hey, i promised to blog this down, in appreciation of aska for her wonderful presents from taiwan!

when yogi went taiwan, he gave each of us this!!…

it was gone within 10 seconds.

when ASKA when TAIWAN, she gave me THIS!!!!…

YAY!!!! wooohoooo, but it was gone within 3 days. -_-”

the blood of flowers

My love is sweet-waisted, like a cypress. And when the wind blows, my love neither breaks nor bends.

- The Blood of Flowers, Anita Amirrezvani.

the book has made me view carpets, or cushion covers, anything knotted, in a different light. especially the handmade ethnic minority skirt i had purchased in Sapa from an old lady. i could appreciate it even more, with knowledge of the labour and sufferings hidden within each and every knot, starting with the materials.

“Vast fields of flowers had to be murdered for their dye, innocent worms boiled alive for their silk — and what about knotters? Must we sacrifice ourselves for the sake of rugs? All our labours were in service of beauty, but sometimes, it seemed as if every thread in a carpet had been dipped in the blood of flowers.“

i wonder if a story of its own lies within each and every hand made carpet. or perhaps just about any other products you can find at home, on the streets, or even on food court tables filled with half empty cups and plates with uneaten food.

maybe what i’m trying to say is, everyone has his/her own story to tell.

or perhaps i’m just not thinking right after four days of helping out at some event with the lack of proper sleep. anyway, i’m glad it’s over and all i want is the bed now. goodnight world!

phobia

knowing Him has finally made me face all the fears which i’ve never dared face, and STAND UP TO THEM!

and of cos, impossible without the encouraging friends that He has surround me with. =)

bus hazards

today within a bus trip, i found myself meeting 5 bus hazards i deem unforgivable. it was a torturous 45min on 162.

1. people who aren’t obese, but take up one and three quarter of the TWO bus seats by spreading their legs WIDEEEEEEEEEEE open. i wonder why, especially for ladies.

2. people who fidget unnecessarily on crowded buses, especially hyper active kids or couples who display EXTREME cases of public affection as if there’s no tomorrow. those topped up with smooching sound effects are even ‘better’.

3. people who play their techno music so loud that the bus seem to be a club. but they are very brave people, for they will NEVER give in no matter how the rest of the passengers stare at them.

4. people who dig their nose and dispose of their ‘waste’ just beside you. (%@#@@%#@ i feel like throwing these ppl into LAKE DIAN!!!)

5. people who ‘TSK’ at me when the small, little, innocent me move just half a second slower than them!!!

okay, all of the above were whom i met during that 45min bus trip. what an exciting bus trip!

and so presenting to you, UNIQUELY SINGAPORE!

i usually end my prayers wishing happiness for ppl around me, with many different faces and names running through my mind. how i wish you would know there are always others praying for you out there.

*****

it’s funny that i started this post thinking that i’ve lots to say. ‘cos right now, i’m lost for words.

let’s just say there is always something to learn from in every chapter of your life, isn’t it?

lake dian.haikou.home

The times in dali and lijiang seemed to pass so damn quickly. Before we knew it, we were back in the Singapore-look-alike Kunming.

We didn’t do anything much in KMG, just stroll around the city and get what we intended to buy beforehand. The only thing worth mentioning is probably the smelly Lake Dian. The smell is really oh-my-GAWD. Freak, I could still recall the smell while reminiscing the moments we were there.

The pic looks nice eh? On a closer look…

*%$#%$%#@$*

We were totally amazed at how the locals were willing to pay 8 RMB to PICNIC by this lake. The conversation among ourselves went #%#@%#@$ about 90% of the time we were there. It’s really gross my friends. We thought that if anyone were to fall into that #@%@# lake, he/she would turn into the Incredible Hulk.

After about two days in Kunming, we flew to Haikou on the Hainan Island for a night’s stay. Having spent two weeks in place of higher altitudes where the weather was cool and friendly, the heat and humidity in Haikou KILLS. The moment we touched down and walked out of the plane, we started drowning in our sweat and rashes began to form on my body. While we were there, torrentious rains hit the town and we ended up watching dvds, playing table tennis, badminton and pool in our humble BANANA hostel. Yes, our hostel is named Banana, but nothing in relation to that fruit can be found anywhere near the hostel.

