Taipei 4 - 9 Feburary

Liam in drunken awe at the 1Ltr Kirin beer (Japanese)

Dutch girl, Sam

Alex aka Spider Cockroach

Drunken nonsense

A gay Alex not impressing anyone :)

The serious portrait

Wiki Tapei 101 : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taipei_101

***FOLKS - I'VE HAD SOME ISSUES WITH THIS POST: THE STORY I WROTE UP GOT DELETED. IN FACT EVERYTHING GOT DELETED. ABOVE ARE SOME OF THE PICS BUT YOU WILL HAVE TO WAIT A FEW MORE DAYS FOR THE TALE..APOLOGIES! :) PEACE***

Hong Kong 31 January - 3 February

Interesting dude at the bar

Sara and me

Sara and Aaron with drunken faces

Outside Po Lin monastic temple (no disrespect pic taking outside a temple, just inside)

Cable cars near Tian Tan

View from Tian Tan Buddha (1)

The wrecked trainers

View from Tian Tan Buddha (2)

Incense burning

Central Island shot from Ferry

Steps up to Big Buddha (Unfortunately the sun ruined it)

Tian Tan Buddha

Buddha and me

Thomas

Central Island at night (fuzzy pic)

Awaiting for a Ferry

Country - Hong Kong (Special Administrative region)

Est. Population - 6,985,200 (2008)

Currency - Hong Kong Dollar

1 HKD = circa 0.10 EUR

1 EUR = circa 10 HKD (both at the time of writing)

Arrived into Kowloon, HK, at about 13h30 and one subway station later I was at the hostel. The dorm was far from great (no windows and air con was lousy) but it was cheap and it was HK after all. Met an interesting guy from the UK at the room, George. He works as an intern for an ex-pat magazine based in Shanghai. No salary but he does get an apartment paid for. Took a walk through Kowloon park and meet some guys playing football on an all weather pitch. Asked could I play and they did not have any issues with that. Actually played quite well during the game we had - sort of an odd bunch of ex-pats versus a team of HK friends you have played together for years.

After the football I went back to the hostel and chatted to George. Invited him to join me for some street food. I got two meat sticks; one with beef and the other with chicken. Seriously pricey compared to mainland China. 26 HKD! Nothing in Europe but in Asia that's expensive. Suppose it was HK after all and I knew it would be more expensive - that's why I was eating on the streets in the first place! George said he was interested in catching some of the weekend football from back home and was considering hitting a bar. I explained one could watch the games on the Internet at no cost. George had a laptop with him. Decided to collect a few beers and kick back at the hostel, chilling and watching some late night football.

However, the router was really far from our room (we surmised) as the signal was very weak. I suggested testing other parts of our floor to see if the signal got stronger. We went near the hostel floor main entrance. Dramatic improvement in signal. Clearly the router was located there, our room was at the far end of the floor. George went to collect beers while I set up the action. I was watching some of Stoke v Man City when a dude came in the entrance door. I explained about watching the footie online. Thomas, from Bern in Switzerland, asked could he join us. Of course.

We watched some of the football for a while and then Thomas went to his room which was right beside where we were at. I suggested we relocate to his room in case anyone complained. Motion passed. We watched West Ham v Arsenal (boring) and Everton v Man U (equally dull) and had a laugh. Got to my bed at about 04h30!

On Sunday Thomas and myself went for a late breakfast, well brunch really, at about noon. Salad and OJ; got to reward the body for the punishment of the night prior. George had a few things to do but I told him all about the football I played yesterday. I had arranged to meet the guys again at 16h00. George and Thomas were up for it. Firstly, Thomas and myself went to go see a Kung Fu exhibition in Kowloon park, free admission. Mostly kids aged between 4-14 years but wow they were amazing and some were so fluid in their movements.

We went back to the football court area and jammed with a ball for a while, waiting for the others to arrive. Didn't look like we were going to get a game, the court was booked. Then some guy landed badly after pretty much the only tackle of their non-contact game and severely damaged his elbow. Ambulance, the works.

Back on court so. However, my trainers were a mess. Ken - an Afghan guy I played with the day before - told me where I could buy cheap tennis shoes great for football. 22 HKD! Yeah! We played against a team who looked like teenagers. Decent players but they lacked any edge; not clinical enough in the final third. Unfortunately my game ended early, which now I'm glad of. Was on the verge of a hamstring strain.

