.: allrite elsewhere
Moving forward
MFlight International reports that Julia Gillard has taken the campaign to outer space. Despite being an atheist she has, pledged to move Australia forward with a Hy(er)Cause.
Caption: The Australians are moving forward with HyShot and HyCause, launched June 2007.
Obviously Flight International made a small error with the caption as it should read:
The Australians are moving forward with HyShot and HyCause, launching Kevin07 into space as our first ambassador to the Universal Nations
Caption: The Australians are moving forward with HyShot and HyCause, launched June 2007.
Obviously Flight International made a small error with the caption as it should read:
The Australians are moving forward with HyShot and HyCause, launching Kevin07 into space as our first ambassador to the Universal Nations
Categories: allrite elsewhere
Above the clouds to Canberra
Another day, another trip to Canberra. You would think that this route, my most frequent of all time, would now be so routine as to be boring. After all, it's only 30 minutes of flight time. Yet every journey turns up something new and today's flights were no exception.
The passengers were already boarding when I arrived at the airport. Thankfully I had already checked in online and had nothing in my little bag to disturb security, so I made it into the Qantas Boeing 737-400 with time to spare.
When I reached my row I found somebody else sitting in my window seat. I asked him to move as I knew I would make more use of the view. Then there was a long wait before we set off. I didn't mind. I had a nice view of a Qantas 767 out of my window and watched a few aircraft take-off overhead. Sydney Airport is very attractive in the early morning sun.
I declined a newspaper and the proffered earphones, watched the safety briefing by the professional looking flight attendants, supported by the television monitors.
As we taxied to the southern end of the further of the north-south runways I noticed that we were followed by the government Boeing Business Jet (another 737 derivative). I wondered which minister was flying in it today and where they were off to. The latter question would soon be answered.
After waiting a while for our turn, we raced into the air before making a turn to the right and across the Eastern Suburbs. The dark grey city was surrounded by white tendrils of morning mists. Continuing to turn south we flew above the ocean and a layer of cloud. For most of the journey the ground was hidden beneath the clouds, though I caught glimpses of the coastline as we crossed near Wollongong.
Once the seatbelt light was off we were fed small raspberry muffins and a choice of water or fruit juice. I welcomed the little meal as I had only had a hurried drink of apple juice before leaving the house. On such a short flight there was no point in using my own music player, so I listened to the music piped through the seat and kept half an eye on the subtitled morning news. These little extras help make the journey more pleasant.
Before long it was time to begin our descent. For quite a while all I could see was grey below, but close to the airport we emerged through the cloud and above the farmhouses and bare willowed creeks threading the land below.
A familiar sight greeted us as we taxied along the runway at Canberra Airport. The airforce's Boeing Business Jet had beaten us there!
Then we nuzzled up to the gate and disembarked from the airport. I caught a taxi to my temporary workplace and spent the day testing new intranet software.
At the end of the day it was time to return to Sydney. I had booked a seat on Virgin Blue's 5pm flight back to Sydney. Along with me was another Sydney communicator from an adjacent division.
The Virgin Blue Embraer E-170 is a smallish jet and I was seated near the rear of the wing. Again, someone was sitting in my seat. We took off towards the south, rising steeply through the cloud. The return journey to Sydney was mostly above a carpet of cloud. I was initially disappointed that I was on the side opposite the beautiful sunset views, that is, until I saw something special.
We were getting close to Sydney when the captain announced that we had been placed in a holding pattern. This involved us circling in the air for a while. The aircraft banked sharply as it followed the circular track and I got some beautiful views of the orange grey sunset of out of the window.
The aircraft was pointed north as we regained our Sydney heading. I just caught the sight of a meteor or piece of space junk streaked through the sky, red on white, spitting out a much smaller chunk before exploding entirely.
The aircraft took the "scenic" route across Sydney, going all the way up to the north across the city before turning back towards the airport. The city seemed like a yellow and white glittering jewel, until we descended closer. Now I could see that those lights were not so closely spaced, the long gap between the streetlights, the thick dark slashes of trees. The city lacked the dense lighting of an Asian metropolis.
I was on the wrong side to see the CBD, the Harbour Bridge and other landmarks. On final descent we passed over floodlit sports grounds, over Parramatta Road, colourfully lit by the neon shopfronts, over familiar Sydenham railway station where we watch for aircraft overhead as we travel to work. We held above the runway for just a bit longer than usual before the wheels touched down on terra firma.
The airport was beautiful at night. It was still early enough that there was plenty of action going on amongst the bright lights. But it was time to go home to my family after another couple of very enjoyable flights.
Photos
The passengers were already boarding when I arrived at the airport. Thankfully I had already checked in online and had nothing in my little bag to disturb security, so I made it into the Qantas Boeing 737-400 with time to spare.
When I reached my row I found somebody else sitting in my window seat. I asked him to move as I knew I would make more use of the view. Then there was a long wait before we set off. I didn't mind. I had a nice view of a Qantas 767 out of my window and watched a few aircraft take-off overhead. Sydney Airport is very attractive in the early morning sun.
I declined a newspaper and the proffered earphones, watched the safety briefing by the professional looking flight attendants, supported by the television monitors.
As we taxied to the southern end of the further of the north-south runways I noticed that we were followed by the government Boeing Business Jet (another 737 derivative). I wondered which minister was flying in it today and where they were off to. The latter question would soon be answered.
After waiting a while for our turn, we raced into the air before making a turn to the right and across the Eastern Suburbs. The dark grey city was surrounded by white tendrils of morning mists. Continuing to turn south we flew above the ocean and a layer of cloud. For most of the journey the ground was hidden beneath the clouds, though I caught glimpses of the coastline as we crossed near Wollongong.
Once the seatbelt light was off we were fed small raspberry muffins and a choice of water or fruit juice. I welcomed the little meal as I had only had a hurried drink of apple juice before leaving the house. On such a short flight there was no point in using my own music player, so I listened to the music piped through the seat and kept half an eye on the subtitled morning news. These little extras help make the journey more pleasant.
Before long it was time to begin our descent. For quite a while all I could see was grey below, but close to the airport we emerged through the cloud and above the farmhouses and bare willowed creeks threading the land below.
A familiar sight greeted us as we taxied along the runway at Canberra Airport. The airforce's Boeing Business Jet had beaten us there!
Then we nuzzled up to the gate and disembarked from the airport. I caught a taxi to my temporary workplace and spent the day testing new intranet software.
At the end of the day it was time to return to Sydney. I had booked a seat on Virgin Blue's 5pm flight back to Sydney. Along with me was another Sydney communicator from an adjacent division.
The Virgin Blue Embraer E-170 is a smallish jet and I was seated near the rear of the wing. Again, someone was sitting in my seat. We took off towards the south, rising steeply through the cloud. The return journey to Sydney was mostly above a carpet of cloud. I was initially disappointed that I was on the side opposite the beautiful sunset views, that is, until I saw something special.
We were getting close to Sydney when the captain announced that we had been placed in a holding pattern. This involved us circling in the air for a while. The aircraft banked sharply as it followed the circular track and I got some beautiful views of the orange grey sunset of out of the window.
The aircraft was pointed north as we regained our Sydney heading. I just caught the sight of a meteor or piece of space junk streaked through the sky, red on white, spitting out a much smaller chunk before exploding entirely.
The aircraft took the "scenic" route across Sydney, going all the way up to the north across the city before turning back towards the airport. The city seemed like a yellow and white glittering jewel, until we descended closer. Now I could see that those lights were not so closely spaced, the long gap between the streetlights, the thick dark slashes of trees. The city lacked the dense lighting of an Asian metropolis.
I was on the wrong side to see the CBD, the Harbour Bridge and other landmarks. On final descent we passed over floodlit sports grounds, over Parramatta Road, colourfully lit by the neon shopfronts, over familiar Sydenham railway station where we watch for aircraft overhead as we travel to work. We held above the runway for just a bit longer than usual before the wheels touched down on terra firma.
The airport was beautiful at night. It was still early enough that there was plenty of action going on amongst the bright lights. But it was time to go home to my family after another couple of very enjoyable flights.
Photos
Categories: allrite elsewhere
CJ2010: Travels with the toddler
Prior to this last trip I had been very nervous about the difficulties of travelling with a toddler. On a previous flight to Japan there was one little child who raced up and down the aisle, even during descent, and then caused havoc for his parents at the immigration queue. Was that going to be Alex, flying into temper tantrums whenever he was restricted?