Apparently hainanese chicken rice originates from this island, just that it’s called ‘wen chang ji’ over here. We tried one of those, it looks the same as what we have here, but I felt that the taste was pale in comparison to that in Singapore, especially the one in far east! woohoo.

Then, it was back to home sweet home.

Travelling refreshes the soul. The intensity and volume of the world is something that only travelling with an open heart will ever let you experience.

For now, it’s back to facing the cruel realities…

lijiang’s beauty

While I thought no other place in Yunnan could match up to Dali, I eventually grew to like Lijiang (even more than Dali) after spending 3 nights there.

Our guesthouse was in the Old Town of Lijiang, another famous UNESCO Heritage Site which is well known for the history and culture of its Naxi people. This old town seemed to be smack right in the middle of Lijiang city, which presented to us the distinctiveness between the old town and the modernized region of Lijiang. Most of the dwellings were just clustered along and near to water sources and hence the roads were mostly narrow and it can be rather confusing walking around the town.

OTL is indeed a townscape of high historic quality and authenticity, under the extensive preservation efforts by the local government. And of course with that comes preservation fees that tourists were required to pay for almost all of the town’s places of interest, which is why we didn’t do much sight-seeing over there. But nevertheless, just bumming around the old town makes Sharon a happy person!

On our first night, we attended this Naxi ancient music concert, famous for its ancient music instruments, music scores and old musicians (many of them were over 80 years old). Naxi music is supposedly the ‘living fossil’ of Chinese music and thus the Dayan Naxi Ancient Music Association was formed to help revive this traditional Naxi culture.

The concert went like this: A young Chinese lady introduced and provided some information to the upcoming music piece. With solemn and STRAIGHT faces, the musicians who were seemingly ASLEEP will uniformly retrieve their instruments. The conductor of the group echoed the title of the music piece and the music was played. This went on for about… an hour… and gradually… I found myself in lala-land. Don’t get me wrong, the music wasn’t horrible, it’s just that.. you know, it had been a long day, I was tired, and… maybe I just didn’t know how to appreciate it. ;p After about an hour, Xuan Ke, the president of the music association came onto stage and he took over the role of the MC. I then found myself awake again. He can really talk non-stop, like NON-STOP. He cracked occasional jokes in Chinese and English (with a straight face) and it seemed that only four of us were laughing them. Oh! And he praised us! For attending the concert, despite the young generation idolizing pop singers (he used Jay Chou as an example). I think he didn’t see me falling asleep. Nonetheless, I could sense his passion for ancient music and I really respect him for that.

Due to monetary constraints as sight-seeing was so expensive in Lijiang (!!!), we were torn apart between visiting the Tiger Leaping Gorge and the Jade Dragon Snow Mountain. Eventually, we decided on the snow mountain as the weather was then pretty unpredictable with occasional showers which could make the gorge a wasted trip. Horse riding up the mountains was fun!

My back AND backSIDE was aching after that though. The mountains were so named as the chain of peaks resembled a dragon lying amid the clouds. Each of us sat on a horse with a personal guide. My guide is a handsome chap, who made me a crown from leaves and branches. But I was too shy to take pics of him. SHEESH. What a waste. This is the only photo I got hold of:

The horse ride was pretty interesting, great scenery, fresh air and mountain songs from our guides every now and then. And our horses would occasionally stop and poo or pee. Felt weird that they’re doing it when you’re on their back you know. yucks. Oh, I remember that somehow, Tinghui was always lagging behind the group. Seldom in sight. Hahaha.

Tinghui’s slow and steady guide:

Lijiang’s beauty captured me. I love those mornings where the girls and I would take a morning stroll to a random café, order a cup of coffee and read the national geographic magazines. Sitting by the hot stove for dinner during cold evenings and chatting with random travelers, listening to their stories and envying them. 100% relaxation. How nice. =)

3 nights ain’t enough. I’d wanna visit Lijiang again!

the lovely dali old town

I’m gonna start my entry with…

I LOVE DALI OLD TOWN!!

