa roviolla Lonely Planet Vietnam - matkaopaskirja, Joka mm. Puhui kahdesta eri rajan ylityspaikasta samana. Katsokaa aina moneen kertaan ennen kun meette mihinkaan LP:n neuvomaan paikkaan.
Seuraavana aamuna Xam Neuassa ostettiin "motskarit." Kiinalaiset 110-ccm mopot.

Kaytiin parina paivana alelemassa mopoja sisaan ja kokeilemassa kaikki viat, ja ennen matkaan lahtoa kaytiin viela korjauttaan kaikki puutteet ja kiristamassa loysat pultit.Kaytiin mm. Viang Xaissa katsomassa luolia

Matka kohti etelaa saattoi siis alkaa. Ensin kuljettiin lanteen yli vuorten ja laaksojen. Maisemat upeita ja uusia. Kylat ihmeteltavaa ja ihmettelijoita taynna.

Meista kehittyi toisena ajo paivana varsin hyvia renkaan vaihtajia, kun Jukkiksen ajoneuvosta puhkes kolme kertaa takarengas. Muilta vioilta valtyttiin. Surituspaineita kertyi, kun koko kylan lapset kokoontui ymparille ihmettelemaan

Eraassa kylassa saatiin kutsu paikallisiin haa juhliin. Koko kylan vaki oli kokoontunut juhlimaan ja jokaisesta poydasta tarjottiin Lao Laoa. Aamulla meille ei puhuttu kovin ystavalliseen savyyn, joten paatettiin otta hatkat. Mopot alle ja seuraavaan kylaan.

Matkan edistyessa joet leveni ja ilmat lampenivat. Ja myos vuoret madaltuivat, joten matkan teko vauhdittui. Joulu vietettiin kylassa nimelta Nong Khiaw. Seuraan loytyi kaksi erikseen matkaavaa Suomalais poikaa: Jukka Rovaniemelta ja Jaakko Hervannasta! Valkoista joulua ei ollut meillakaan. Ei ehka yhta kylma kun Suomessa, Mutta ei mekaan ilman takkia illalla parjatty. Talviturkki kaytiin tosin kastamassa. Joulumaa!!!

Nyt ollaan Luang Brabangissa Mekongin rannalla. Taalla ei pysty valokuvaamaan ku joka kuvaan osuu vahintaan yks turisti. Huomena jatketaan matkaa Vang Viengiin.

Thursday, 28 december, 2006

LAOS, paradise on earth

As soon as we got over the border, we knew right away that Laos will be the top favorite destination of the trip. The little village was thge most peaceful i’ve ever seen. Border control playing football, a single old-timer smoking his pipe and the bus driver snoozing off in his empty vehicle waiting for passengers.

We gave the customs chief the Lonely Planet Vietnam, which made the dude extra happy. So happened that the bus took off yet the same day carrying me and Jukkis and no one else for 175 kilometres. Probably would’we had to spend the night at the border, if we had carried out our plan to bonfire scorch our Lonely Planet Vietnam guide, which among other things mentioned two separate checkpoints as one. Always check and double-check before following LP anywhere.

Next morning in Xam Neua we purchased “motorcycles”. That is chinese 110 cc mopeds... Spent a couple of days running-in them and finding out what was wrong with them and before taking off had all the faults fixed and loose bolts screwed.

(caption: Were to Viang Xai to see the caves.)

The journey south could then begin. First we headed west cross the mountains and walleys. Landscapes were wonderful and all new, villages full of things for us to wonder and people to wonder us...

On second day of biking we developed certain skills in tire changing, when the back-tire of jukkis punctured three times. Other damages we managed to avoid.

(caption: All the villages children gathering to wonder us built up pressure to succeed.)

In one village we were invited to local wedding celebration. All the townsfolk were gathered to party and in each table they offered Lao Lao. In the morning they didn’t speak in a very friendly tone, so we decided to take off. On our bikes and off to the next village...

As the journey progressed the rivers got wider and the weather warmer. Also the mountains got flatter, so we were able to travel faster. We celebrated christmas in a village of Nong Khiaw. We got acquinted with two finnish guys travelling separately, Jukka from Rovaniemi and Jaakko from Hervanta! (Finland didn’t have) a white christmas had we neither. Probably not as cold as back home, but still needed a jacket at night. Went for a swim, though.

