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Post by Doris on May 1, 2004 20:15:30 GMT -5
And Ni How again. Have some time left before heading to Peking. Well one can't compare japan and china too different countries. Well the first impression I got from China is that it looks like a third world country (well I hope I don't offend anyone here it's just viewed from a spoiled swiss person..) quite a lot of dirt things only half finished and sometimes not that god organised. But I have to say what I've seen so far was great. (even the hotelrooms I had so far were clean and always had a great view...) Very impressive the terrasse fields from Longsheng and the wooden Brige nearby form Sanjiang. (Well despite only beeing 100 years old this is featured as an historic building - has here in China almost most of the really old buildings were destroied by the covernement.....) Guilin is a pretty modern city with a nice setting in the mountains - I'm sure you all have already seen them in some ways as they really look very unique. Unfortunately I don't have time to make a river cruise as I'm already headding to Peking today. Well also had my first minor incident as going back from Sanjiang to Guilin the road was blocked for quite a while due to an accident - two tourbusses crashed together nobodh hurt though I believe..) So we had to walk a bit - unfortunately in the rain well it's the rain season after all in China - then we found an other bus who brought us to Longsheng where we had lunch and a short sightseeing tour. In Guilin I just had to visit the Elephant hill Guilin is also very nice at night as it's light up in all colours. it's nice to walk along the Li river at night... Tips for China Hmm it's really handy to carry your own toilett papaper with you as not all public toilets do have it. And some wet tissues might be of help as well... See ya have to go now Doris
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Post by Doris on May 8, 2004 5:30:59 GMT -5
Ni how from Beijing Well first I spent some great days around the wall. This monument really is facinating... Thanks to William our tourguide who almost twenty years ago went form one end to the other we got also alot of background info. Now lets hope the chinese will understand what kind of a beautiful building they have infront their nose. William is working on it.. www.wildwall.comNow I explored Peking with the result of ending up with sore feet. Thats when you want to walk from one place to an other. It looks short on the map but with streets as wide as our highways it's an other story. So I took one of these bike taxis to the hotel. A good way to see Beijing as well. Gee I would never want to drive here traffic is just crazy!! Looks like nobody is respecting any rules - it's a wonder there are not more accidents. So far I've seen the temple of Confuzius, Heavens Temple and Tinamen place - was too late for the forbidden City as I walked form Heavens Temple to the Tinamen place not really a wise desicion but at least I got to see a real crazy shopping center I almost got lost in... (would have missed that by taking a taxi..) It's the second shopping center I see which has an iceskating rink in it. (the first was in the Edmonton shopping mal) No I didn't go skating but it was fun watching the ppl. Well tomorrow is forbidden City on the shedule and an artistik show then on Monday I have to prepare for my train trip - going to the friendship store, sending some staff home and maybe have a look around at an huton or the Drumtower. Well guess I told you already to have always toilet paper with you. Well theres something else you should take in account while using a chinese toilet. Don't throw the paper in the toilet - put it in the basked beside it - I myself still have to get used to it. Crossing the streets here is a good luck thing - just follow the main stream Oh and only pay half of the prise you get told first - or at least not more than 2/3... Well that's for the tips so far guess my next report will be from Mongolia in about 10 days. See ya Doris
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Post by Doris on May 12, 2004 8:23:28 GMT -5
Hi Just a short Hello from Mongolia. The train ride was great but am pretty tired and Internet connection sooooo slow - more leter need to go to bed now
Hopefully next time I'll be able to write more
bye Doris
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Post by RogiFan on May 12, 2004 11:07:28 GMT -5
Doris! Take care of yourself and we look forward to your next report -- hope you're enjoying yourself and eating well! We'll cheer for Rogi vs. Nico Lapentti today -- he's on last... in about 45mns and I think I get to see this LIVE on TV!!
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Post by TennisHack on May 12, 2004 19:42:36 GMT -5
Doris! Hope you enjoy your time in Mongolia. I can't wait to hear about your travels through Russia and slowly but surely you're inching ever closer Thanks again for sharing your travels with us, it sounds like you're having a lot of fun!