Good food. Amazing hostel. Great hosts. Perfect weather. What more can you ask for?

Picture this: A walled city along the edge of Erhai Lake, surrounded by vast lands of padi fields. A picturesque town with mountains as the backdrop, and in the foreground, we have the old Chinese style architecture – cobblestoned roads and buildings of tiled roofs, a few pretty new and fake, but still beautiful. That’s Dali Old Town. =) It’s home to mostly the Bai (they pronounce it as berl) ethnic minority.

Our accommodation was near the Dali Old Town, where the buildings were kept relatively untouched as compared to the new town which was quite a distance away. We stayed in the Jade Emu International Hostel, run by an Australian man, Dave and a sweet Chinese lady, Song. Alex had (I think still has) a thing for that man. She blushes whenever we tease her. yucks. But anyway, it’s a highly recommended hostel to stay in!

We hired a local guide by the name of Ya Jie, and she brought us to the Shaping Market on the first day. The road which led us there was lined by padi rice fields on both sides and the scenery was superb. A pity we didn’t cycle along it which many tourists chose to do so. Shaping Market has all sorts of merchandise, and the customers were mostly old ladies carrying a basket on their shoulders where they’d place their buys. Yeejia yearns for one of such baskets.

Shaping Market offered us an interesting look at the locals’ life in the small town. And it was over here that I experienced one of the WORSE EVER toilets. Even paid 0.50RMB for it to an old lady whom I think just happened to be there. Poor alex that she had to accompany me in. HA. And of course, NO PICS of that.

Dali is also famous for its batik fashioned from wax and dye and we visited one of the batik factories.

On the second day with Ya Jie, we visited this lake which extends out to Erhai, inhabited by this man and his family, who earns a living by fishing with cormorants. The trained birds had strings tied round their throats (only when they’re at work), which allowed them only to swallow the small fishes. Big fishes which the birds capture will be caught in their throats and then removed by the fishermen. Unfortunately, the time when we dropped by was the season whereby fishing is prohibited in Erhai, and we could only rowrowrow our boat around the little, confined lake.

This particular bird was placed on the boat edge beside me and it remained in this position for a very long time (supposedly to dry its wings):

I thought it looked idiotic. Wanted to stroke it but apparently it disliked me, unlike the one beside alex. =( I conclude that I don’t really fancy birds……

Our fisherman is a very friendly guy. He taught us the parts of the boat in Chinese, English and Japanese languages. He talked NON-STOP, shifting his audience from one of us to another whenever the former lost our span of concentration. He talked about politics, presented detailed statistics and information regarding the earthquake, etc etc. Interesting guy indeed…

We dropped by the famous Three Pagodas, but didn’t enter as the entrance fee was skyhigh.

To really enjoy Dali Old town, you gotta slow down your usual pace, amble leisurely along the cobblestoned paths, and absorb the simplicity and stunning scenery surrounding you. How I wish I could relive those moments.

I love Dali. =)

Kunming

The newer part of Kunming gave me the familiar feeling of being in Singapore, with BreadTalk, HagenDaz, Giodarno (often accompanied by another brand called Cadarno). Not exactly my kind of holiday meant to escape the hectic lion city life.

But still, things were good with extremely cheap food and extremelyextremelyextremely cheap DVDs which burnt a hole in Alex’s pocket. And the Old Quarters where the buildings were still kept untouched and bustling with activities was an interesting place to hang around.

The first hostel which we stayed in was fascinating. The Hump Hostel. The stairs leading up to the reception has wall paintings and graffiti.