(caption: Land of christmas!)

Now we’re in Luang Brabang by Mekong. Cant take any photos here, because each shot would contain at least one tourist. Tomorrow we will head to Vang Vieng.

Rajan ylitysta!

Hanoissa viimesena iltana kaytiin viela moikkaamassa uutta ystavaamme pikkumies mr. Bhuta. Istuimme ilaa vakkari kadunkulma "ravintelissa" rautatiesillan alla ja porukkamme kasvoi kun paikalliset kutsuivat meidat poytaansa.Aamulla lahdettiin sompailemaan bussiasemalle ja Kohti Luoteis Vietnamia Son Laan ja Dien Bien Phuhun.Ensin sompailtiin mopotaksilla bussi asemalleSitten jalat halvaannuttavan pitka bussimatka Dien Bien Phuhun

Dien Bienista mentiin mopotakseilla Tay Trangiin ja yritettiin rajan yli. Yllattaen raja ei siltakohtaa ollut auki lankkareille, vaikka meille miin oli moneen kertaan luvattu. Siita sitten toinen tunti takas Dien Bieniin ja busilla 15 tuntia Pikkukylaan jonka nimea en enaa muista.Kyla jonka nimea en enaa muista

Kylasta jonka nimea en enaa muista mentiin VIIDEN TUNNIN mopotaksimatka Na Meon rajanylityspaikalle. Mopo taksi on ihan jees hanoin vilskeessa ja lyhyilla matkoilla. mutta rinkka selassa skootterin perassa viisi tuntia ei oo enaan hauskaa. kokemuksena tosin korvaamaton.

Rajan yli paastiinkin sitten ongelmitta. Vietnamin puolella rajamiehet tutki reput tosi ylimalkaisesti. Laosin puolella ei meinattu loytaa tullimiehia mistaan, kun kaikki oli pelaamassa jalkapalloa!!Laosilaista jalkapalloa. Sulkapallo verkko ja rottinkinen pallo.

Crossing borders!

On our last night in Hanoi, we took time to say hi to our new friend, Little man mr. Bhu. We were wining and dining in our usual street corner “bistro” and our little crew got bigger as the locals invited us to their table.

In the morning we teed off to bus station and there on towards northwest Vietnam to Son La and Dien Bien Phu.

(captions:)

First a moped taxi drive to bus station.

Then a leg-paralyzing long bus ride to Dien Bien Phu

From Dien Bien with moped taxis to Tay Trang and there we tried to cross the border, which surprisingly enough was not open to westerns there, though we had been promised access many times. So, it was another hour long trip back to Dien Bien and 15 more hours on a bus to a village, the name of which I don’t remember.

(caption: The village I can’t remember the name of.)

From the forgotten village we had to travel FIVE HOURS with moped cabs to a check point in Na Meo. Mopeds are quite fine on short distances and in the hustle of Hanoi. But... Five hours on the back of a scooter with one’s backpack on is just no more fun. As an experience, though – priceless.

The actual border we crossed without problems. On tha Vietnam side the border guards checked our packs really casually and on the Laos side we actually had hard time finding the border personnel, for they were off playing soccer!!

(caption: Lao football – A badminton net and a ball of ratan. )

Halong Bay

Kaytiin Halong Bayssa, kalkkikivi saaristossa. Maisemat oli aivan jarjettoman upeat ja ilma oli lammin. Catba Saarella vuokrattiin moottosipyorat ja ajeltiin saarea ympari, kaytannossa ajettiin jokaista tieta mita saarelta loyty. Cat Balla yovyttiin hotellissa jonka huoneen nakoala oli parempi kun ikina missaan oon yopyny! kahdenhengen huone makso paatahuimaavat kymmenen dollaria!
Cat balla vietettiin paripaivaa. Sielta otettiin laiva Hai Phongiin, jossa oltiin pari paivaa. Hai Phong oli kuin Hanoi pari vuosikymmenta sitten. Rauhallisempi, puhtaampi, eika nahty yhtaan turisteja!
Si tultiin takas Hanoihin jarkkaileen asioita. Parin yon jalkeen lahdettiin Kohti Laosin rajaa, Son Lan pikkukaupunkiin. Son La on vuoristojen ymparoima, n50 000 asukkaan kaupunki luoteis Vietnamissa. Maisemat oli todella upet. Saa oli lammin vaikka Hanoissa porukka kuumotteli etta taalla olis tosi kylma!