Thankfully not! We were very fortunate on this trip and our travels with Alex were relatively easy. In fact, they were downright pleasurable. Perhaps it helps that Alex travels about 4 hours by commuter train four days a week. But, so long as we let him down now and then to explore around our seats in the aircraft or train he rewarded us with big smiles. He also slept for periods on most longer trips.
Flying business class definitely made a difference, with more space around the seat for him to play and more comfortable positions for him (and us!) to sleep on our laps.
Alex was very sociable, enjoying interacting with other passengers and people he met along his travels. Almost everywhere we went he was the big attraction, with passersby trying to gain his attention (or Alex sometimes trying to get theirs).
The backpack, although at times painful for me, was fantastic for Alex. He normally doesn't stay long in a stroller, but I think he appreciated the view from up high. Not so good for him to sleep in however and I missed the interaction that comes from seeing face to face.
Finding food for Alex was sometimes a bit of a problem. We learned to keep some bakery products handy in case he needed a quick feed and to stock up on bananas wherever we went. But at least we discovered some new foods for him, like salmon sushimi.
I believe that Alex benefited greatly from the holiday. We saw some amazing changes take place, an explosion in his language abilities and physical development. He demonstrated his confidence with new people and situations. We all enjoyed the strengthening of the family relationship that came from the constant contact. Alex now connects so much better with B.
From that perspective it was a necessary holiday and one well worth it.
Thankfully not! We were very fortunate on this trip and our travels with Alex were relatively easy. In fact, they were downright pleasurable. Perhaps it helps that Alex travels about 4 hours by commuter train four days a week. But, so long as we let him down now and then to explore around our seats in the aircraft or train he rewarded us with big smiles. He also slept for periods on most longer trips.
Flying business class definitely made a difference, with more space around the seat for him to play and more comfortable positions for him (and us!) to sleep on our laps.
Alex was very sociable, enjoying interacting with other passengers and people he met along his travels. Almost everywhere we went he was the big attraction, with passersby trying to gain his attention (or Alex sometimes trying to get theirs).
The backpack, although at times painful for me, was fantastic for Alex. He normally doesn't stay long in a stroller, but I think he appreciated the view from up high. Not so good for him to sleep in however and I missed the interaction that comes from seeing face to face.
Finding food for Alex was sometimes a bit of a problem. We learned to keep some bakery products handy in case he needed a quick feed and to stock up on bananas wherever we went. But at least we discovered some new foods for him, like salmon sushimi.
I believe that Alex benefited greatly from the holiday. We saw some amazing changes take place, an explosion in his language abilities and physical development. He demonstrated his confidence with new people and situations. We all enjoyed the strengthening of the family relationship that came from the constant contact. Alex now connects so much better with B.
From that perspective it was a necessary holiday and one well worth it.
Categories: allrite elsewhere
Some statistics
While copying the photos from this trip to my networked share drive I discovered that we had, between us, taken almost 6000 photos at over 22 gigabytes of data and written around 18,000 words in the blog.
Categories: allrite elsewhere
Lounging home from Tokyo
As I watch the aircraft fly down along the valley on descent into the airport I find it difficult to convince myself that the holiday has come to an end. But it has.
A pile of dried millipedes greeted us at the front doorstep when we arrived home. The dog did his business on the sheepskin rug and threw up on the bedroom floor. The one remaining goldfish was floating ill in the tank. There was no lunch to be had but a tin of baked beans for Alex. Welcome home!
As always, I was sad to say goodbye to our room at the Shinjuku Prince. Alex continued to gaze outside at the passing trains. It was almost time to catch one of those trains.
After leaving our luggage at the hotel our first task was to book seats on the evening's Narita Express for the airport. Then we set out to do some final day shopping at the Lumine and Mylord (love those names) department stores around Shinjuku station.
A little further south is the imposing Takashimaya Times Square complex. The basement food market of Takashimaya is worth a visit just for the amazing variety of foods on offer, especially desserts. The exquisite creations put your average suburban patisserie to shame.
We bought some desserts and a some bento boxes for lunch. But when we reached the restaurant level of the building we discovered that the wonderful outdoor seating area was closed. There was still a seating area inside, but without the views of Shinjuku park.
Alex had fun playing in the children's section of the Uniqlo clothing shop. There was one young Japanese girl there, a few years older than Alex, who spoke excellent English and asked if she could play with him.
By now, there was only enough time for a brief race through quirky Tokyu Hands, where hardware, paperware, furniture and miscellaneous goods are sold. Then we rushed back to the hotel, picked up our luggage and lugged it back to the station. It was sweaty work, but we actually managed to get to the train about 15 minutes early.
It was a brand new Narita Express with seat power, wireless access (you need a Japanese service provider I think) combination locks on the luggage racks and information screens. The design feels close enough to the old Narita Express that the change is not too jarring.
The train ride begins amongst the giant skyscrapers and shopping centres of Shinjuku and Shibuya, At Chiba massive overhead monorail lines loop over the railway tracks. I must catch a ride on one someday. Then we are out in the countryside. Tea plantations nestled inbetween hills of trees and bamboo, fans blowing air across the rows. Serene rice paddings reflecting the evening sun, dogs walked along the tracks. Narita, dominated by a big pagoda, signals that its time to retrieve our bags and ready ourselves for the airport. Some complain about the distance of the airport from the city, but for me it is a relaxing prelude or coda to a flight.
Finally, we arrived at the airport and checked in for our flight. I never seem to be hungry prior to boarding, but B and Alex were. We decided to see what was on offer post security.
The security queues were the shortest that I've seen, though my bag of computers and wires caused issues as usual. We took the shuttle train to the satellite part of terminal two, then went to the Qantas business lounge. We were travelling, for the first time, on Jetstar StarClass tickets, which have complimentary lounge access.
The lounge was a smaller version of Sydney Airport's, quite pleasant, but winding down for the evening. B and Alex ate soup and a chicken rice dish. I satisfied myself with sushi and small cakes, as well as lots of (non-alcoholic) drink, including grape Fanta. I have to commend the lounge on their toilets - deluxe automatic versions which even automatically raise the seat and lid for you, in addition to all the usual bum-warming-and-washing options.
The StarClass seats were a bit of a disappointment after Qantas international business class. Manual, without too much recline or leg support, they were like comfy armchairs. Still, they were better than economy!
I was also disappointed that Jetstar appear to have dropped their "Let's fly away" music during boarding, taxiing and take-off as I rather enjoyed the soothing sound. We taxied out into a dark field spotted with lights, then lifted off into the black sky.
It was exactly one year to the day (even close to the hour!) since I last saw the seatbelt light switched on due to turbulence. It was a moderately rough flight for the first few hours. But there were no sweaty palms or feelings of deep anxiety, just a little annoyance. I guess that means that I have largely overcome my fear.
Alex fell asleep on my lap and stayed that way for a large portion of the flight. B couldn't sleep and, as usual, neither could I, partly because my position was dictated by Alex. I managed to listed to some music on my mp3 player while B watched a movie on the brick-like entertainment unit. There was no space for me to the same and I didn't feel like watching "It's Complicated" on the cabin screens.
Meals were taken on B's tray table. Soon after takeoff we were served a rather insipid ginger pork and vegetables - at the standard of Cathay Pacific. There could be no complaints about dessert, however. Very smooth chocolate mousse cake and Ferrero Rocher chocolates, chocolate biscuits and pretzels for snacks. Somebody in the Qantas Group catering has a serious chocolate addiction.
There was little for me to see and do for most of the night flight, although at one point, over the Philippines I think, we passed over a city like sparkling jewels in the night. Then nothing until Papua New Guinea. Normally I can enjoy looking out the windows at night, but there was no Moon and too many cabin reflections on this trip.
We arrived into Cairns early, while it was still dark outside. I rather like the Cairns' international terminal, but today we had to pick up our luggage and transfer to the domestic terminal. For the first time we passed through Australian immigration in an airport other than Sydney. The queues were reasonable, a single dog was in action, mainly for Japanese passengers, and we didn't even have to open our bags despite the food and wooden toys we admitted to carrying. Which was good, because they have been checked and passed on previous trips.
