Happy Valentines Day from Crazy Bangkok…

Asia ~ Thailand ~ Bangkok

Well, my ‘Asia-trip’ is over once again…  I’m now relaxing in front of my own computer, in my own bedroom… ahh, and my own bed – nice!  But first – Bangkok…

Arrival in Bangkok was crazy – our flight was supposed to get us into Bangkok in time for Matt’s flight to Hong Kong – you don’t need to know anymore – we arrived at the Krabi airport to find that our flight had been delayed – and it continued to be delayed.  Finally, Matt bought a different ticket for an earlier flight, and off he sped, arriving just in time for his connecting flight.  Mum and I had to wait around for the original flight and eventually got to Bangkok (and I grabbed a quick snooze on the plane, much to mum’s disgust)…

We spent our first two nights in a hotel ‘just near’ Khao San Road.  Turns out it was only 5minutes away, as the crow flies, but as the average Aussie attempts to cross the 7 lane intersection without getting killed, it was a hell of a lot further away.  And yet, we made it across to Khao San to do some shopping, as well as knock back some Mai Tai’s (a necessity to boost our courage before attempting the walk back…).  Khao San is as crazy as ever, with vendors selling everything from pad thai to deep fried cockroaches, bikini’s to fishermen pants.  And backpackers just everywhere…

Khao San Road

Khao San Road

On one of our days, mum and I visited the snake farm in downtown Bangkok – an interesting and slightly terrifying experience.  It is the second oldest snake farm in the world, and is a leader in Thailand for snake anti-venom.   We heard a talk (with slideshow), and then they bought out some of their deadly friends.  The presenter was a crack up, telling us in an extremely dramatic voice about just how fast this particular snake can kill… After explaining that Australia has some of the worlds most dangerous animals – snakes, spiders, jellyfish, sharks etc etc, he asked if anyone was from Australia. Mum and I looked at each other and decided not to answer till we knew what it was all about. Another guy put up his hand. “What do you think is Australia’s most deadliest animal?” asked the guide. “The brown snake?” replied the Aussie guy. “No”, said the guide in a very serious tone. “The Australian woman…”

Me with a python

Me with a python

After mum took off, I spent my last few days at a hostel on Khao San Road. Spent my days swimming and shopping, and my evenings in bars. Met a group of people starting out their travels in Bangkok and saw a couple of movies with them – only $4 for a movie here (although you do have to stand for the Kings anthem).

And now I’m back home. Survived my flight home and am just getting ready to start uni. Ugh. Already planning the next travels – back to China area somewhere or another…

Take Care All,
xoxo bobbi

Please not be ill

Asia ~ China ~ Qingdao & Beijing

‘Please not be ill’ is the only English message on the fast moving public buses of Beijing. But that’s jumping forward a little – cast your minds back a week, when I was just about to leave lovely, civilised warm Japan…

The boat trip from Japan to Qingdao was easy enough – no where near as luxious as the boat from Shanghai to Kobe, though. The boat obviosuly used to be fairly important in its day – from the huge dining hall to the lavish dancing hall you could see that it was used to lots of important guests. Unfortunatly, that wasn’t the case for our trip. Although the boat can hold 350 people, we only had 12 people on board, including an American family teaching English in west whoop-whoop China and a Japanese painter importing expensive Japanese dolls into China. I had a 12 bed dorm to myself and was over the moon…

Sunset from the boat

Sunset from the boat

I arrived in Qingdao, hoping to organise a train ticket for that night… Ha! The entire city of Qingdao is under construction for the upcoming olympics – the main train station was closed, as were many of the other main buildings. Luckily, my friend the Japanese artist had already told me this, so I managed to get a taxi to the correct station. And -woooosh – I had to swap back to Chinese mode to try and secure myself a train ticket. Luckily the language part of my brain complied, and I was able to comunicate my desire to the railway staff… Only to be told no tickets. And none for the day after… Finally got myself a ticket for two days later and made my way back to the local hostel.Where my slight cold that I’d been nursing in Japan turned into a full blown cough-all-night, blow-nose-all-day ukky cold. The weather in Qingdao was so incredibly totally and utterly cold that I went to sleep of a night wearing my full body suit of thermals, my pjs, my gloves and scarf. And the heater was on. Of a day I sported my new face mask – fantastic in keeping out the bone-chilling wind. After spending two days wandering Qingdao I caught my train to Beijing and walked into my old hostel, what a relief.