Wednesday, december 13, 2006

Halong Bay

We were to Halong bay, the limestone isles. The wiews were absolutely crazy wonderful and the weather was warm. On the island Cat Ba we rented motorcycles and biked around the island, practically wandering through every road we could find. In Cat Ba we spent the night in a hotel room which had better wiews I’ve seen anywhere ever! A double room cost us a mind-boggling ten dollars!

Spent a couple of days on Cat Ba... From there we took a boat to Hai Phong, where we also spent two days. Hai Phong was like Hanoi probably was two decades ago. More peaceful, cleaner and we saw no tourists!

Then we came back to Hanoi to check things out. After a couple of nights we took towards Laos border, to the town of Son La. Son La is a 50 000 people town surrounded by mountain ranges in northwest Vietnam. Again the wiews were absolutely fabulous. The weather was warm altough in Hanoi the folks were scaring us with it being really cold in here!

(Translator note: In Finland the media is hyping about the warmest weather ever at this time of the year with temperatures of 0 - -1 centigrade...)

I’ll post some photos later, because the computers here are just too slow.

Hanoi Rocks!

Yota myoten Hanoihin johon Jukkis oli saapunut edellis iltana. Hanoi on mahtava. Liikenne on aivan unelma!! 99,9% ajoneuvoista on mopoja ja fillareita eika mitaan jarjestysta ole! Liikenne soljuu korvia huumaavan torvisoiton saestamana kuin unelma! Kadunylitys on hauskaa ja adrenaliini riittoista! Senkun vaan kavelee kadulle hitaasti ja toivoo etta lahestyvat mopot tajuaa vaistaa. Tunkusemmissa paikoissa tehdaan Rikun ja Tunnan ohjeen mukaan ja valitaan joku katua ylittava paikallinen ja seurataan tiukasti peesissa. Tassa tavassa on huomioitava se, etta paikallisen liikkeisiin on reagoitava todella nopeasti!

Talla todellakin kaikki kulkee kahdella pyoralla!

Emantaa sovitetaan riisisakin kannakkeeksi!!

Ukot kalassa sontasimmassa lammessa, mita ikina oon nahny!! Hanoissa en aio syoda kalaa!!

Huomena vuokrataan parrat ja ajetaan rannikolle!

P.S. Kiitos Leenan Villelle englanniksoksesta!! Ja hyvia merimaileja!! Ja Harrille kans ja onnea ja jaksoa opiskeluun!

Tuesday, december 5, 2006

By the night I came to Hanoi, where Jukkis had arrived last night. The city is great. Traffic is like a dream! 99.9% of all the vehicles are mopeds or bicycles and there is absolutely no order! The traffic is ebbing like a dream backed by ear-numbing honking of horns! Crossing the street is plain fun and quite an adrenaline rush! You just walk the street slowly and hope the mopeds will dodge you. In the more crowded places we follow Riku’s and Tunna’s guidance and pick a local crossing the street and follow his lead tight. What has to be noticed in this way, though, is that you must follow his actions really fast!

(captions:)

Here everything actually is moved on two wheels!

Fitting in the good old lady for a rice-bag-carriage!

Blokes fishing in the shittiest puddle of water I’ve ever seen!! Not going to eat fish in Hanoi...

Tomorrow we’re going to hire motorcycles and travel to coast!

P.S. Thanks to Leena’s Ville for the translation and have nice nautical miles!! (the translator bows humbly in gratitude) And for Harri also and good luck and strength with your studies!

GUILIN - Onnellisten ihmisten maa!

Shanghai - Guilin junassa sain tietaa ettei ari tuukkan Hanoihin vaan menee BURMAAN!!
Nyt oon Guilinissa ja yllattaen hostellin lobbyssa tuli suomalainen Jukkis jutteleen et ollaan samasta maasta kuuli mun kertovan sveitsilaiselle etta oot Tampereelta) ja menossa samoihin paikkoihin. joten mennaan ainaki Vietnamiin ja Laosiin motskaroimaan!