It was a cool morning in Cairns as we walked outside to the somewhat distant domestic terminal, the only indications that this was the tropics were the birdsound and the palm trees. The sunrise above the mountains was quite beautiful.
Initially Jetstar were going to charge us $120 for excess baggage, but when it was realised that we were continuing international StarClass passengers who upgraded prior to arriving at the airport our heavy bags were passed. We borrowed one of the free strollers and took Alex past security.
Cairns' under-construction domestic terminal is reasonable shopswise, though lacking in any tarmac views. That was okay, because we all spent most of it asleep. Alex appeared not to enjoy the flavour of the local bananas as much as the South American and Philippine imports he had eaten overseas.
The Airbus A321 seats felt rather confined after our other flights, but it was only a two and a half hour flight. A very pleasant one at that. The were gorgeous views of Cairns and the reef as we took off. Then smooth carpets of cloud until we neared Sydney. We veered east out of Sydney harbour, views of Manly and the northern beaches to our left, then descended low over the Eastern Suburb and down on to the East-West runway. I'm not certain that I have landed there before. It was a perfect domestic flight, and Alex slept for at least an hour during it.
No immigration to worry about in Sydney, so we were soon out and waiting for a taxi with a baby seat. One was ordered by the attendant, but the first guy who pulled up claimed that an 18 month old didn't need a childseat. Umm, you driving on your cousin's license fraudster?
The next guy was originally from Shanghai, new what he was doing and where he was going. We had an enjoyable conversation about Shanghai with him.
Then the three very weary travellers arrived home. And eventually they slept. And slept.
Photos
A pile of dried millipedes greeted us at the front doorstep when we arrived home. The dog did his business on the sheepskin rug and threw up on the bedroom floor. The one remaining goldfish was floating ill in the tank. There was no lunch to be had but a tin of baked beans for Alex. Welcome home!
As always, I was sad to say goodbye to our room at the Shinjuku Prince. Alex continued to gaze outside at the passing trains. It was almost time to catch one of those trains.
After leaving our luggage at the hotel our first task was to book seats on the evening's Narita Express for the airport. Then we set out to do some final day shopping at the Lumine and Mylord (love those names) department stores around Shinjuku station.
A little further south is the imposing Takashimaya Times Square complex. The basement food market of Takashimaya is worth a visit just for the amazing variety of foods on offer, especially desserts. The exquisite creations put your average suburban patisserie to shame.
We bought some desserts and a some bento boxes for lunch. But when we reached the restaurant level of the building we discovered that the wonderful outdoor seating area was closed. There was still a seating area inside, but without the views of Shinjuku park.
Alex had fun playing in the children's section of the Uniqlo clothing shop. There was one young Japanese girl there, a few years older than Alex, who spoke excellent English and asked if she could play with him.
By now, there was only enough time for a brief race through quirky Tokyu Hands, where hardware, paperware, furniture and miscellaneous goods are sold. Then we rushed back to the hotel, picked up our luggage and lugged it back to the station. It was sweaty work, but we actually managed to get to the train about 15 minutes early.
It was a brand new Narita Express with seat power, wireless access (you need a Japanese service provider I think) combination locks on the luggage racks and information screens. The design feels close enough to the old Narita Express that the change is not too jarring.
The train ride begins amongst the giant skyscrapers and shopping centres of Shinjuku and Shibuya, At Chiba massive overhead monorail lines loop over the railway tracks. I must catch a ride on one someday. Then we are out in the countryside. Tea plantations nestled inbetween hills of trees and bamboo, fans blowing air across the rows. Serene rice paddings reflecting the evening sun, dogs walked along the tracks. Narita, dominated by a big pagoda, signals that its time to retrieve our bags and ready ourselves for the airport. Some complain about the distance of the airport from the city, but for me it is a relaxing prelude or coda to a flight.
Finally, we arrived at the airport and checked in for our flight. I never seem to be hungry prior to boarding, but B and Alex were. We decided to see what was on offer post security.
The security queues were the shortest that I've seen, though my bag of computers and wires caused issues as usual. We took the shuttle train to the satellite part of terminal two, then went to the Qantas business lounge. We were travelling, for the first time, on Jetstar StarClass tickets, which have complimentary lounge access.
The lounge was a smaller version of Sydney Airport's, quite pleasant, but winding down for the evening. B and Alex ate soup and a chicken rice dish. I satisfied myself with sushi and small cakes, as well as lots of (non-alcoholic) drink, including grape Fanta. I have to commend the lounge on their toilets - deluxe automatic versions which even automatically raise the seat and lid for you, in addition to all the usual bum-warming-and-washing options.
The StarClass seats were a bit of a disappointment after Qantas international business class. Manual, without too much recline or leg support, they were like comfy armchairs. Still, they were better than economy!
I was also disappointed that Jetstar appear to have dropped their "Let's fly away" music during boarding, taxiing and take-off as I rather enjoyed the soothing sound. We taxied out into a dark field spotted with lights, then lifted off into the black sky.
It was exactly one year to the day (even close to the hour!) since I last saw the seatbelt light switched on due to turbulence. It was a moderately rough flight for the first few hours. But there were no sweaty palms or feelings of deep anxiety, just a little annoyance. I guess that means that I have largely overcome my fear.
Alex fell asleep on my lap and stayed that way for a large portion of the flight. B couldn't sleep and, as usual, neither could I, partly because my position was dictated by Alex. I managed to listed to some music on my mp3 player while B watched a movie on the brick-like entertainment unit. There was no space for me to the same and I didn't feel like watching "It's Complicated" on the cabin screens.
Meals were taken on B's tray table. Soon after takeoff we were served a rather insipid ginger pork and vegetables - at the standard of Cathay Pacific. There could be no complaints about dessert, however. Very smooth chocolate mousse cake and Ferrero Rocher chocolates, chocolate biscuits and pretzels for snacks. Somebody in the Qantas Group catering has a serious chocolate addiction.
There was little for me to see and do for most of the night flight, although at one point, over the Philippines I think, we passed over a city like sparkling jewels in the night. Then nothing until Papua New Guinea. Normally I can enjoy looking out the windows at night, but there was no Moon and too many cabin reflections on this trip.
We arrived into Cairns early, while it was still dark outside. I rather like the Cairns' international terminal, but today we had to pick up our luggage and transfer to the domestic terminal. For the first time we passed through Australian immigration in an airport other than Sydney. The queues were reasonable, a single dog was in action, mainly for Japanese passengers, and we didn't even have to open our bags despite the food and wooden toys we admitted to carrying. Which was good, because they have been checked and passed on previous trips.
It was a cool morning in Cairns as we walked outside to the somewhat distant domestic terminal, the only indications that this was the tropics were the birdsound and the palm trees. The sunrise above the mountains was quite beautiful.
Initially Jetstar were going to charge us $120 for excess baggage, but when it was realised that we were continuing international StarClass passengers who upgraded prior to arriving at the airport our heavy bags were passed. We borrowed one of the free strollers and took Alex past security.
Cairns' under-construction domestic terminal is reasonable shopswise, though lacking in any tarmac views. That was okay, because we all spent most of it asleep. Alex appeared not to enjoy the flavour of the local bananas as much as the South American and Philippine imports he had eaten overseas.
The Airbus A321 seats felt rather confined after our other flights, but it was only a two and a half hour flight. A very pleasant one at that. The were gorgeous views of Cairns and the reef as we took off. Then smooth carpets of cloud until we neared Sydney. We veered east out of Sydney harbour, views of Manly and the northern beaches to our left, then descended low over the Eastern Suburb and down on to the East-West runway. I'm not certain that I have landed there before. It was a perfect domestic flight, and Alex slept for at least an hour during it.
No immigration to worry about in Sydney, so we were soon out and waiting for a taxi with a baby seat. One was ordered by the attendant, but the first guy who pulled up claimed that an 18 month old didn't need a childseat. Umm, you driving on your cousin's license fraudster?
The next guy was originally from Shanghai, new what he was doing and where he was going. We had an enjoyable conversation about Shanghai with him.
Then the three very weary travellers arrived home. And eventually they slept. And slept.
Photos
Categories: allrite elsewhere
A quiet day in Hong Kong
Not much to report about today. We slept in while outside the waterfalls around the swimming pool were falling horizontal in the gusty wind and heavy rain. It was a good day to stay indoors.