Our 4 person bedroom was like a room with an attic, two beds on each storey. And the toilet had no doors. Just curtains to compartmentalize the toilet bowl, the shower and the sink. So we can have 3 people doing different things at the same time in the toilet. Imagine how nervous I was when the lecherous Yeejia was doing her laundry while I was bathing. I felt violated. Ahhh, too bad I didn’t take a pic of the room. And the common area has all the facilities – bar, tv lounge, internet, pool, tabletennis table. And it has an amazing view over part of the Kunming city! BUT, we didn’t return to this hostel after our trip from Lijiang as the hostel was above this KTV and disco club, with thumping beats and shouting men making incessant noise all the way until 3am. -_-“

On our second day in Kunming, we took a side trip to Shilin, the famous Stone Forest.

It’s also some UNESCO World Heritage Site. But to me, it’s nothing more than just a tourist site. So much so that it seemed artificial to me and I just can’t seem to appreciate the wonder of it. The journey started with us stopping over at a souvenir shop selling jade bangles and a mega big temple, during which time seemed to pass by freaking slowly.

It wasn’t until after lunch time that we managed to STEP into the world heritage site.

The Stone Forest was filled with so many locals that it felt more like a market to me. Okay, it felt like Halong Bay on land. Okay, then again, maybe it wasn’t that bad lah. OKAY, MAYBE I was just sore that we didn’t get to see the waterfall mentioned in the guidebook.

That was our pretty guide. The women there are to be addressed as ah shi ma. It’s considered impolite if you call them xiao jie.

This pretty girl i met:

Back in Kunming city, we saw many imitations of KFC. This was one of them:

As you can see (quite obviously), I’m rather unimpressed with Kunming. The streets were filled with punks and shops of weird fashion. It has its own uniqueness (filled with spitting men), but not extremely interesting for me. Anyway, after about two days, we set off for Dali with high hopes (well, at least for me).

Our trip to Gejiu

The next destination after Sapa was Gejiu, slightly north to the Vietnam/Yunnan border. Our trip to Gejiu wasn’t exactly filled with hiccups, nor was it anything near enjoyable. And i realised it was so zzzz… that i hardly took any pics along the way.

From Sapa, we took a minivan down to Lao Cai, where a guy from the hotel we booked will pick us up. However, there was a slight confusion as our plans were considered rather unconventional, since tourists would usually take the train back to Hanoi. It ended with us paying the mini van driver another ~25,000 VND who brought us to our intended hotel WITH the hotel guy who came without any transportation. Until now, we were amazed by this hotel guy as our hotel was a distance away from our drop off point, UNATTAINABLE BY FOOT.

And so, we spent one night in this hotel near the Chinese border. Throughout our stay in this region, the feeling we have can be summarized in one word – WEIRD. The people there do not speak any other languages except Vietnamese, none of them were friendly and the place can be described as a ghost town. It is definitely a place that no tourist wanna roam about. And as it was not a touristy area, the locals will OGLE at us from top to bottom, and back from bottom to top again. How we wished ANG MOHs were around us at that point of time.

When the next morning came, we were nothing but GLAD that we could leave that place and move on to the customs. Our transition across the border was smooth, except for a small hiccup where some idiot misplaced her Vietnam departure card (but eventually found it in some corner of her bag after some time). okay, that was me.

Yeejia was smart not to bring Lonely Planet China along; apparently it is well known that the guidebook will be confiscated by the custom officers as it colours Taiwan in a different colour, suggesting that Taiwan is not part of China. -_-“ WU LIAO.

Anyway, after crossing the borders, we went to the bus station to purchase our tickets up to Gejiu where we will spend one night before moving up to Kunming.

Slogans like this were everywhere in China:

I thought it was rather amusing, especially if you read it aloud.

Well, the bus ride was… … … … *shakes head*. A dusty bus which they probably didn’t clean ever since it was bought + no air-condition + narrow seats + spitting men + uneven roads + poor suspension. What does that equate to? You decide for yourself. But SURPRISINGLY, we managed to nap throughout most of the bus journey (which actually made things easier for us).

FINALLY, after hours on the bus, we got ourselves safe and sound in Gejiu. (YAY!!)

Gejiu is a super surreal, little town filled with the old and elderly, truly a region of an ageing population. And again, the locals would look at us intently from top to bottom. Took us some time to get use to that. Found our hotel, rested well, and prepared for our journey towards Kunming.