Guilinissa vuokrattiin Jukkiksen kanssa fillarit ja lahdettiin pyoraileen kaupungin ulkopuolelle

Joella ukot oli kalastelemassa ja lillui traktorin sisarenkaalla tuntikausia paikoillaan. Huom. maisemat!!

Loydettiin kyla johon johti ainoastaan joen ylittava pari metria levea silta! Eli kylaan ei paassyt autoilla.

Pysahdyttiin kylassa ruokailemaan. Tilattiin parilla eurolla hotpotti johon ukko otti sumpusta ja paistoi tuoreen monnin. lisukkeena oli uppopaistettua tofua! Annos oli niin iso, etta puolivalissa meinas usko loppua. Kauheasti kuitenkaan ei pataan jaanyt. Muutama pala siis liikeni kylakoirille.

Kylapuusepan verstas Kiinan malliin!

Illalla kaytiin suomalaiseen perinteeseen kuuluen Jukkiksen kanssa puistossa pussibissella.

Seuraavana aamuna lahdettiin bussilla paivaseltaan kaymaan Yangshoussa.

Jalleen vuokrattiin pyorat ja kierreltiin ympariinsa. Kalkkikivivuoret oli vaikuttavia taallakin!

Saturday, december 2, 2006

Guilin – land of the happy!

On the Shanghai-Guilin train I learned that Ari is not on his way to Hanoi, but to BURMA! Now I’m in Guilin and all of a sudden in the hostel lobby a finn, Jukkis, came to chat with me about us being from the same country after hearing me tell a certain swiss that I’m from Tampere and on my way to same destinations. So at least we’re now going to motorcycle in Vietnam and Laos!

In Guilin me and Jukkis rented bicycles and went biking outside of town.

(captions:)

Old folks were fishing on the river and floated there still on a tractor tyre tubes for hours. Check the wiew!

Found a village with a two meter wide bridge being its only connection to the outside world! So one couldn’t drive there...

We stopped to dine in the village. ordered a two-euro hotpot for which the oldtimer cooking caught from the net and fried a fresh catfish. The dish came with deep fried tofu! The serving was so huge we almost run out of faith in the halfway. But still there weren’t too much leftovers. A few munchies for the village dogs anyway.

(caption:) The village carpenter’s workshop the Chinese way!

In the evening, following the finnish tradition, me and jukkis went to the park for some beer-from-a-bag.

The next morning we took a bus for a day trip in Yangshou. Again we rented bikes and wandered around. The limestone mountains were impresive here as well!

Pala Modernia Kiinaa

Mahataudista selvittiin yhden paivan levolla suht hyvaan kuntoon, joten matka jatkui kevyella viidentoista kilsan kaupunkikavelylla. Ensin otettiin metro pilvenpiirtajien keskelle ja mentiin Oriental Pearl TV Toweriin kattoon maisemia. Kuvassa nakyva 'Space Module' oli korkein nakoalataso, johon paasi 100 Yanilla. Maisemat oli huikeat ja ainakin 10 euron arvoiset!Tornista nakyi varsin hyvin, kuinka hirvittavalla tahdilla Shanghai kasvaa. Alla olevassa kuvassa on yksi pilvenpiirtajatyomaa. Sekin valtava. Samanlaisia tyomaita nakyi pelkastaan tornista kymmenia! Tyomaita tuntui kaupungista loytyvan muutenkin joka toisesta korttelista!



Alin nakoalatasanne oli AINOASTAAN 90 metrin korkeudessa, ja se oli avotasanne. Nakoalat oli vielakin aika hyvat.Sitten jatkettiin matkaa. Mentiin omituista turistitunnelia pitkin joen alitse. Tunnelissa mentiin junalla vilkkuvien valojen ja oudon alamolon lapi. En oikein ole paassyt selvyyteen tunnelin rakentaneen kiinalaisen sielunmaisemasta.

Sitten tosiaan kaveltiin lahemmas 15 kilometria. Haltin vaellustakki oli tarpeen, kun jo alkumatkasta alkoi sataan.