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Post by Doris on May 24, 2004 3:47:27 GMT -5
Hi all better privjet Well am already in Irkutsk. Startet my adventure on the transmongolian train from Beijing to Ulaan Baator. Shared the compartment with a young mongolian and a chinese. Exept for the custums which took for ever the train raid ws really relaxing. The Landscape changed from silightly green hils in China (Passed again by the reat wall. Gee I'm glad I went to Goubeikou wor my walk on the wall. The ppl at Badalin just looked like ants....) to a flat yelow landmass in Mongolia. The trip in Mongolia to Middle and South Gobi just was great. The desert (which is only about 3 % of sand the rest is grasland) really has a lot of different faces and I even went through a snow and sandsorm. That only made the southern Atlai mountains look withe the next day. Vjisited also the longest Sanddune of the Gobi 180 km long 3 km wide just about the hight ppl are not that sure. In the book it sayx 30 m some ppl say 600 m guess the truth is somewhere in between. Unfortunately I didn't climb it all. Each time I thought I made it there was an other hill ahead of me so I gave up. As it looked like I made it about halfway. Also been to the old capital Karakorum. The Monastri Erdinee Zuu is worth a wisit. Despite there are only 14 Temples left form the 60 there used to be once. Ulaan Baatar isn't really a nice town. (None of the villages in Mongolia are - gee not that long ago most of them were Nomads so it's no wonder...) But the countryside in Mongolia is really nice and worth a trip as there are soo many changes in the landscape and I only have seen a really small part of it. Didn't make it to the mountains in the west or the lakes in the north. Though I got to see some of the northern landscape from the train. The trainride from UB to Irkutsk was great again shared the compartment with a russian woman who spoke a little English. Again the landscape changed going further north it got greener and greener and the next morning there were massive birchforests... and all of a sudden lake Baikal came in sight. Sill with some ice in it. Looked great. Really enjoied to travel along it. That lake is just really impressive and I'm really looking forward to my tour.
Bye for now Doris
Oh almost forgott the tips. Mhhh pretty hard well I was glad I took my warm cloth with me as I really used them in the Desert in Mongolia despite beeing May it still was pretty cold - at least at the beginning where we had the snowstorm...
Still the same with toilets for Mongolia and Russia
Oh and Mongolians hand things out with their right hand and the left hand is giving kind of a support as it helds the right elbow.
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Post by RogiFan on May 24, 2004 15:19:36 GMT -5
Great to hear fr you again, Doris! Wow, you are covering a ton of kms -- Lake Baikal is so huge!!! Neat to be experiencing a bit of everyday life half way around the world. Take care of yourself and we await the next report fr another exciting destination! [Cheering for ROGI for you too... he plays Vliegen in the 1st rd at RG tomorrow!]
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Post by Doris on May 30, 2004 5:55:58 GMT -5
Back in Irkutsk. Gee that lake is really huge!!! With its 636km in lengths and up to 80 km wide and his 31'000 something square kmshe covers almost 3/4 of Switzerland. But what a beauty this lake is. The water is cristal clear and has really a good taste. Still saw some ice on the lake but you could almost watch it melting. Most of the lake is surrounded by mountains and most is not inhabitated. The forrest along the lake looks great. Soo different to mongolia where trees were rare. Had my first Baqnja on Olchon Island, but it wasn't a very good one. Still enjoyed it thoug. Then duringmy last night I had an other one. Thistime it was better. Especially beeing able to jump into the lake afterwards that just was great and really refreshing. To bad it was so windy otherwise I would have stayed longer in the water but taking in account that I slowly get rid of an other cold I didn't want to risk anything. But had to have a bath in that beautifull cold 4 grad lake.
Also Irkutsk is quite a nice place. Love walking around the streets and have a look at the old wooden buildings. Will be headding to Ekatarinenburg on Wednesday. Maybe I'll go to Listwjanka again tomorrow just to enjoy the view of the mountains from the otherside of the lake.
Sorry this was only short and no tips been running out of them. bye Doris
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Post by Doris on Jun 8, 2004 7:36:38 GMT -5
Privjet from Moskau Yes I survived the last stretch on the transsibirian... ... where was I well still in Irkutsk. Yes I have to admitt that place really grew on me. Its nice and easy to overlook and the location at the Angara is really nice too.
Went back to Listwjanka on a day trip. Was hoping to finally see sthe other side of the lake and it really looked good in the morning clear blue sky over Irkutsk. But as closer as swe sgot to Listwjanka as disier it got. Still we spent a great day around the border of Lake Baikal and along the Angara but the sight of the mountains still wasn't clear.
Then I went on the longest traintrip of the whole journey. From Irkutsk to Ekatarinenburg. To be honest I was really glad to be able to get of the train in Ekatarinenburg. Even thoug I shared the compartment with really nice people I had enough of beeing enclosed in that rain and it's sound tarammmtaram tarammtaram. I stayed just for two nights in Ekatarinenburg. Well Ekatarinenburg isn't half as nice as Irkutsk. And again it's been quite cold whend I was there. Spend that one day I had strolling around the city. Spend quite a long time in the Romanov Church which is reallly beatuiful and Impressive. Other than that there's not much to see... ...should have gone on one of the tours but they just were kind of expensive just for one person so I missed out on the monument marking the border from Aisa and Europe - well as you can see I did survive.. Then I made the last stretch from Ekatarinenburg to Moscow. Have to say the country didn't change much between Irkutsk and Moscow. Still a lot of Birch and Pinetrees along the way.