Beautiful, if slightly freezing, beach at Qingdao - notice the crazy guy running into the water brrrr

Beautiful, if slightly freezing, beach at Qingdao - notice the crazy guy running into the water brrrr

First day in Beijing was spent at the hospital, after being convinced I needed to go there by a variety of people. I was right – despite what I looked and sounded like, I wasn’t dying, just a bad cold. The doctor loaded me up with a suitcase full of pills (really, there are heaps of them) and off I went… Shopping… Where I’ve been every day since I got here, loving it. It’s also how I managed to experience the warning to foreigners to ‘please not be ill’ – a little late! Being at an international hostel is nice as well, our room is full of Swedish, American and Australians, so getting to chat to a lot of people who are starting their travels in China…Well, tomorrow I’m off to Thailand, to grab some sun before heading home…

xoxo Bobbi!

I’m dreaming of a white Christmas

Asia ~ China ~ Shanghai

Well, maybe it’s more like I’m nightmare-ing of a white Christmas. I can tell that all blogs here-on-in (not including Thai ones) will be comparing how cold it now is over here. So to give you an update – we have now reached the ‘it hurts to go outside’ stage. My ears are still ringing from the freezing temps out there – we just walked back from the supermarket, what a stupid thing to do, ow ow ow. Gotta get me some ear muffs.

Since I last wrote – we have been shopping, studying, shopping, doing exams, eating, shopping, Chinese acrobats, shopping, eating, went to Suzhou and shopping. As you can see, shopping is playing a major part in our life here in Shanghai. We have been to the Yuyuan bazaar twice now, the Long Hua Lu Markets 3 times and the Museum Metro (great underground market) 3 times. We have also been to Cyber Mart twice – a fabo place full of electronics, you can get every fake version of the various iPods there for a fraction of the price – some of them may even work. I haven’t bought all that much stuff, due to the planned travels after China, but I’ve still managed to get some good bargains 🙂

Kylie and Joni & I, exhausted from a day of shopping

Kylie and Joni & I, exhausted from a day of shopping

We went out on Friday night to celebrate my birthday – spent the night at a Thai restaurant, it was delish. Very fancy, we stood out, this time not because we have blonde hair, but because we look like students (which, of course, we are!). Desert was Haagen Dazs ice cream, yum!