I woke up with a very painful left shoulder blade, probably caused by dragging or lifting the heavy luggage. It caused a lot of discomfort when carrying Alex. The little fellow played in the hotel room, then had a two hour morning nap. I actually read a few pages of a novel!
When he woke up we walked across to the Federal Restaurant at the adjacent CityGate mall and had yum cha for lunch. Unlike in Sydney, instead of carts of food trundling between tables you need to order the dishes from a menu and they are brought out to you. I prefer the cart method, it's more fun, and truth be told, out of the three yum chas that we have eaten in Hong Kong, none were up to the standard of some of Sydney's better restaurants.
We went to change his nappy in the adjacent children's change room/handicapped toilet, only to have a female restaurant worker, neither an infant or disabled, emerge after having smoked a cigarette inside. I've seen a fair bit of commentary from Australians on Chinese television to mark World No Tobacco Day and I think having the smallest proportion of smokers (17%) of any industrialised nation is a pretty good statistic. I'd be happy for the rest of the world to catch up.
More shopping for B while I let Alex loose to run around. He is big for his age in Hong Kong terms (though not Australia) and has been receiving plenty of "lang jai" (handsome boy) comments. After we rejoined B we went for dessert at the food court. Alex and I shared a sweet mango and pomelo soup, while he rejected B's red bean dessert.
We returned to the hotel room, but eventually reemerged in search of dinner. My plans of wandering the park that has replaced the infamous Walled City, then eating dinner at the Kowloon food streets was frustrated by the weather. Instead, after wandering around some more of the local Tung Chung area, we caught the MTR to Causeway Bay and squeezed through the narrow confines of the stalls of the Jardine Bazaar. There was nothing of interest there.
Outside were a number of noodle restaurants. We picked Ma's on the basis of a newspaper article. The portions were tiny and the soup pretty tasteless, but at least Alex enjoyed munching down on choy sum. He loves his greens.
After this unsatisfying meal we decided to return to the hotel room, purchasing some bakery and other foods for later.
Tomorrow we leave for Japan. I only booked our first couple of nights today, selecting Okayama. I'm not really certain what we'll do yet, but the weather is supposed to be quite pleasant.
I could have stayed longer in Hong Kong. I think that I prefer this city to Shanghai. It's at a later stage of its development with most of the rougher edges smoothed out. I wonder when and if Shanghai will reach that same state.
Photos
I woke up with a very painful left shoulder blade, probably caused by dragging or lifting the heavy luggage. It caused a lot of discomfort when carrying Alex. The little fellow played in the hotel room, then had a two hour morning nap. I actually read a few pages of a novel!
When he woke up we walked across to the Federal Restaurant at the adjacent CityGate mall and had yum cha for lunch. Unlike in Sydney, instead of carts of food trundling between tables you need to order the dishes from a menu and they are brought out to you. I prefer the cart method, it's more fun, and truth be told, out of the three yum chas that we have eaten in Hong Kong, none were up to the standard of some of Sydney's better restaurants.
We went to change his nappy in the adjacent children's change room/handicapped toilet, only to have a female restaurant worker, neither an infant or disabled, emerge after having smoked a cigarette inside. I've seen a fair bit of commentary from Australians on Chinese television to mark World No Tobacco Day and I think having the smallest proportion of smokers (17%) of any industrialised nation is a pretty good statistic. I'd be happy for the rest of the world to catch up.
More shopping for B while I let Alex loose to run around. He is big for his age in Hong Kong terms (though not Australia) and has been receiving plenty of "lang jai" (handsome boy) comments. After we rejoined B we went for dessert at the food court. Alex and I shared a sweet mango and pomelo soup, while he rejected B's red bean dessert.
We returned to the hotel room, but eventually reemerged in search of dinner. My plans of wandering the park that has replaced the infamous Walled City, then eating dinner at the Kowloon food streets was frustrated by the weather. Instead, after wandering around some more of the local Tung Chung area, we caught the MTR to Causeway Bay and squeezed through the narrow confines of the stalls of the Jardine Bazaar. There was nothing of interest there.
Outside were a number of noodle restaurants. We picked Ma's on the basis of a newspaper article. The portions were tiny and the soup pretty tasteless, but at least Alex enjoyed munching down on choy sum. He loves his greens.
After this unsatisfying meal we decided to return to the hotel room, purchasing some bakery and other foods for later.
Tomorrow we leave for Japan. I only booked our first couple of nights today, selecting Okayama. I'm not really certain what we'll do yet, but the weather is supposed to be quite pleasant.
I could have stayed longer in Hong Kong. I think that I prefer this city to Shanghai. It's at a later stage of its development with most of the rougher edges smoothed out. I wonder when and if Shanghai will reach that same state.
Photos
Categories: allrite elsewhere
Shanghai photos
I've now placed all the Shanghai photos up online:
It's very nice to have fast, open internet access. What isn't nice is the weather outside, wet and very windy. My plans for a swim are probably thwarted again, as is my walk through the old walled city area. Oh well, at least we have a nice hotel room.
It's very nice to have fast, open internet access. What isn't nice is the weather outside, wet and very windy. My plans for a swim are probably thwarted again, as is my walk through the old walled city area. Oh well, at least we have a nice hotel room.
Categories: allrite elsewhere
Scrolls and soles in Hong Kong
We changed rooms. Every bit of luxury is precious now, especially a raindrop shower. Alex doesn't think so. He was a bit scared of his first shower. At least the glass doors have child friendly rubber edges.
The pool and waterfall area in the hotel are gorgeous, designed with Feng Shui principles in mind.
Today was a shopping day. The shops were still closed when we caught the MTR (railway) from Tung Chung, just by our hotel, to Hong Kong island. There is something different about Hong Kong to Shanghai, a different atmosphere (less smoggy for one). For one thing the cars drive on the correct side of the road (the left), unlike the rest of China.
Hong Kong proper is a maze of shiny skyscrapers, neon signs, and steep alleyways. My first mission was to lead us to Des Voeux Street with its dried seafood shops. However, we soon got sidetracked by a branch of H&M. But before entry, food was required. We found a restaurant selling some passable Hong Kong and western food, then returned to the shop.
We spent ages there, B shopping, me standing around with a mostly sleeping Alex on my back.
Once we were finally out of H&M we began climbing the steep steps of Pottinger Street, lined with stalls selling sewing materials and rubber bums. To one side was a terraced park/seating area. We stopped there to change Alex's nappy and let him run around, chasing sparrows. He met a couple of other children there and it was great for him to interact. He's learned to say "hello" now, which comes out as a very cute and gentle "hewwo".
We continued on to Hollywood Road, which is lined with stores selling expensive antiques. It seems that every bit of ivory on display is "mammoth tusk". I hope that they realise mammoths are extinct now and a non-renewable resource. Hopefully elephants don't go the same way.
We purchased a couple of very pretty scrolls from one store. B started to haggle, but the shopkeeper gave in quickly once he noticed Alex. He then said "fish" and Alex suddenly mimicked him (Alex used to say "fish", but they became "sharks"). "Fish, fish fish" said Alex. He's just gone through another development phase and his vocabulary is expanding rapidly.
The heavens opened up and we were without an umbrella. We had purchased one in Shanghai, but left it there as it was too big to carry around. Now we raced from shelter to shelter, down the steps, until we found a 7-11 store and bought another umbrella. Alex was somewhat protected by a hood on the backpack.
From there it wasn't far to the dried seafood shops, where we bought scallops for B's mum.
It was time to get off the streets and find proper shelter. An MTR ride to Admiralty took us to Pacific Place, an upmarket shopping centre. B found nothing much to buy there, although I saw one very cool (and very, very expensive) mirror that was actually an wifi equipped electronic photo frame running Android.
At least my wifi photo frame runs Linux.
Pacific Place has the swankiest looking baby change room that I've seen, Not so well equipped, but luxurious. No wonder there was a short queue.
I was ready to go back to the hotel, but B wanted to do more shopping, so we caught the MTR to Mong Kok station, on the peninsula. The place was thrumming with activity, lots of young people milling around, shopping, the Ladies Market in Fa Yuen Street.
We found some shoes for me in a branch of Mirabell, the same chain where I had bought them twice before. A belt to replace the one forgotten at Sydney Airport security. But not much else. The majority of the items are of very poor quality.