Afterwards we went for some cheap Indian food at Chunking Mansions, where we were staying at. Was delicious, Indian is one of my favourite foods (1. Sushi; 2. Mexican; 3. Thai; 4. Indian..). The Australian open tennis final was on. Federer v Nadal. Thomas didn't want to miss this, he quickly showered and went to the nearby Irish bar for the coverage. George and myself only made it for the final set. Epic tennis. Federer is from Thomas' home town, he was devastated. We had fun winding him up :)

Being at the bar was a great relieve from sitting in Thomas' room though that was clearly the cheaper option. The Irish bar was so incredibly expensive. We voted to go back to the hostel for a few cheeky (cheap) drinks (Thomas had a Kilkenny at the bar for 65 HKD! Was funny seeing him stare at the bill when he got it, what a novice!). Went back to the bar for the Liverpool v Chelsea game for the midnight kickoff. One night of expensive drinks was worth it for the air con! We watched the game with two English guys and had some great banter. They suggested we go visit the big Buddha statue (Tian Tan Buddha), the largest in the world.

The plan for Monday was to do exactly that. George left at this point so it was just Thomas and myself. We got some breakfast and got a ferry over to Central island (ferry costs 1.7 HKD; subway costs 9 HKD! Nuts - probably trying to recoup the cost of the investment). A further hour ferry ride and an hour bus ride and we made it to the small village of Ngong Ping, deep within the mountains on Lantau Island. The Po Lin monastery is nearby and is exquisitely serene. Surrounding the temple within the monastic area are plenty of food vendors but they do not serve any meat; obviously the monks are vegetarians and want the food served to respect their own environment.

The lead up to Tian Tan was magnificent. Circa 250 steps at a steep incline lead up to this enormous statue, the symbol of the greatest religion on this planet. The view from the vantage point is truly breathtaking. You can see other islands in the distance and there is a cable car you can take to less populated and even more peaceful views (human traffic was a little too much but understandably so; a place everyone should visit whilst at HK). After the brilliance of the Buddha statue, Thomas and myself - hobbling (in pain from my sore hamstring) - walked to the Buddhist monastery. Such a tranquil mood. Plenty of incense burning throughout.

To witness the monks at prayer through singing was an experience, I tell you. Unfortunately no pictures/video out of respect for their ritual, just as Erik explained to me in Ningbo. After a wander around we made our way back to Kowloon via Central Island, even had a nap out of exhaustion! Went for some wonderful cheap Sushi (California rolls for 19 HKD) before we went to the fake brand markets.

Thomas was set to fly to Sydney the following day and wanted to get as much cheap clothes as possible. Before we went there we stopped off at a bar as it was still happy hour: pint of San Miguel, normal price = 36 HKD; happy hour price = 22 HKD! Went to the market and I even bought a lovely pair of shorts (25 HKD) and a summery jacket (65 HKD).

After the market we went back to that bar again and played a game I played when I was younger, think it's called something like coin football, serious banter and beer combo :) We ended up joining up with a few girls from HK after playing some darts and we tagged along with them in a game of Chinese dice. Afterwards we went to another bar and did some karaoke for kicks. At this point it's 05h30 and we're kind of smashed so we make our way back to the hostel. At Chunking Mansions (where the hostel is based) we very randomly bumped into a crazy Welsh guy. Seriously crazy. Hadn't slept in three days and it showed. He had some green so we went off for a few smokes. Man, I got to bed at about 08h00 and was annihilated. Good times :)

Tuesday, last day in HK. Only got up at noon, Thomas had already checked out but he left a note on my door. Actually he left it on the wrong door but I knew it was for me. Was really wrecked. Went for more Sushi and chilled out by a pond. Didn't get up to much for a while, was working on an earlier blog post and chilling at the hostel Internet. Then met a cool Australian guy (Aaron) and we had some good banter. Took a walk down by the river with Thomas but asked Aaron did he wanted to vendez-vous for a drink at about 17h00 with Thomas before he left .