Pauline, Paulina, Kylie & I at fancy-smancy Thai Resturant

Pauline, Paulina, Kylie & I at fancy-smancy Thai Resturant

~~~~~~ ahhhh just checked weather.com – the temp is 1 degree celcius, with a ‘feel temperature’ (temperature based on wind, humidity etc, reflects how cold it actually feels) of -3 degrees celcius – OWWWWW ~~~~~~

We had exams last week, which was full on. Two and a half weeks of learning a semester’s work, and then our oral and written exams immediately after. It was tough trying to retain so much information, but I do feel as though I’m learning more and more each day. I’m even beginning to communicate with shop staff. That said, I’m still having troubles. Mum told me she sent a package a week ago, so I’ve been trying to collect it from the lobby. On the first day I went and asked (in English, it is a big hotel) if they had a package for me. The girl just stared at me – she had no idea what I was on about. The second time I went I asked again (in English) if there was a package for me. Without looking, the receptionist said ‘no’. I asked ‘Do you want to know my room number?’. He said ok, and I said my room number. ‘No’, he replied without even glancing at the desk. On my third try I attempted to use my dodgy Mandarin and was rewarded with a smile and my package. Gotta love China…

We have been on a couple of excursions with the Monash group. Last week we went to Suzhou, a cute little water town, toted as the Chinese ‘Venice’. We went off on a canal tour, and then to the local temple and gardens and generally had a great time. Our tour guide was a crackup – on the way there he told us that the bus driver was number two bus driver in China. ‘Why number two?’, he asked us. ‘Because number one is still in hospital…’ We also went to the Chinese acrobatics the other night – simply amazing. Amongst the various acts, there were the bicycle girls – a group of about 12 girls who rode around stage on the one bike, and the motorbike men – 4 guys who were put in a round cage and rode motorbikes up down and all around.

Other than venturing out shopping and studying, we have just been trying to survive. One of our group – Paulina – left yesterday, and Kylie leaves early tomorrow morning, with others leaving as well. Ling and I are left here for the long haul – we don’t leave until early January. Man, it’s gunna be soooo cold then. I’d better be off – heading back to the room to drink the cold away, and celebrate my birthday! (thanks for the vegemite mum, us aussies had a feast of bread, butter, Vegemite and cheese last night… cept the bread was sweet (all Chinese bread is sweet), the butter was fake, and the cheese was actually cream cheese – oh, and we don’t have a knife, had to use the back of a fork to spread the butter and Vegemite and cut the cheese!)

xoxo one very cold gal…

Run little man, run!

Asia ~ China ~ Shanghai

The little green man in China doesn’t let people know they can cross the road safely – he suggests that they run as fast as they can to the other side – for that is all the traffic lights are over here – suggestions. The little green man not only runs – he also warns you just how many seconds you have left – 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 – and then a SLAM of oncoming traffic! Wrestling with the traffic is sometimes an adventure – in my limited Chinese I have made many friends – I attach myself to a local whenever attempting to cross the road, and once safely across, point at them and then me, and say ‘pengyou’ – friends.

Me and Mum munching on vegies

Me and Mum munching on vegies

As usual, my trip has been centered around food – and what a feast we’ve been having! Dad and I have been making daily breakfast meetings, where we sample the different Chinese foods on offer – we’ve had dumplings for about 5 days in a row – YUM! The other night we went out to celebrate my birthday at M on the Bund, a well-to-do restaurant in modern Shanghai, where we dined on interesting, non-Chinese, menu. The drawing card of the restaurant was evidently the view, not the food or value. After our dinner, we all trotted off to the hostel that Tash and I stayed in last time, and had a drink from the roof top bar, fitted in a lot better!

View from the roof top bar

View from the roof top bar

Of course we’ve been doing a lot of shopping as well, and my understanding of Chinese numbers is coming along in leaps and bounds, as are my bargaining abilities. Each day we have found a new souvenir to pack up and take home – my pack just keeps getting bigger and bigger. Best of all are the Chinese supermarkets – a new phenomenon over here. They not only contain all the different fresh fruits and groceries (including extremely fresh fish (i.e. live)), but also mini k-marts, with everything from bikes to dvds. School started yesterday, and it’s already a struggle. I’m rooming with a friend of Kylie’s, Ling, and we’re having a ball. We’ve been learning by trial and error all the different customs of the uni – from the smartcard food cards, through to where the supermarket actually is. And how to portray that to a taxi driver… Food on campus is good, average $1 AUD per meal, and there are also a couple of restaurants on campus, with more only a few minutes away. Weather has just turned cold, it’s gunna be a tough winter, thankfully we went out and brought scarfs, gloves and beanies yesterday. Classes are difficult, but should be rewarding.Kylie has now joined me and mum, dad and Chuck have just arrived back in Australia. It was a fun family holiday, but now it’s time to start living the life of a student backpacker – no more 5 star hotels 🙁

xoxo Bobbi

Eating gyoza in Japan

Asia ~ Japan ~ Tokyo, Kobe & Kurume