You really feel like beeing in Europe here in Moscow. I quite like the place despite it beeing pretty big. But the Metrosystem is great. Unfortunately Redsquare is closed becouse of the upcoming parade.... ....still a lot of otherthings to see One for sure doesn't get boored. Soo many Churches and Museums and Parks it's almost hard to choose where to go and what to do. Well unfortunately I'm running out of time. Will tell about the Cruise ( which starts tomorrow) from Moscow to St. Petersburg when I'm back in Switzerland (right in time to hopefully beeing able to watch Wimbledon on TV...)
Doris
Tip: It's handy when you have enough food gooing on a traintrip which you can share with the others in the compartment. Even though I heard strange stories about poisened food - I had great food (and Vodkka) parties on the trains
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Post by RogiFan on Jun 8, 2004 8:28:33 GMT -5
Doris, wow, can't believe you're getting near the end of your marvellous journey! Yes, Russia is full of birch trees... reminds me of a Russian play I saw THE FOREST/Ostrovsky -- all those trees on stage! Moscow... sounds interesting -- too bad about Red Sq. being closed tho! Stay healthy!! Rogi won his first rd in Halle v. T Johansson 63 62 today... now he faces the Russian Youzhny... not an easy match.
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Post by Partridge In A Pear Tree on Jun 17, 2004 12:27:58 GMT -5
haven't been here in a while. and i see Doris is almost back to CH. guess i get to see some pictures, huh? well, glad to know everything went safely with your journey and that you're well. bet you're missing some good Swiss cheese.
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Post by Doris on Jun 24, 2004 4:48:28 GMT -5
Back home Yes with a day delay I made it back to Switzerland. Where I'm enjoying doing nothing but watching Wimby as good as I can on TV....
Well the last bit which should have been the icing on the cake turned out to be the biggest disappointment of the trip. From the beginning there was a bad star over the crise form Moscow to St. Petersburg. It started with the fact that Kremel was closed becouse of independence day (and when I arrived in Moscow I thought I do it with the cruise - wrong thought.... grrr) Then I had to fight to get tickets for the Circus which was really great. Then I found out that not all ppl had the same programm. With the French group (where I belonged too) having the most anoying one... ... so we didn't even got the option to see the armory where dthe damericans did (O.K. they told me afterwards it wasn't all that great...) the dsenery we saw from the boat didn't change dthat much. It stayed more or less the same from Moscow to St. Petersburg. When we made stops we mainly got to see churches. And after having seen about a dozen of them they started to look kind of all the same. But there wasn't much else one could see. To make things worse half of the passengers got sick. (Fortunately not me) So we changed the shedule instead of visiting Kishi we went stright to Petrozavosk where a few doctors came on bord to have a closer look on the sick passengers. After a while we were allowed to at least make a short walk so it was nothing really serious - kind of a virus. In St. Petersburg I actually wanted to go and see the amber chamber. But it wasn't in the programm (eventhough I asked the travelagent before I booked the tour if that would be a option...) beeing told that it takes far too much time queing (up to 4 hrs) so I didn't even try. (Too bad I found out that it wasn't all that bad only about 45 min..) Well St. Petersburg for sure is worth an other trip as in not even 3 full days you have no chance to see everything. One alone could spent a whole day in the Herritage a relly impressive building. And then even just walking along the streets in St. Petersburg is very nice and very european. The only real incident happened on my flight back home. As the plan left 45 min. late I missed the connecting flight to Zurich in Frankfurt so I had to spent the night there. But finally I got home save and happy. And now looking forward to follow wimbledon on TV.
Hope you guys are doing fine too and yes some will for sure get a chance to see some pics - just need to wait for a special offer as I have quite a few films to develop...
See you guys around Doris
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Post by Ilhame on Jun 24, 2004 5:01:52 GMT -5
Nice to hear you arrived safely I've heard St. Petersburg is great and there's much to see. Enjoy the tennis and I hope to see a few pics once you get them developed.
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Post by TennisHack on Jun 24, 2004 5:47:26 GMT -5
Well, sounds like you had a really wonderful time! I'm sorry the end of the trip was a bit anticlimactic, but it sounds like the Russian cities were charming enough to make up for it. Moscow and St. Petersburg sound just wonderful Happy to hear you're home and safe and watching some tennis. It's been kind of crappy so far but things should look up when the rain stops. Can't wait to see some of your pictures!
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Post by RogiFan on Jun 25, 2004 12:45:49 GMT -5
Welcome back, Doris! Good to hear both the good and the bad points! The Heritage Museum sounds amazing -- one day I'd love to see it and St. Petersburg as well. Well, at least our Rogi is still in the mix at Wimby, let's hope he goes all the way! We look forward to your holiday snaps!
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