From there we walked along Nathan Road to the Temple Street night markets. There we had what I thought was a somewhat disappointing meal of meat, veges and seafood. I hate to say this, but I'm not in the mood for Chinese food at the moment, but rather something easy to eat and filling. I had been very hungry for 2 hours before we ate.
The markets were only just starting to get going at 8pm. I was tempted by some figurines to add to the office collection, but there was nothing really worth buying.
The MTR from Yau Ma Tei returned us, with one change, to our hotel. We like the new room. I hope to get a chance to enjoy it before we depart for Japan.
Photos
The pool and waterfall area in the hotel are gorgeous, designed with Feng Shui principles in mind.
Today was a shopping day. The shops were still closed when we caught the MTR (railway) from Tung Chung, just by our hotel, to Hong Kong island. There is something different about Hong Kong to Shanghai, a different atmosphere (less smoggy for one). For one thing the cars drive on the correct side of the road (the left), unlike the rest of China.
Hong Kong proper is a maze of shiny skyscrapers, neon signs, and steep alleyways. My first mission was to lead us to Des Voeux Street with its dried seafood shops. However, we soon got sidetracked by a branch of H&M. But before entry, food was required. We found a restaurant selling some passable Hong Kong and western food, then returned to the shop.
We spent ages there, B shopping, me standing around with a mostly sleeping Alex on my back.
Once we were finally out of H&M we began climbing the steep steps of Pottinger Street, lined with stalls selling sewing materials and rubber bums. To one side was a terraced park/seating area. We stopped there to change Alex's nappy and let him run around, chasing sparrows. He met a couple of other children there and it was great for him to interact. He's learned to say "hello" now, which comes out as a very cute and gentle "hewwo".
We continued on to Hollywood Road, which is lined with stores selling expensive antiques. It seems that every bit of ivory on display is "mammoth tusk". I hope that they realise mammoths are extinct now and a non-renewable resource. Hopefully elephants don't go the same way.
We purchased a couple of very pretty scrolls from one store. B started to haggle, but the shopkeeper gave in quickly once he noticed Alex. He then said "fish" and Alex suddenly mimicked him (Alex used to say "fish", but they became "sharks"). "Fish, fish fish" said Alex. He's just gone through another development phase and his vocabulary is expanding rapidly.
The heavens opened up and we were without an umbrella. We had purchased one in Shanghai, but left it there as it was too big to carry around. Now we raced from shelter to shelter, down the steps, until we found a 7-11 store and bought another umbrella. Alex was somewhat protected by a hood on the backpack.
From there it wasn't far to the dried seafood shops, where we bought scallops for B's mum.
It was time to get off the streets and find proper shelter. An MTR ride to Admiralty took us to Pacific Place, an upmarket shopping centre. B found nothing much to buy there, although I saw one very cool (and very, very expensive) mirror that was actually an wifi equipped electronic photo frame running Android.
At least my wifi photo frame runs Linux.
Pacific Place has the swankiest looking baby change room that I've seen, Not so well equipped, but luxurious. No wonder there was a short queue.
I was ready to go back to the hotel, but B wanted to do more shopping, so we caught the MTR to Mong Kok station, on the peninsula. The place was thrumming with activity, lots of young people milling around, shopping, the Ladies Market in Fa Yuen Street.
We found some shoes for me in a branch of Mirabell, the same chain where I had bought them twice before. A belt to replace the one forgotten at Sydney Airport security. But not much else. The majority of the items are of very poor quality.
From there we walked along Nathan Road to the Temple Street night markets. There we had what I thought was a somewhat disappointing meal of meat, veges and seafood. I hate to say this, but I'm not in the mood for Chinese food at the moment, but rather something easy to eat and filling. I had been very hungry for 2 hours before we ate.
The markets were only just starting to get going at 8pm. I was tempted by some figurines to add to the office collection, but there was nothing really worth buying.
The MTR from Yau Ma Tei returned us, with one change, to our hotel. We like the new room. I hope to get a chance to enjoy it before we depart for Japan.
Photos
Categories: allrite elsewhere
Fly cry to Hong Kong
It's very difficult to travel light with a child in tow. Nappies, clothes, books, toys and other amusements. So it was that we were dragging two big roller bags, a heavy daypack and, of course, Alex in his backpack, along the streets of Shanghai. It was probably quite a sight for the locals.
After dragging the luggage down the stairs, we caught the metro from East Nanjing Road to Longyang Road. We could have continued on to Pudong Airport, but instead I wanted to give Alex a new transport experience: maglev!
The tickets are expensive (for China), the city end of the terminal is nowhere in particular and the journey time is only around 10 minutes. Magnetic levitation trains are expensive to build. However, I was reading a recent Scientific American article which said that they can handle steeper gradients (not an issue in Shanghai) and require less maintenance than conventional high speed lines. The Japanese Shinkansen requires an army of thousands of workers to go over the tracks each night. You begin to wonder if countries like Australia, Britain and the US are prepared to engage in that kind of infrastructure maintenance.
We dragged the luggage through the metal detectors and shortly afterwards a Maglev train arrived. Despite the tour group crowds we got a three seater row to ourselves. Then we glided off with barely an indication of the acceleration (unlike the Shanghai metro, which jerks you off your feet each time it starts up).
Before we knew it we were at 431 km/h and decelerating again. Alex was busy staring out of the window and seemingly excited, which made the "detour" worth it.
Shanghai's Pudong airport looked so much nicer in the day, very shiny and clean. The check in a bright and spacious. Checked in, bought some last minute Expo souvenirs, then passed through immigration and security. Both times that we have passed through Shanghai immigration the lady police officer has smiled cheerfully. We gave an extremely satisfied on the little performance rating device on their desks.
The very long Terminal 2 has superb views out across one of the airport's runways and out to the flat ocean. Apart from the numerous Chinese domestic flights we could see airlines such as Lufthansa, Asiana and Aeroflot waiting to depart.
Both B and Alex were hungry and couldn't wait for onboard meals, so we dined at the restaurant level, dumplings for B, chicken and broccoli pizza for Alex (the strange kid loves broccoli). It was a slow process feeding Alex, so there wasn't much time to browse the rather expensive duty free shops below. Alex had fun running around the terminal.
There was already a long queue at our gate when we arrived. I had thought that we were to be flying on a Boeing 777-300, a new aircraft for me, but instead it was a Cathay Pacific 747-400 waiting at the gate. Oh well, the venerable old birds, now being phased out by many airlines, are probably my favourite aircraft to fly on.
Also unexpectedly, we were seated on the bulkhead row at the front of economy, just forward of the wing. Initially I was disappointed, but then I realised that we had a lot of extra legroom and Alex couldn't annoy anyone in front of us. His presence must have irritated the aisle passenger in our row, because he took his precious little iPad toy and moved away.
The Cathay attendants were very helpful and unexpectedly brought us the kids pack of stickers and colouring in materials. The sudoko puzzles were a bit too advanced for Alex, as was everything else. There was also a pack of two nappies and creams, but no wipes. I had to say that, although the Cathay staff were very quick to respond to requests, they lacked the warmth of their Qantas counterparts.
They did let me change his nappy while taxiing, saying that I could read up on the safety briefing later.
Taxiing out to the runway at Pudong airport took forever, which the Australian pilot blamed on congestion. It certainly seemed very busy, but the nearest runway to the terminal was being used for landings only, so we had to traverse much of the airport before we could take-off.
Alex was asleep before we took off and I found myself nodding off a few times. I love the way that the 747 takes so confidently to the air. We flew up over the paddy fields and over a brown sea muddied by the output of China's rivers. The coastline was dotted with islands, most seemingly developed.
Lunch was served, chicken and rice for B, fish and spinach fettucine for me. We had to eat separately as there was not enough room for a tray table and Alex on the lap. The food was rather ordinary, especially in comparison to what I've had recently on Qantas (and no, I'm not just talking business class!).
Alex was given jars of baby food. He insisted on feeding me spoonfuls of cold pureed chicken and corn mix. It was dreadful! Yes Alex, now I know how you have suffered,
We were seated in a renovated Cathay cabin. Their hardshell seats were comfortable in the upright position, but awful reclined. At least the widescreen StudioCX inflight entertainment system was fantastic, with a lovely high resolution screen and at least three decent soundtrack CD's to listen to. I setup a playlist of Thomas Newman's Revolution Road (*yawn*), James Horner's Avatar (good flying music, had intended to listen on my MP3 player), and Nicholas Hooper's Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince (good music I already own). Pity that the random function wasn't very random. and they used the old moving flight map.