Well, it’s official, my most favourite-ist place outside of my home country is Japan. I don’t know why I haven’t been back here since I first came in 2000, I’ll definetly be visiting more in the future. My Japanese is pretty rusty, I haven’t really practiced or studied it for about a year, but it’s coming back to me in droves. The customs guy at the airport pulled me up, saying ‘Hello, could you please open your bag’, to which I replied ‘Konnichi wa’. We then chatted in Japanese about the weather, where I learnt Japanese and where he thought I should go in Tokyo. He then let me pass, bag unchecked!

Tokyo was my first stop, as I had never been there. I stayed in a fantastic little hostel right in the heart of Tokyo. They say Tokyo is the most expensive city in the world, but I don’t agree (Dublin wins the award for that, in my opinion). The hostel I stayed at cost just 2000 yen per night – about half what I was paying in London. I also spent one night in a capsule hotel – something I just had to experience. Because trains finish up early, many Japanese business men (and women) miss that last train, rather than catch a taxi home (can be extremely expensive, particularily in Tokyo), they created the capsule hotel. In the room where I was, there was a long wall full of ‘capsules’ – tiny rooms, about 1 meter high and a bit over 2 meters long. In each capsule, there was a bed, tv, radio, light and tiny holes in the wall for a book and so forth. On another level, there was a [women only] traditional Japanese bath room. It really was suited to a person who misses the last train – they give you a towel, facewasher and pajamas. In the bath there was shampoo, conditioner, toothbrushes, everything for free. Lots of fun, very Japanese.

Tokyo Capsule hotel

Tokyo Capsule hotel

I met up with one of my host sisters, Sawako, whilst in Tokyo, which was great. Sawako is on her last year of studying acupuncture, and she showed me around the city, helping me with the subway (a big blessing – the Tokyo subway consists of a heap of different lines, the map looks like a ‘messy plate of colourful spagetti’). We visited Asakusa Jinja – a huge shrine around the corner from where I’m staying and watched all the school kids running about. October is the official month when school trips take place and so everywhere we went in Tokyo had middle school kids racing about, taking photos. The next day I visited Akiharaba – electrical town. I had so much fun that I spent 3 hours in a single store. Just playing and looking and playing. Electronic dictionaries, digital cameras, mp3 players, rice cookers, even eletronic toilets! During my time in Tokyo, I also visited Ueno Park (and spent a couple of hours playing with a kitten and her ‘mum’ – a 3 year old Japanese kid), Ginza (very happening, busy area, full of ‘modern’ tokyoites – and the occasional kimono clad woman) and Harajuku (home of the Japanese ‘alterative’ lifestyle)

Next stop was Kobe, where I visited another of my host sisters. Asako came out to Australia in 2001 and spent 6 months living with us. It was great to see Asako and meet her family. Asako took me to see Kobe, where we spent most of our time wandering around, shopping and seeing the sights. The highlight of the visit was definetly the time spent around the dinner table – listening and talking with her family, watching her grandfather do magic tricks and listening to the concert they put on for me (Asako’s sister played the keyboard, Aunt played the piano, Cousin played the flute and Asako worked wonders with the xylophone). It was hard leaving, but I’ll be back!

Eating Okonomiyaki with Asako's family

Eating Okonomiyaki with Asako's family

The final stop on my trip around the world – Fukuoka – was fantastic. Kurume, a small-ish (about the population of Melbourne) city on Kyushu is where I lived when I was an exchange student, way back in 2000. Seeing all my host families again was fantastic, as was visiting all the places where I used to hang out. My host families took me all over the place, it really was weird seeing all the places from 5 years ago. So much has changed, but so much is the same. Also went to my old high school and saw my old home room teacher, as well as a few others. Managed to find my way to town and ride around where I used to, all on my own, which I thought was a pretty decent effort. Visiting my host families and catching up with them has been great, I wonder if Japan is where I should be, after all? Only the future will tell…

Me with 3 host families, at the local Chinese Family Restaurant

Me with 3 host families, at the local Chinese Family Restaurant

Of course, I’ve been enjoying the Japanese food too. Gyoza – Japanised Chinese dumplings – is probably my favourite, but sushi, gyuudon, yaskisoba and takoyaki are up there too. The food is reasonably cheap too, about $5 or $6 for a sit down meal, as long as you know where to go. I love being able to order food and know exactly what it is you’re eating. That said, it doesn’t always work out that way – the other day I wandered into a resturant, looked over the menu and realised I only understood one thing – yakisoba. That was fine, I thought, I love yakisoba. But when I ordered it, I was told it wasn’t available. Glancing over the menu again, I decided not to risk it and point, but rather to ask the waiter for his suggestion. He raced away and came back with a delicious dish, but I’m still not sure what I ate!

Well kiddies, I’m now ready to go back to Tokyo for a few more days, then I head for home. What a fantastic year, I’ll miss the traveling, but am quite looking forward to having my own bedroom, a bathroom where I can leave my shampoo and a kitchen where I can store stuff… And of course my family, friends and pets!

xoxo Bobbi!!!