I’m currently away on a holiday through New Zealand – and with sporadic Internet access only it does mean I won’t be updating this blog much. Not that i’ve been updating it much lately anyways…
So far NZ has been very nice – despite being welcomed by rain. Everyone here is dressed for summer already even though actually it’s still below 20. We arrived in Auckland then started driving south – through Hamilton, Te Kuiti, New Plymouth, Wanganui, and we’re currently in the capital, Wellington. Tomorrow we’ll be crossing to the South Island then will keep driving down… hopefully eventually reaching Milford Sound.
It’s true what they say: the grass really is greener on the other side. Or at least it is here. The air is fresh too – coming from Beijing i’m not sure I can handle it.
I’ll be posting up photos to the usual place after my trip. Meanwhile, I wish everyone a pleasant moon festival and (China) National Day holiday.
- or at least you may think so if you chanced upon a newspaper seller on board the Beijing underground with ’special news’ of the Hong Kong pop & movie star’s death. This scam is in fact over a year old… last year we stumbled across similar newspapers of the star’s passing away, yet as far as I am aware Andy Lau (劉德華) is in fact still live and kicking today!
To cheat people by selling false news (and I don’t mean the Chinese media in general here!) is wrong… to falsify news that someone is dead is just cheap. Maybe Andy Lau would be flattered that his popularity in China warrants publication of special newsflashes when he dies, but it disgusts me how some people in this country can still resort to such low taste methods to earn a living.
Where can one go for a peaceful hike in China without being harassed by salesmen on the trail, people offering horserides, archery, or photographs of your ugly mug in front of some natural scenery? With 1.3 billion people I know this country is short of space – but mountains (and scenery) are a public good and should not cost money to visit. The problem with the new-found-capitalism in this country is that now people are fencing off scenic areas, charging an entrance fee, and turning the places into fairgrounds.
This weekend past I went to ShenTangYu (神堂峪) up in the HuaiRou (怀柔) district: entrance fee was ¥21 per person which included ¥1 RMB insurance. Now don’t get me wrong – this isn’t a lot of money, and if collected for the purpose of preservation of the natural area then i’m all for it. Unfortunately, by effectively marking this on the map as a ‘tourist destination’ it also attracts a certain crowd and makes the area somewhat tacky with the stalls that crop up every few hundred metres.
At the end of the day, ShenTangYu was still very pleasant – and if you head north beyond the ’scenic area’ you will find un-manned territory. The valley is easy to hike, suitable for families, has a running stream with fresh water… and even a mini-beach. If only one could avoid being heckled by salespeople also… the day could almost be perfect!
General |
Posted by Terence
Sep
11
2006
We have now moved flat – finally – to be closer to the office in Beijing: the move takes us from Haidian District (海淀区) to the CBD district (朝阳区), which means that we are now also much closer to ‘civilization’.
This new location should make a pleasant change, but we also now have a very nice (new) flat under fairly good management. It remains to be seen whether this flat will suffer from the same plumbing problems i’ve previously experienced, but i’ll keep everyone updated! It also appears I don’t have the right conditions to cultivate mushrooms… though no doubt i’ll manage to find myself an alternative.
The good news is, there’s plenty of room: so if anyone is passing by feel free to drop me a line!
Last weekend we took a road trip to LingShan (灵山), 100km west of Beijing. Despite the short distance, the actual journey time is close to three hours due to the narrow windy roads – although it should be said the road quality was excellent. Though technically in Hebei Province (河北省), the entrance to the LingShan Scenic Area (灵山风景区) is in Beijing: it costs ¥35 per person entrance fee, plus the optional ¥50 for the cable car (actually ski lift) halfway up, ¥40 for the cable car down – or ¥80 for a return cable car journey. From the upper cable car station you must walk the final distance to the summit: 2302m above sea level, or you can ride a horse: typically ¥30 per person although you can haggle with the locals.
Ling Shan is well worth visiting: it makes an excellent weekend retreat from the buzz and pollution of Beijing city, and is an ideal day hike also. Although it is a shame that entrance fee is required to the park (mountains are a public good and should be free!), the views make for a stunning contrast to the city.
Just a word of warning to those with bad knees: there are lots of steps involved, although half of them can be avoided.