Kavelylla bongasin klassiset bamburakennustelineet.

Sitten kaytiin elaintorilla nuuskimassa lintuinfluenssaa!
Lopuksi kaytiin ihmettelemassa yovalaistusta!
Nyt ennen porukan hajoamista kirjotellaan blogia ja poltellaan valokuvia cd:lle ja juodaan punkkua.
Sinikka siis lentaa suomeen, Jori Bangkokiin ja maa painelen junalla Hanoihin!

Wednesday, September 29, 2006

A piece of modern China

Survived the stomach condition and with a day’s rest I was in a decent shape, so we went on with the program with a light, 15 kilometer walk in town. First we took the metro to the middle of skyscrapers and went to Oriental Pearl TV tower to check out the wiew. The “Space module”, in the picture was the highest overlook terrace, where it cost 100 yuan to get. The wiew was great and worth at least the ten euros!

From the tower one could quite easily see, with just how enormous speed Shanghai’s growing. In the photo below is just one skyscraper building site, that one huge also. And such construction sites could be seen just from the tower by dozens! Anyway it seemed that every second block in the city had construction sites.

The lowest wiewing terrace was in the height of ONLY 90 meters and it was an open terrace. Still had pretty nice wiews...

Then we moved on. We went under the river through a strange tourist tunnel. In the tunnel people rode a train through some flashing lights and a weird ruckus. I’m still not quite certain about the mental state of the chinese who built the tunnel.

(Captions:)

Then we actually walked closer to 15 km. My Halti trekking jacket came in handy because it began to rain already in the beginning.

During the walk I spotted the classical bamboo scaffoldings.

Then we were to the livestock market to sniff some bird flu!

And to finish off we went to wonder the night lights!

So now before our posse is splitting up we’re here writing the blog, burning our photos on CDs and drinking red wine. Soon Sinikka will fly home to Finland, Jori to Bangkok and I personally will take off by train to Hanoi!

Ei yhtaan lisaa rappusia!!!!

episode 1: Kielletty kaupunki

Toisella yrittamalla paastiin sisaan kiellettyyn kaupunkiin ja se osoittautui kahden yrityksen arvoiseksi. Yli tuhatvuotiset rakennukset kujineen ja aukioineen oli kuin elokuvasta! Ainoa mika rikkoi kuvan oli kymmenpaiset turistilaumat!

Pepsodent hymy

Episode 1.2: Tuhansien rappusten maa

Ekana Pekingin iltana tavattiin kaupungilla suomea puhuva kiinalainen, Barkley. Barkley auttoi meita hankkimaan liput Kiinanmuuri retkelle.
Mongolia - Kiinajunassa saatu lensu ja tuhatvuotinen ihme pisti kiipeilijan melko koville! Ensin piti kiiveta ihan vaan varovasti pari tornin valia, mutta eikos jostain selkarangan pohjamudista taas tyontynyt esiin suomalainen sisu. Sinnilla raahustettiin sitten aina vaan 'viela yksi' tornin vali ja huipullehan sita sitten mentiin!

Episode 2: Vuoreen hakattuja rappusia

Sinikka sai meidat tekemaan ekstra koukkauksen Xi-Aniin, jossa lahdettiin vuorille katsomaan kiinalaisten kadenjalkia. Vuoren rinteeseen, kasittamattoman upeisiin maisemiin oli hakattu rappusten kompleksi ja rakennettu luostareita. Kaikki taasen satoja vuosia sitten ja kokonaan kasipelilla. Rappusia ja polkuja oli 2000 metrin korkeudessa kilometki tolkulla.
Taas huippu huipulta lensuinen retkikunta saavutti riittavan hienon maiseman, jotenka paluu matka alkoi ja rappusten ruoskimat jalat paasivat jalleen koikkelehtimaan alas... rappusia! Oppaina meilla oli Xi-Anilais nuoripari Meng ja Xiang Juli Kai.

Episode 3: Lisaa rappusia!

Shanghaissa totuus iski pain naamaa heti rautatieasemalla. Emme paasseet vielakaan eroon rappusista! Metroasemilla oli liukuportaita ainoastaan yhteen suuntaan ja nekin aina vaaraan suuntaan!