Just got some beers at 7/11 and had them at the Internet area (it is a room with a door so no issue). There was a dutch girl - Sara - who was also there and joined us for a drink. Aaron, Sara and myself decided to go out for a few and we said good luck to Thomas as he went to catch a bus to HK International.

We had a great laugh out during happy hour at the same bar as Thomas and myself (I know, kind of lazy but I knew when happy hour began and finished) went to. So happy hour finishes at 21h00 but the great thing is that they ask you would you like to get last orders. Once your order is in before 21h00 you can continue to drink post deadline for the happy hour price! We order six beers and that kept us going for a while! Sara couldn't drink any more, she was smashed (sorry Sara, but it's true and you know it). Didn't stay up late, around 00h45 and then crashed.

Got up at 07h45 to pack et cetera with my flight to Taipei at 12h05. At the time of posting this entry I'm in Nanning in the capital of the Guangxi autonomous region in southern China. Trying to cathc up on my posts so don't be surprised to see another post within the next day or so.

All the best,

Liam O'Connor, travelling hobbit

Ningbo 26th - 30th January

View of Ningbo from a suspension bridge

DongQing Lake banner (from the side)

Olivia, the non-English speaking dude and me

The steps that lead to the stone boat, into the underworld

Erik and me near the waterfall (See background)

Walking over a bridge with boat shed over shoulder

The boat shed

The stone ship that sails into the west

The turtles: signifies a slow, long life

Statue of Kwan Yi (1)

Statue of Kwan Yi (2)

DongQing Lake, view of the foggy lake

Tian Yi Square water springs at night

Two kids on a crocodile!

Chinese firework shop!

Moon Lake (1)

Tian Yi Square

Moon Lake (2)

Moon Lake (3)

City - Ningbo (North eastern Zhejiang province)
Country - China
Est Population (Ningbo) - 5,681,000 (2008)
Currency - please refer to Beijing post here

As you have probably read from Shanghai post I missed my original train to Ningbo, should have arrived at about 14h30 but instead got there around 18h20. Didn't make things easy on myself further still when I just wrote down the hostel name. There is next to no English in Ningbo. Took me about 2 hours to find the hostel and in actuality it was only about 7mins walk from the train station!! C'est la vie. Didn't do very much when I eventually got to the hostel as it was after 21h00 so I just got some food and hit the hay..

Tuesday I got some Chinese dumplings at the hostel and went out to explore the city more. It was bizarre. There are so many people in this "medium" size city, most were still on holidays for the new year. Everybody was staring at me! Ningbo is not a tourist city at all, in fact during my entire stay here I only saw about four caucasian people, some of which were staying at the hostel. This day was going to be low key, I partied so hard in Shanghai my body needed a rest. Took some lovely walks over bridges and just thought about travelling, how much I love it, where I want to go - that sort of thing. Funny to walk around for five hours, singing and whistling songs, saying Nihao (hello in Chinese, phonetically: Nee-how) when I got the accustomed stare.

Went to find some street food after so I walked around near Tian Yi, the main square. Ended up not having street food, found a wonderful place to eat instead. Had a big bowl of rice with a dish of pork and vegetables. Green tea as well, good for the body. It was unbelievably. The waiters/waitresses kept sneaking a peak at me because I refused a knife and fork and wanted to brush up on my chopstick skills. Was so funny, I was eating and playing Su Doku. Two Chinese guys came over as they wanted to speak some English. They hadn't played the game before (Su Doku) so I coached them how to play and they learned incredibly fast. The meal should have cost me 30 RMB but one of the two guys worked at the restaurant and would only take 20 RMB off me!

Wednesday was a slow day for me. The CFA results were coming out so I was anxious with anticipation and nervous to know how I did. The results were to be posted to the web at 09h00 EST (Eastern Standard Time, essentially Washington DC time) which in Ningbo was 22h00 and therefore overshadowed my day to a degree. So I mostly walked around during the day, smoked a few cigarettes to chill me out and read a book almost cover to cover. I went back to the hostel at about 18h30 where I met a Swiss girl (Olivia; Chinese name: Hu Aiwen, silent 'a') and a Chinese guy (Erik; Chinese name: Ye Zhe (pronounced Ger) Ren) on holidays and had a few beers at the hostel with them.