The flight was a little bumpy, maybe due to the topography and the weather. We hugged the Chinese coastline and below us were some fantastic views of China from above. Cities and mountains, rivers and dams, estuaries and islands. And when we flew above the clouds it really looked like we were flying intercontinental. I love the 747!
When he was awake, Alex was very difficult on this flight. He cried and complained, struggled to get free, everything we feared with flying with a toddler. It was a relief when we descended through the thick grey clouds into a wet and miserable looking Hong Kong.
Once inside the terminal we were ushered through a priority lane for immigration, though the official with the silly haircut was rather unsmilingly in comparison with his mainland counterparts. Then we were into the arrivals area and ready to catch the minibus to our hotel, the Novotel CityGate.
I had stayed in this hotel during my Hong Kong transit a year ago and been highly impressed by the rooms. So was B, but we discovered that the room, overlooking the pool, had no bathtub. I called reception and requested to change. They said they would see what they could do in 10 minutes time. We waited, then there was a knock on the door and a staff member with a trolley to move us.
Unfortunately, the bathtub rooms are not as nice as the shower only rooms and the view of the cable car and airport is not as nice as the pool and waterfall view. When they say airport, it's not like you can see much of it either, planespotters. Instead we could see a children's playground outside (must take Alex). Oh well, at least we had a bath.
Time then to explore the adjacent CityGate outlet shopping centre. I was disappointed to see that a couple of favourite shops, including the place I had bought my shoes and another that sold Sony goods, had both disappeared. At least the kids clothes shops were still there.
It felt a little strange eating Malaysian and Vietnamese cuisine in the food court, though the quality was reasonably good. The huge supermarket was a lot of fun too, with brands from all over the world.
When we returned to the hotel I was so tired that I just bathed Alex (yay, a decent bath with clean water at last!) and dropped fast asleep. Too tired to blog or upload pictures straight away.
Photos
After dragging the luggage down the stairs, we caught the metro from East Nanjing Road to Longyang Road. We could have continued on to Pudong Airport, but instead I wanted to give Alex a new transport experience: maglev!
The tickets are expensive (for China), the city end of the terminal is nowhere in particular and the journey time is only around 10 minutes. Magnetic levitation trains are expensive to build. However, I was reading a recent Scientific American article which said that they can handle steeper gradients (not an issue in Shanghai) and require less maintenance than conventional high speed lines. The Japanese Shinkansen requires an army of thousands of workers to go over the tracks each night. You begin to wonder if countries like Australia, Britain and the US are prepared to engage in that kind of infrastructure maintenance.
We dragged the luggage through the metal detectors and shortly afterwards a Maglev train arrived. Despite the tour group crowds we got a three seater row to ourselves. Then we glided off with barely an indication of the acceleration (unlike the Shanghai metro, which jerks you off your feet each time it starts up).
Before we knew it we were at 431 km/h and decelerating again. Alex was busy staring out of the window and seemingly excited, which made the "detour" worth it.
Shanghai's Pudong airport looked so much nicer in the day, very shiny and clean. The check in a bright and spacious. Checked in, bought some last minute Expo souvenirs, then passed through immigration and security. Both times that we have passed through Shanghai immigration the lady police officer has smiled cheerfully. We gave an extremely satisfied on the little performance rating device on their desks.
The very long Terminal 2 has superb views out across one of the airport's runways and out to the flat ocean. Apart from the numerous Chinese domestic flights we could see airlines such as Lufthansa, Asiana and Aeroflot waiting to depart.
Both B and Alex were hungry and couldn't wait for onboard meals, so we dined at the restaurant level, dumplings for B, chicken and broccoli pizza for Alex (the strange kid loves broccoli). It was a slow process feeding Alex, so there wasn't much time to browse the rather expensive duty free shops below. Alex had fun running around the terminal.
There was already a long queue at our gate when we arrived. I had thought that we were to be flying on a Boeing 777-300, a new aircraft for me, but instead it was a Cathay Pacific 747-400 waiting at the gate. Oh well, the venerable old birds, now being phased out by many airlines, are probably my favourite aircraft to fly on.
Also unexpectedly, we were seated on the bulkhead row at the front of economy, just forward of the wing. Initially I was disappointed, but then I realised that we had a lot of extra legroom and Alex couldn't annoy anyone in front of us. His presence must have irritated the aisle passenger in our row, because he took his precious little iPad toy and moved away.
The Cathay attendants were very helpful and unexpectedly brought us the kids pack of stickers and colouring in materials. The sudoko puzzles were a bit too advanced for Alex, as was everything else. There was also a pack of two nappies and creams, but no wipes. I had to say that, although the Cathay staff were very quick to respond to requests, they lacked the warmth of their Qantas counterparts.
They did let me change his nappy while taxiing, saying that I could read up on the safety briefing later.
Taxiing out to the runway at Pudong airport took forever, which the Australian pilot blamed on congestion. It certainly seemed very busy, but the nearest runway to the terminal was being used for landings only, so we had to traverse much of the airport before we could take-off.
Alex was asleep before we took off and I found myself nodding off a few times. I love the way that the 747 takes so confidently to the air. We flew up over the paddy fields and over a brown sea muddied by the output of China's rivers. The coastline was dotted with islands, most seemingly developed.
Lunch was served, chicken and rice for B, fish and spinach fettucine for me. We had to eat separately as there was not enough room for a tray table and Alex on the lap. The food was rather ordinary, especially in comparison to what I've had recently on Qantas (and no, I'm not just talking business class!).
Alex was given jars of baby food. He insisted on feeding me spoonfuls of cold pureed chicken and corn mix. It was dreadful! Yes Alex, now I know how you have suffered,
We were seated in a renovated Cathay cabin. Their hardshell seats were comfortable in the upright position, but awful reclined. At least the widescreen StudioCX inflight entertainment system was fantastic, with a lovely high resolution screen and at least three decent soundtrack CD's to listen to. I setup a playlist of Thomas Newman's Revolution Road (*yawn*), James Horner's Avatar (good flying music, had intended to listen on my MP3 player), and Nicholas Hooper's Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince (good music I already own). Pity that the random function wasn't very random. and they used the old moving flight map.
The flight was a little bumpy, maybe due to the topography and the weather. We hugged the Chinese coastline and below us were some fantastic views of China from above. Cities and mountains, rivers and dams, estuaries and islands. And when we flew above the clouds it really looked like we were flying intercontinental. I love the 747!
When he was awake, Alex was very difficult on this flight. He cried and complained, struggled to get free, everything we feared with flying with a toddler. It was a relief when we descended through the thick grey clouds into a wet and miserable looking Hong Kong.
Once inside the terminal we were ushered through a priority lane for immigration, though the official with the silly haircut was rather unsmilingly in comparison with his mainland counterparts. Then we were into the arrivals area and ready to catch the minibus to our hotel, the Novotel CityGate.
I had stayed in this hotel during my Hong Kong transit a year ago and been highly impressed by the rooms. So was B, but we discovered that the room, overlooking the pool, had no bathtub. I called reception and requested to change. They said they would see what they could do in 10 minutes time. We waited, then there was a knock on the door and a staff member with a trolley to move us.
Unfortunately, the bathtub rooms are not as nice as the shower only rooms and the view of the cable car and airport is not as nice as the pool and waterfall view. When they say airport, it's not like you can see much of it either, planespotters. Instead we could see a children's playground outside (must take Alex). Oh well, at least we had a bath.
Time then to explore the adjacent CityGate outlet shopping centre. I was disappointed to see that a couple of favourite shops, including the place I had bought my shoes and another that sold Sony goods, had both disappeared. At least the kids clothes shops were still there.
It felt a little strange eating Malaysian and Vietnamese cuisine in the food court, though the quality was reasonably good. The huge supermarket was a lot of fun too, with brands from all over the world.
When we returned to the hotel I was so tired that I just bathed Alex (yay, a decent bath with clean water at last!) and dropped fast asleep. Too tired to blog or upload pictures straight away.
Photos
Categories: allrite elsewhere
Chinese nappies
As we waited in an Expo queue ahead of us was a child perched on his father's shoulders. Nothing remarkable there, except for the big gap in his pants revealing an unclothed bum.