Pyoraparkki!


Episode 3.2: Valikuolema


Liian paljosta rappusten ravaamisestahan tunnetusti on seurauksena ripuli, jotenka toinen Shanghai paiva meni heikkipojalla nesteytyksen merkeissa. Sinikka kavi kaupungilla ottamassa teaser valokuvia , etta huomena jaksaa olla terveena ja virkeana katsomassa modernin arkkitehtuurin ihmeita.

Tuesday, September 28, 2006

No more stairs!!

Episode 1: The forbidden city

On our second try we made it in to the forbidden city and it also turned out to be worth that second try. The thousand-year old buildings with their alleys and squares were straight from the movies! The only thing breaking the harmony were dozens-headed herds of tourists.

(caption: Pepsodent smile)

Episode 1.2: The land of a thousand stairs

On our first night in Beijing we met a finnish speaking chinaman (!), Barkley. He helped us to get tickets to a trip to the China wall. The flu I caught on the Mongolia-China train and this thousand-year old wonder really put a certain climber between a rock and a hard place! At first we were supposed to take it easy and climb just a couple tower lengths, but I’ll be damned, if from somewhere deep down in the spine did not come the finnish Sisu. With that persistence we kept dragging ourselves always “just one more” tower length and to the top we finally went!

Episode 2: Stairs cut on a mountain

Sinikka got us to make an extra hook to Xi-An, where we went to the mountains to see the makings of the chinese. Cut on a mountain slope, in the middle of unimaginably beautiful landscapes, was a complex of stairs and monasteries. Each of these once again built hundreds of years ago and completely by hand. In the height of 2000 metres, there lay kilometres of stairs and pathways.

Again, summit by summit, our flu-ridden expedition caught a wiew magnificent enough to start heading back and our stair-tormented legs finally got to climb down some... STAIRS! As guides we had a young couple from Xi-An, Meng and Xiang Juli Kai.

Episode 3: More stairs!

As soon as we got to the Shanghai railroad station it hit us. We still weren’t clear of the stairs! At the metro stations there were escalators running only in one direction, which somehow was always the wrong one!

(Caption: Bicycle parking lot)

Episode 3.2: Let me die here for a moment

As it is widely known, running too many stairs will result in diarrhea, so the second day in Shanghai was mostly hydration for Heikki-boy. Sinikka went downtown to snap some teaser shots to motivate me to be up and well tomorrow to check on the wonders of modern architecture.

Beijing

Kiinalainen sleeping bus kippasi enemman tai vahemman levanneet reissaajat savuiseen Pekingiin aamuun. Punkkauspaikaksi olimme valinneet hutong-alueella sijaitsevan Beijing Lotus Hostellin, joka todella osoittautui hostels.comissa saamiensa tahtien arvoiseksi. Pehmustetut toilettirenkaat, siistit privaatti-huoneet, kukkiva sisapiha ja ystavallinen respa saivat meidat tuntemaan olomme harvinaisen anti-backpackereiksi.. mutta kai se nautintokin valilla on paikallaan ;)

Peking ja liikenneruuhkat: pah! Mongolialaisen kaaoksen jalkeen paikalliset kadut vaikuttivat jarjestaytyneilta huopatossutehtailta, joissa jalankulkijankin on mahdollista sailyttaa henkensa. Sen sijaan yhtalo Beijing = hyva ruoka: consider confirmed! Aamupalaksi jotakin karvaista imukupeilla keittomuodossa, paivalliseksi kiinalaista ruokaetikettia opetellessa friteerattuja herkkuja hapanimelakastikkeessa ja valipalaksi grillattua skorpionia. Koiraa viela metsastetaan...

Visiitti Pekingin yhdessa must-mestassa, Kielletyssa kaupungissa tyssahti alkuunsa, silla olimme oikealla portilla liian myohaan sisaan paastaksemme. Alueella harhailukin tosin jo tuotti melkoisia nakoala- ja havaintoelamyksia, kuten kuvista nakyy. Kasittamatonta kauneutta karun kaupunkimaiseman keskella.. Ja nahtiin me ainakin Mao - ja ostettiin The Little Red Book. Tinkaaminen tuli koitettua, Tinkasin kirjan 180Y:sta 50, sitten Sinikalle myytiin sama kirja ilman tinkaysta 20:lla!!!

