A big headache was lifted today when Dutchman flew out of Beijing. While Kim and I didn't see him off at the airport, we did see him off at the bus terminal in Wudaokou which took him to the airport. I knew as soon as the plane taxied off the runway when the migraine eased.
I whisked myself out to Dongzhimen to meet with a nice woman selling her iBook SE (Graphite, with FireWire!) for 600 RMB. I came back home with it for only 300 RMB and immediately formatted the noisy internal 10 GB HD and installed it with Panther. I named it Noah!
Oct 30, 2007
Oct 11, 2007
Southern China, Round 2.
At just shy of $400 CAD for a flight from Vancouver (YVR) to Hong Kong (HKG), flying the newly formed Oasis Hong Kong Airlines was a steal. Meeting up with Georg on September 29th at HKG was a little tricky as he was coming in from Shanghai via the train, but we managed to find each other eventually.
We seeked out ALPHONZE, a CouchSurfer on Lantau Island who was generous enough to offer his flat for us to crash at for a few nights. On the 38th floor of a luxurious condominium just outside of the Tung Chung MTR, his flat offered a expansive view of the island's mountainous landscape.
We were right in the middle of the autumn festival in China and the festivities were in full swing. I was happy to catch the laser light show this time around, even though it had fallen short of my expectations. Hanging out with FLURF and another CouchSurfer he was hosting at the time made my second Hong Kong experience a pleasant one. Our experience at the YHA Jockey Club brought my mood down to new lows when I had to pull my Samsonite suitcase up a spiralling driveway for nearly an hour in the cold and misty night. I was blowing steam out of my ears and nostrils and gave the people operating the hostel an earful about this horrid treatment for guests. I didn't want to stay here anymore, but I didn't want to look for another place either, so I had begrudgingly accepted to stay for one night and sleep off my anger.
Macau was next up on our itinerary, followed by a train ride to Yangshuo, and a bus ride into a smaller village called Xingping. This is where the picturesque karst mountainscape on the back of the 20 yuan bank note comes from. Took a wonderful bike trek through the gravel paths along the Li River and took note of the bamboo boats drifting along it. ADVENTUREATCHINA took us in to his home and gave us a bed to sleep on during our stay here. He operated a great cafe/restaurant called 'This Old Place' and often have CouchSurfers who plan to stay in Xingping for longer than a few days to work here as a server.
We seeked out ALPHONZE, a CouchSurfer on Lantau Island who was generous enough to offer his flat for us to crash at for a few nights. On the 38th floor of a luxurious condominium just outside of the Tung Chung MTR, his flat offered a expansive view of the island's mountainous landscape.
We were right in the middle of the autumn festival in China and the festivities were in full swing. I was happy to catch the laser light show this time around, even though it had fallen short of my expectations. Hanging out with FLURF and another CouchSurfer he was hosting at the time made my second Hong Kong experience a pleasant one. Our experience at the YHA Jockey Club brought my mood down to new lows when I had to pull my Samsonite suitcase up a spiralling driveway for nearly an hour in the cold and misty night. I was blowing steam out of my ears and nostrils and gave the people operating the hostel an earful about this horrid treatment for guests. I didn't want to stay here anymore, but I didn't want to look for another place either, so I had begrudgingly accepted to stay for one night and sleep off my anger.
Macau was next up on our itinerary, followed by a train ride to Yangshuo, and a bus ride into a smaller village called Xingping. This is where the picturesque karst mountainscape on the back of the 20 yuan bank note comes from. Took a wonderful bike trek through the gravel paths along the Li River and took note of the bamboo boats drifting along it. ADVENTUREATCHINA took us in to his home and gave us a bed to sleep on during our stay here. He operated a great cafe/restaurant called 'This Old Place' and often have CouchSurfers who plan to stay in Xingping for longer than a few days to work here as a server.
We moved further north to join NIALLMCIRIE, DINOVY, and other CouchSurfers in Guilin a few days later. After visiting the Elephant Trunk Hill and me having fun "walking on water" inside this inflatable ball, we got together for dinner in town. An excursion out to see a remake of the 'Arc d'Triumphe' and the 'Golden Gate Bridge'. We also had a look at the map of the world at a large square nearby to see that the brainer who etched the continents and city names put Vancouver where Victoria should be. Way to go!
Back in Beijing, BARRYFUN allowed me to surf his couch for twelve nights as my apartment in DWZ was still being subletted out to Robert, Kyle, and Hae Shim. During this time, I had consumed many bowls of pho at a local pho noodle restaurant, and dined at the Shin Kong Place food court. Here's to new traditions!
Hong Kong Laser Light Show
Hong Kong Transport
Walking on Water
CS Dinner in Guilin
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