Yesterday in a metro station we saw parents holding their child over a rubbish bin as urine streamed out of the gap in her pants. Both front and back are open.
They don't seem to use nappies here. How they know when their child is about to void their bladder or bowels or get them somewhere suitable in time, I don't know. I've heard that toilet training is far easier though.
Not for Alex, sorry.
Yesterday in a metro station we saw parents holding their child over a rubbish bin as urine streamed out of the gap in her pants. Both front and back are open.
They don't seem to use nappies here. How they know when their child is about to void their bladder or bowels or get them somewhere suitable in time, I don't know. I've heard that toilet training is far easier though.
Not for Alex, sorry.
Categories: allrite elsewhere
Canal pleasures
The hotel's buffet breakfast had baked beans. And watermelon. Alex was so happy!
My stomach has ceased to tell me if it's hungry or not. It doesn't know what time zone it is in. We are in this holiday state where the only times that matter are openings, closings and airport departures.
Shanghai shophouses as seen from the hotel
I love Chinese gardens and the best of them are supposed to be found in Suzhou, about an hour out of Shanghai. I really wanted to visit this garden and canal city back in 2007, but we ran out of time. So today we planned to catch a train there.
The subway took us from East Nanjing Road station to Shanghai's main railway station via People's Square. The train was packed, the stations crowded. The Chinese passengers just push their way in and I have to be careful that Alex isn't squashed.
Major Chinese railway stations can be scary places, with huge hordes of rough mannered rural migrants milling around. On this sunny day it just looked like a crowd enjoying themselves.
B asked a policeman in front of the row of automated ticket machines how to book a ticket to Suzhou and he directed us to a nearby Expo Volunteers table. A friendly young man there offered to help us once we reached the end of the queue.
Actually, it didn't look too difficult, with the machine showing English displays as well as Chinese. Certainly the result was clear enough; all trains to Suzhou booked out until the afternoon.
Oh well, scratch Suzhou for this trip. Fortunately, I had some alternate destinations handy.
We reasoned that the Expo queues would be enormous considering that it was a weekend with such fantastic weather, so we discarded that idea.
Hidden away in the Lonely Planet's Shanghai City Guide was a short description of Qibao, a historic remnant of Shanghai out towards the old Hongqiao airport. Sure it mentioned crowds, but it sounded nice.
A couple of long and very stuffy metro rides took us to the station at Qibao. I couldn't wait to arrive as I had no seat, the train was packed and I felt like there was not enough oxygen in the cabin.
Behind the big Famos shopping centre atop the metro station was the Xincheng Silver Bowl Footbath Club. My feet could certainly have done with a good soaking and I tried to imagine a group of men and women swapping stories (or playing the pokies) while bathing their feet in expensive bowls of water.
We had no map of the area, but a giant billboard made it obvious which direction the Qibao old street lay in while a decorated archway welcomed us in. I bought ticket with a map from the small ticket office. These aren't necessary, but include access to a number of museums along the way.
I purchased a clear peppermint flavoured soft drink thinking it was water. Nice!
The real entrance to the street was fronted by a decorative pond and an ornate bell tower, which we climbed up and let Alex ring the bell, to his delight.
By the pond a small mobile stall was selling various pets: crickets in round wicker cages, tiny orange fish in baubles, salamanders, turtles and crabs. Animal activists would have been appalled.
The narrow alleyways of the old town were lined with shops selling souvenirs and mass produced craft items, the paths packed with sightseers. Alex was tired, thirsty and a bit hungry and I don't think he likes dense crowds. He began screaming and crying. Fortunately, the entrance to the Old Textile Mill, one of the included sights on our ticket, suddenly appeared.
Inside was an oasis of calm, a sheltered spot overlooking a pond of goldfish and small garden. We let Alex loose and fed him and were rewarded with big smiles. The museum itself is very interesting, with displays of the equipment used at each part of the cotton milling process, manned with realistic models of workers.
Continuing on, the alleyway exited into an open square by the side of a canal. Ahead of us a stone arch bridge crossed the canal. Rather than cross it directly, we turned right seeking sights. While B purchased some tea a shopkeeper gave a whinging Alex a toy musical keyboard to play with. I ended up buying it, despite the annoying offkey tunes it played, because it kept him happy.
Crossing over the canal we were greeted with a site as pretty as the canal towns like that of Zhouzhang, which we had visited in 2007, with waterside shophouses and boats punted down the canal. It was more enjoyable than Zhouzhang because we weren't constantly accosted by shopkeepers and restaurateurs chasing business.
As we wandered the area we stopped by a couple more sights. The pawnshop was fairly empty of goods, but Zhou's Miniature Carving House is a must-see. I had thought the miniature Shanghai of yesterday was fantastic, but Zhou and his daughter's tiny models of pots, bonsai, furniture and other items was simply exquisite. The daughter had also carved amazingly tiny Buddhist texts on small stone steles.
B was hungry and purchased some skewered food to eat (though not the birds pictured below).
We looped around through the town and eventually crossed the big stone bridge. Rather than take the direct route back to the station we followed the canal for a little way longer, down to a bridge weir. There the canal met another branch. On the opposite bank was a picturesque temple complex, but we followed a path past a rundown housing estate that seemed to be in the process of being demolished. At least it was removed from the crowds.
The subway ride back to East Nanjing Street was a lot quieter and I had a seat most of the way. We were naughty and stopped at McDonalds to get some of their foods only available here. We had purple hot taro pie, pineapple sundae, tiny chicken wings and a Coke. Local food of a different sort.
On our way back to the hotel we stopped by a restaurant for a dinner of chicken and thin slices of beef stewed at your table in a flavoured soup, a bit like shabu-shabu but not as nice. I was a bit disappointed by the meal after some of the others we have eaten.
It looks like we have messed up Alex's routine already as it was a struggle getting him to be early, despite the early night back at the hotel. Tomorrow we depart for Hong Kong. I'll be glad to get there. I've enjoyed Shanghai, but I don't love the city or its inhabitants in the same way as some other cities. It will be nice to be somewhere where the water is clean enough to drink and the net isn't filtered.
My stomach has ceased to tell me if it's hungry or not. It doesn't know what time zone it is in. We are in this holiday state where the only times that matter are openings, closings and airport departures.
Shanghai shophouses as seen from the hotel
I love Chinese gardens and the best of them are supposed to be found in Suzhou, about an hour out of Shanghai. I really wanted to visit this garden and canal city back in 2007, but we ran out of time. So today we planned to catch a train there.
The subway took us from East Nanjing Road station to Shanghai's main railway station via People's Square. The train was packed, the stations crowded. The Chinese passengers just push their way in and I have to be careful that Alex isn't squashed.
Major Chinese railway stations can be scary places, with huge hordes of rough mannered rural migrants milling around. On this sunny day it just looked like a crowd enjoying themselves.
B asked a policeman in front of the row of automated ticket machines how to book a ticket to Suzhou and he directed us to a nearby Expo Volunteers table. A friendly young man there offered to help us once we reached the end of the queue.
Actually, it didn't look too difficult, with the machine showing English displays as well as Chinese. Certainly the result was clear enough; all trains to Suzhou booked out until the afternoon.
Oh well, scratch Suzhou for this trip. Fortunately, I had some alternate destinations handy.
We reasoned that the Expo queues would be enormous considering that it was a weekend with such fantastic weather, so we discarded that idea.
Hidden away in the Lonely Planet's Shanghai City Guide was a short description of Qibao, a historic remnant of Shanghai out towards the old Hongqiao airport. Sure it mentioned crowds, but it sounded nice.
A couple of long and very stuffy metro rides took us to the station at Qibao. I couldn't wait to arrive as I had no seat, the train was packed and I felt like there was not enough oxygen in the cabin.
Behind the big Famos shopping centre atop the metro station was the Xincheng Silver Bowl Footbath Club. My feet could certainly have done with a good soaking and I tried to imagine a group of men and women swapping stories (or playing the pokies) while bathing their feet in expensive bowls of water.
We had no map of the area, but a giant billboard made it obvious which direction the Qibao old street lay in while a decorated archway welcomed us in. I bought ticket with a map from the small ticket office. These aren't necessary, but include access to a number of museums along the way.
I purchased a clear peppermint flavoured soft drink thinking it was water. Nice!