Illalla kaytiin kattoon selkarangattomia pikkukiinalaisia omituisissa asennoissa. Eli kuuluisia kiinalaisia akrobaatteja. Esitys oli mahtava!

Wednesday, november 22, 2006

The chinese “sleeping bus” ditched the more or less well rested travellers into the smoky Beijing morning. For our place to bunk in we had chosen the Beijing Lotus Hostel in the Hutong district, which turned out to be worth those stars in hostels.com indeed. The cushioned toilet seats, clean private rooms, the blooming courtyard and friendly reception made us feel exceptionally anti-backpackers, but I suppose there’s nothing wrong with occasional pleasure ;)

Beijing and traffic jams: bollocks! After the mongolian chaos the local streets seemed like well organised resting homes, where it is possible even for a pedestrian to walk and survive. And yet the equation Beijing = good food : consider confirmed! For breakfast something hairy with suction cups in form of a soup, for dinner, while still learning chinese food etiquette, some deep fried delicacies in sweet and sour sauce and for snacks grilled scorpions. Still tracking down some dog...

The visit to one of Beijing’s must-locations, the forbidden city, came to an end before it began, for we were at the right gate but too late to get inside. But even just wandering round the district gave us some quite wiews and perceptual experiences, as one can see from the photos. Unimaginable beauty in the middle of rugged city landscapes... And at least we saw Mao – and bought The Little Red Books. Tried out haggling also, haggled the price of the book from 180 Yuan to 50, and then they went and without a haggle sold Sinikka the exact same book with 20!!

At night we went to see spineless little chinamen in strange postures, that is the famous chinese acrobats. The show was awesome!

Gourmet heppaa ja taas mennaan

Torilta siis ostettiin Chinggis Khaanin vallotuskoneen jalkelaista ja Sinikan kanssa kokattiin oikea Gourmet wokki ja perunamuussi. Kaupasta pullo portoa ja pon apetit. Panulle terveiset, etta vaikka lihassa oli aika lailla sitkeita kohtia, toimi hammas oikein hyvin. Ja muutenkaan se ei oo kiukutellu! Kiitoksia!
















Sunnuntai iltana lahdettiin Ulan-Batorista junalla rajalle Kiinan puolelle. Juna oli tahan astisista "mielenkiintoisin". Ilmeisesti samovarin tulipesa tuprutti suurimman osan savusta sisalle vaunuun, jotenka aamulla oli kurkku aikas kipea.

Aamulla satuin heraamaan juuri sopivasti nakemaan auringonnousun Gobin aavikolla!
Rajalla junan vessat yleensa suljetaan, niinkuin nytkin tehtiin. Siita seuraa, ainakin mulla, kammottava tarve ulostaa. Talla kertaa rajatoimitukset onneksi kesti ainoastaan kaksi tuntia (Rus-Mong 9tuntia).

Maanantaina kello kolme lahti Erlianista yobussi kohti Pekingia. Vaikka bussissa oli oikein hyvat sangyt, unta ei kertyny 35 tunnille kuin ehka 3 tuntia. Masuhan siita menee Heikkipojalla sekaisin. Onneks kiinassa on kuunon vanhat kyykkyvessat.

Some gourmet horsey and on the road again

So, from the market we bought some of offspring of Genghis-Khan’s conquering machines and cooked a real gourmet wok with mashed potatoes with Sinikka. A bottle of porto to go with that from the store and boing appetìt! Shout out to Panu, altough the meat had quite a lot of leathery bits, the tooth worked really good. And in no other way has it been aching also, thanks!

On Sunday evening we took a train from Ulaan-Baatar to the border, to the chinese side. The train was the most “interesting” this far... Apparently the furnace of the samovar puffed most of it’s smoke inside the train car so in the morning my throat was pretty damn sore. Yet in the morning I happened to wake up just perfectly to see the sun rise over Gobi desert!

At the border the train toilets are usually locked up, which was the case now as well. That unfortunately causes - for me, that is – a terrible need to empty the bowel... This time luckily the border routines took only two hours (Russia-Mongolia 9hrs).