We hung out at the hostel common area til after 22h00, waiting for my results. We had decided to go to a bar that served Paulaner - before 20h00, buy one get one free. After 20h00 buy two get one free. I can get behind that Paulaner offer! Couldn't initially get the results, too many people across the globe doing likewise and the connection at the hostel was less than ideal. So Olivia and myself decided to head on out. The beers were great and we got back to the hostel at 02h30 after getting to the bar circa 23h30. Can't use the Internet terminal at the common area after 00h00 so Olivia got her great Apple laptop out and we were trying to find the wireless without going into the common area! The staff member was asleep in there and wouldn't have been impressed.

Eventually got the connection and the result of pass! Only 38% globally got the green light to move onwards to Level II. Went to bed happy, despite the bedlam of fireworks near the Moon lake, with it still being the spring festival and the 15 days celebrations. Acted as an alarm clock as well because fireworks woke me up at 08h30, crazy stuff.

Thursday I met Erik downstairs at the common area, he was too tired to go out for drinks with Olivia and myself the night prior. Erik told me of this lake he was going to visit and asked to join him, which I happily did. Great call on his part. Even though it took 20mins in a taxi to Ningbo south east bus station and an hour on a bus it was worth it. The bus only cost 2 RMB each way, next to nothing really. DongQian lake was spectacular, a truly surreal paradise in my eyes. Words can never express what my heart felt being in this undeniably beautiful haven. The pictures will tell the tale better than these weak words can.

The lake was huge, we only tipped the top of the iceberg. There was a wondrous statue of Kwan Yin, the mother of the west. In Buddhism they believe you cross over a bridge - which represents you passing out of this world into the underworld - after which you climb up steps and board a stone ship. The ship sails into the west, the phrase used for passing into the Buddhist afterlife. It was so great that Erik could explain this to me as there wasn't really any English to explain the significance of the layout, the mystery of which would have been lost on me without Eriks instruction.

We went to a few temples nearby and, due to Erik explaining, there are no pictures of this. Out of respect for the monks Chinese people do not take pictures at temples. A place of prayer and meditation. Therefore, I followed suit and did likewise. I cannot utter the emotions I felt as I walked candidly around in wonder. This is a truly special place and will not be forgotten by me.

After spending much time wandering we took some pictures that flowed into the lake and then had to make our way back. It was almost 16h00 and Erik was leaving at 18h30 from the hostel. We got back to the city centre and went to a famous food market that had all sorts of Chinese delicacies, my tastebuds were thanking me!

We went back to the hostel thereafter and had a drink before Erik had to depart. After that I just sort of hung out at the hostel with Olivia and a Chinese dude who couldn't speak any English. He appreciated it when I bought him three beers at the supermarket and in return, back at the hostel, he gave me a large glass of cognac! Was happy about that and sipped on it for quite a while! As the evening wore on a few Chinese guys arrived, I was sitting on my own and they came over and asked me a chess question: "Which has all the power, the King or the Queen". An obvious answer for anyone who knows chess. After that I watched a bit and then played the next game. Four Chinese guys against me! I ended up losing but it was pretty funny. Went to bed at about 00h30, had to get up at 08h00 to prepare for the two trains the next day.

Not much to report on Friday. Left Ningbo by train back to Shanghai at 09h50 for a connecting train to Kowloon in Hong Kong. Luckily with the backpack and the mini-bp on the front of my body the train station was within easy reach. Arrived in Shanghai at about 13h30 with my next train onwards to Kowloon at 17h09. Leaving mainland China to enter HK requires immigration control. Haven't had to do that in quite a while (not since going through Slovenia to Zagreb, Croatia, August 2003).

The 20 hour train ride was mostly uneventful, just read a book and kept to myself. Not speaking Chinese makes that rather easy! The only thing worth mentioning was that I didn't manage to sleep in the soft sleeper beds (2 beds on either side of the cabin, softer beds obviously), when I made my train ticket bookings they were already sold out. Instead I had to sleep within a hard sleeper cabin (sounds worse than it actually was). There are three beds either side and less space. Unfortunately for me I had to sleep on the very top bed. Was annoying trying to get up and down!

Train arrived at HK circa 13h05 and luckily didn't take much time to locate the hostel. HK post will be hopefully jotted up within the next couple of days. Peace out.

All the best,

Liam O'Connor, travelling hobbit