LILY & OWEN's

Well sadly, it's over.
Back home to... a chilly Auckland 17deg(63degF), feijoas & weetbix for breakfast, familiar plumbling :-))

China was an eye-opener..... the scale of population, the scale of urban spaces, the degree of 'westernisation' in the cities esp., the pandemonium of road traffic, the (in general) friendliness of the Chinese, the low cost of great food everywhere, the extent of 'security' measures in operation all over, the national unity & compassion generated by the Sichuan earthquake & the way that this is being stoked along by the Party for all it's worth....

Some possibly useful info for travellers:

TRAINS:
Excellent train system, very busy, so book well in advance (altho 10days is the max that advance bookings can be made). 'Soft Sleeper' class on Z-class express trains, is excellent, still cheaper than flying & you can save on an overnight accommodation. Even more attractive when you factor in the cost of airport transfers (taxi) & long check-in time requirement.

FLIGHTS:
Domestic flights in China are best booked in China & can be had at much discounted prices. Chinese Airports are modern & efficient. Flying is attractive for long hauls when a 3hr flight could replace a 20hr train ride.

ACCOMMODATION:
Best booked online for best room rates...and in some cases, better rooms! (Eg. From accommodation review sites.)

Comments on some of the places we stayed at:

Metropark Hotel, Kowloon - technically a little away from the action but (i)free hourly aircond shuttle minibuses to/from Mongkok & TST (ii)close to Mongkok (iii)swimming pool! HKD650 dble + taxes
Guangdong Victory Hotel, Guangzhou - located in the historic Shamian Island but a 10min walk away from nearest Metro. However, a 4-star hotel for 3-star price, nice staff & a superlative seafood restaurant across road. Swimming pool! RMB360 dble incl taxes etc.
Hq Hostel/Apartment, Xi'an - a new small establishment, run by a very hospitable (Kiwi & Chinese) couple. Modern apartment with 2 large dble brms, kitchen, lounge, dining, bathroom. RMB150/dble. Ideally suit families or 4 persons. Location reasonably central, nr Muslim district. Need to book well ahead.
Leo Hostel, Beijing - excellent location, 5~10min from Tian An Men Sq, in interesting old district, friendly staff, many good food options nearby. However, room quality v variable. RMB200 dble w bathrm. Similar priced hotels nearby.
Donghu Hotel, Shanghai - In the quiet French Concession district, 5~10mins from Metro stn, RMB360 dble incl taxes. Sm room but excellent, recently renovated, no complaints. Pool in adjacent bldg.

TAXI CABS:
In major cities, cabs all seem to be regulated with meters & print receipts for payment. Generally efficient, no hassle & cheap... only around RMB3~4/km... if you can stomach the heart-stopping rides! Shanghai taxis even have a driver-rating system which is on display on the dash. Avoid fixed-quote rides unless you have local advice.

METRO/UNDERGROUND:
Metro train subway systems in the bigger cities are excellent in all respects... but note that in Shanghai at least, it shuts down at around 11pm, as we were to find out one night after enjoying a drink whilst taking in the Bund lights! A wee reminder that you are in China.

INTERNET:
Free internet & wifi is generally avail. at hotels but, if you don't happen to have a laptop, internet cafes are not easy to find... except at Hostels, internet game parlours, city libraries, etc.

BUYER BEWARE:
Sad to say but... treat any purchasable product in China as potentially fake! (This from experience :-( )

The Bund area, stretches 2km along the Huangpu River, contains a line-up of early 1900s edifices built by European, American, Japanese, Russian trading & banking companies, operated here until the Communist takeover in 1949. These two, the Peace Hotel (originally built by Victor Sassoon) & the Bank of China.

Now The Bund features a nice public riverside promenade with views across the river to the Orient Pearl Tower. (There's that woman again, still clutching her Lonely Planet Guide :-o ) )

The huge old HSBC bulding & Customs House (with clock built to resemble Big Ben) are across the road on the left.

Of course Shanghai has a TOWER - it's called the Orient Pearl TV Tower...

(It's that woman in the funny hat again ;-) )

The original 'French Concession' district is now an upmarket area containing consulates, restaurants, boutiques...

The Xintiandi district of remaining old 'shikumen' stone tenement houses has been restored, largely pedestrianised & now attracting foreign tourists & affluent locals.

And a Starbucks is here of course.

Self explanatory...

Janet tells me that, at one time, in the 80s there were only 200 cars in Shanghai... now there are over 300 cars per day exploding onto the road in Shanghai (this despite licence plate auction prices reaching RMB55,000/NZD11,000)!

Modern Shanghai looks like most other Asian 'international' cities (eg HK, Singapore...) but bigger.

Shanghai therefore has its share of ugly skyscrapers...(the giant Bottle-Opener thing behind)



Silly looking municipal buildings...

But Old Shanghai (like Guangzhou & Beijing) is where the Architectural treasures lie...
70~100yr old buildings erected by European & American trading powers, adapt well for Chinese style high density living...

Oooo..., if you dig men in uniform, then China is for you....

Army personnel are in pale green (don't try Taking the Mickey out of these guys... no sense of humour)...

A Revolutionary People's sculpture at the Mao Zedong Memorial Hall, Tian An Men Sq, Beijing... this guy is still looking stern having just jumped off his box to physically eject a (Chinese) visitor back over a barrier fence.

Police are in everywhere in Chinese cities... & crime is low(!). These boys in blue are the helpful guys, next to young Chinese who like to practise what little English they may know. This is a Police Station in Xi'an's Muslim quarter... where ethnic Chinese Muslims (mostly) cover their heads & offer interesting food.... oops, mentioned food again ;-)

Police at Big Goose Pagoda in Xi'an, another HUMUNGUS public space where folks gather for a sound, light & water fountain show every evening... although on our visit, all public entertainment had been banned for 3 days in memory of the Sichuan dead & even in Xi'an families were sleeping outdoors in such parks, fearing predicted earthquake aftershocks.

These rather sad individuals are 'Traffic Assistants', whose job is to monitor pedestrians & bikes & scooters at major intersections. 4 per intersection with whistles & flags. You can put money on it that during the Olympic Games, uniformed (& non-uniformed) control-personnel of all all descriptions will be everywhere... manpower is not something that China is short of. Streets (in major cities) are constantly cleaned by orange-vested street-sweeper men/women with cycle-wagons & some tourist areas are washed down every night.

(Sorry chaps, no pics of ladies in uniform.)