Three o’clock on Monday a nightbus from Erlian headed out to Beijing. Altough there were really nice beds on the bus, I got only perhaps 3 hours of sleep out of 35. That messes up Heikki-boys tummy, but luckily they have good ole squatting toilets in China ;)

MONGOLIA

Terppa Ulan-Batorista!

Tanne paastiin keskiviikko aamuna ja majoituttiin UB-Guest houseen. Tosi hyva siisti ja hyvahenkilokuntainen perus backpacer hostelli. ekaa yota ei tosin nukuttu hostellissa vaan 'jurtassa', paimentolaisteltassa (kuvassa).

Yo oli kylma mutta paasin nakemaan upeimman tahtitaivaan ikina!!! Vessaan mennessa ei nahnyt omia kasia! joten pimeys tosiaan oli totaalinen. Linnun radan oon kuvitellu nahneeni aiemminkin, mutta nyt ainakin oon.

Isantina meilla oli tavallisia paimentolaisia, jotka kasvatti arolla laiduntavia lehmia, hevosia, vuohia, yhta kamelia ja yhta jakkiharkaa.

Paivalla kaytiin ratsastamassa. Hevosia vahan kavi saaliks kun ne oli semmoosia vajaa kokosia ja inasan laihan puoleisia, ja me niihin nahden turhan isoja. Jos australiaan asti paasen, aion menna kengurufarmille hevosmieheks!
Ratsastaminen tosiaan oli mukavaa, mutta elainten kohtelu taallapain on aika karua. Se vaha latisti tunnelmaa.

Sunnuntaina Lahdetaan kohti Pekingia jossa ollaa tiistaina. Matka seure on kasvanut yhdella. Suomalaistytto Sinikka tulee samaa matkaa ainakin Pekingiin, ehka shanghaihin asti.

Talla Mongoliassa tosin on tosi mukavaa ja tosi halpaa ja mustan porssin torilta saa tyokaluja tosi halvalla, niin saattaa olla , etta jaan tanne koyhaksi puusepahevosmieheksiksi. voin lahettaa teille sinne huonekaluja ja hevosmakkaraa.

Ny tarttee lahtee hostellille karistaan hevosen paistia, joka muuten maksoi alle euron kilolta!!!!!!


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P.S. Ei joku valttamatta haluais kaantaa tata plogia englanniks:? Voin tuoda jonkun kivan tuliaisen:) Ja toisekseen se olis hyvaa englantitreenausta!!












Friday, November 17, 2006

MONGOLIA

Howdy From Ulaan Baatar!

Made it here on Wednesday morning and lodged to UB-guest house. Really nice and tidy basic backpacker hostel with good staff. The first night we in fact didn’t spend in a hostel but in a “yurta”, a nomad tent (picture).

The night was cold but I got to see the most astonishing starry sky ever!! When going to the toilet, I could not see my hands, so the darkness really was total! I’ve always imagined to have seen the Milky Way before, but now I most certainly have...

Our hosts were the ordinary nomadic tribesmen, who raised steps-grazing cows, horses, goats, one camel and one yak.

In the daytime we went riding. I felt a little sorry for the horses, for they were so small in size and on the thin side and therefore we were too big for them. If I’ll only make it to Australia, I’m going to be a horseman on a kangaroo ranch! The riding really was nice, but the treating of animals around here is pretty rough, which flattened the atmosphere a little.

On Sunday we’re heading to Beijing, where we’ll be on Tuesday. Our travel party has grown by a new member. A Finnish girl Sinikka will be joining us at least till Beijing, perhaps to Shanghai.

Actually it’s really nice and cheap here in Mongolia and one can get some tools really cheap from the black market square, so it might be I’ll stay here as a poor carpenter-horseman. I could send you furniture and horse sausage back home.

Now it’s back to the hostel to frizzle fry the horse roast, which by the way cost less than a euro per kilo!!!

P.S. Really feel free to send comments, for they make a nice reading. Remember to put your name on a comment. Well, most of them actually have names.

P.P.S. Anyone willing to translate this blog in english? I could bring you something nice :) and it would make good practice!!