The real entrance to the street was fronted by a decorative pond and an ornate bell tower, which we climbed up and let Alex ring the bell, to his delight.
By the pond a small mobile stall was selling various pets: crickets in round wicker cages, tiny orange fish in baubles, salamanders, turtles and crabs. Animal activists would have been appalled.
The narrow alleyways of the old town were lined with shops selling souvenirs and mass produced craft items, the paths packed with sightseers. Alex was tired, thirsty and a bit hungry and I don't think he likes dense crowds. He began screaming and crying. Fortunately, the entrance to the Old Textile Mill, one of the included sights on our ticket, suddenly appeared.
Inside was an oasis of calm, a sheltered spot overlooking a pond of goldfish and small garden. We let Alex loose and fed him and were rewarded with big smiles. The museum itself is very interesting, with displays of the equipment used at each part of the cotton milling process, manned with realistic models of workers.
Continuing on, the alleyway exited into an open square by the side of a canal. Ahead of us a stone arch bridge crossed the canal. Rather than cross it directly, we turned right seeking sights. While B purchased some tea a shopkeeper gave a whinging Alex a toy musical keyboard to play with. I ended up buying it, despite the annoying offkey tunes it played, because it kept him happy.
Crossing over the canal we were greeted with a site as pretty as the canal towns like that of Zhouzhang, which we had visited in 2007, with waterside shophouses and boats punted down the canal. It was more enjoyable than Zhouzhang because we weren't constantly accosted by shopkeepers and restaurateurs chasing business.
As we wandered the area we stopped by a couple more sights. The pawnshop was fairly empty of goods, but Zhou's Miniature Carving House is a must-see. I had thought the miniature Shanghai of yesterday was fantastic, but Zhou and his daughter's tiny models of pots, bonsai, furniture and other items was simply exquisite. The daughter had also carved amazingly tiny Buddhist texts on small stone steles.
B was hungry and purchased some skewered food to eat (though not the birds pictured below).
We looped around through the town and eventually crossed the big stone bridge. Rather than take the direct route back to the station we followed the canal for a little way longer, down to a bridge weir. There the canal met another branch. On the opposite bank was a picturesque temple complex, but we followed a path past a rundown housing estate that seemed to be in the process of being demolished. At least it was removed from the crowds.
The subway ride back to East Nanjing Street was a lot quieter and I had a seat most of the way. We were naughty and stopped at McDonalds to get some of their foods only available here. We had purple hot taro pie, pineapple sundae, tiny chicken wings and a Coke. Local food of a different sort.
On our way back to the hotel we stopped by a restaurant for a dinner of chicken and thin slices of beef stewed at your table in a flavoured soup, a bit like shabu-shabu but not as nice. I was a bit disappointed by the meal after some of the others we have eaten.
It looks like we have messed up Alex's routine already as it was a struggle getting him to be early, despite the early night back at the hotel. Tomorrow we depart for Hong Kong. I'll be glad to get there. I've enjoyed Shanghai, but I don't love the city or its inhabitants in the same way as some other cities. It will be nice to be somewhere where the water is clean enough to drink and the net isn't filtered.
Categories: allrite elsewhere
Alex loves trains
B drove Alex and I home from work yesterday. Late in the drive Alex suddenly started saying "No, no! Woo-woo. Woo-woo". Woo-woo means train. It was pretty clear that he wanted to ride on the train rather than the car. He was so upset he threw up a couple of times.
Categories: allrite elsewhere
Trottoir Roulant Rapide
The Trottoir Roulant Rapide was a very fast travelator located between Paris Montparnasse station and the adjacent metro. I remember using this, though I can't remember if it was in 2004 or 2005 and whether we had luggage with us or not. Scary and exciting at the same time. Pity that it has been slowed down or even dismantled now.
Categories: allrite elsewhere
A great excuse to go outdoors
Feeling a bit brain dead after a week in the office? Then it's time for a trip outdoors to ingest some bacteria!
According to research recently presented at the 110th General Meeting of the American Society for Microbiology, exposure of mice to Mycobacterium vaccae, a soil bacteria commonly ingested outdoors, stimulated neuron growth and improved their ability to navigate mazes.
Pity that it's raining outside right now.
Via ScienceDaily.
According to research recently presented at the 110th General Meeting of the American Society for Microbiology, exposure of mice to Mycobacterium vaccae, a soil bacteria commonly ingested outdoors, stimulated neuron growth and improved their ability to navigate mazes.
Pity that it's raining outside right now.
Via ScienceDaily.
Categories: allrite elsewhere
Spending and safety nets
ABC's Foreign Correspondent program had a segment tonight called China - The Biggest Domino asking whether China can keep up its rate of production and consumption. An interesting statistic is that they consume the lowest share of GDP ever recorded, relying on foreign consumers and big infrastructure projects to drive demand.
According to the "Chinese battlers" they interviewed, the reason for the low demand is the lack of a social security safety net, especially with regards to medical issues. They have to save as much money as they can in case they have an accident or fall ill.
There are certainly many arguments against the reckless spending habits of the West, but perhaps it should (but probably won't) give pause to some of the anti-welfare lobbyists, especially those who rely on selling non-necessities to the general consumer.
According to the "Chinese battlers" they interviewed, the reason for the low demand is the lack of a social security safety net, especially with regards to medical issues. They have to save as much money as they can in case they have an accident or fall ill.
There are certainly many arguments against the reckless spending habits of the West, but perhaps it should (but probably won't) give pause to some of the anti-welfare lobbyists, especially those who rely on selling non-necessities to the general consumer.
Categories: allrite elsewhere
A message from the Oil Industry
Following on from the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico the Oil Industry would like to assure citizens that it is working as hard as possible to ensure that such events will not take place in the future. As events show, the release of underground oil can have devastating consequences for the environment. That is why we are working to extract as much oil as possible from these underground reservoirs and converting it to harmless substances such as plastic or carbon dioxide. These processes will ensure that future generations will no longer risk causing climate change through the burning of oil.
Categories: allrite elsewhere
Texas: the biggest state (of stupidity)
Anyone would think that the objective of the nutcases on the Texas Education Board is to raise a bunch of kids dumb enough to believe that products advertised on daytime television are actually worth buying. Anyway, I thought that Iran was a beacon to the world chosen by God (or Allah in their case). Or was it that North Korea was a beacon to the world as chosen by the Kim Dynasty? Oh, it's all so confusing. Isn't it so nice to be so blissfully ignorant.
Categories: allrite elsewhere
One and a half
I can't believe Alex is one and a half. It feels like such a short/long time. It's a long time since I had a full night's rest (just had to duck out and attend to him then), but he has also changed so much over a short period. He's going through the toddler phase of trying to demonstrate his independence and saying "no" (even when he means yes). But he continues to demonstrate his wicked sense of humour and his love. Every moment with him is precious, which is good, because so few moments are without him, except for those painful days at work. Neither B nor I could ever imagine how much joy he has brought to our lives over the past year and half. May it continue for many, many more.
Categories: allrite elsewhere
Appropriate reading material
I wonder if it was a good idea to purchase 'The men who killed Qantas' the day before flying with them (to Canberra) and when we have an upcoming FF trip on them as well. Oh well. I like their current CEO. He's a mathematician.
Categories: allrite elsewhere
Malaysians make masterful meals
I must profess to rather enjoying the cooking competition series Masterchef, which is now back on TV, though I can only catch half an episode at most as the scheduling clashes with Alex's bath time.
The other night they had a challenge to recreate their fondest childhood food memories. Gosh, that would have been a challenge for me. Mum and dad cooked some okay food, but I cook and eat a whole lot better these days. Unsurprisingly, the challenge was won by Alvin, a Malaysian born contestant.
I say unsurprisingly because I contrast my childhood food experiences with that of my Malaysian wife. Food is possibly the single most important aspect of their culture. It's more than just laksas and curries. There are influences from India, Thailand, the West and the many provinces of China and the Arabs. The fusion of the Chinese and Malays with the Nyonya cuisine is an example. There are sweets and flatbreads, fruits and spices, noodles and soups. When we visit Malaysia it is mainly to eat!
Not only did B's parents own a restaurant and catering business, but eating out both at restaurants and the very cheap hawker stalls is very normal in Malaysia. And when they do cook themselves it is often a feast of many dishes.
Last year's winner of Masterchef was Julie Goodwin. B bought her recently released recipe book and soon regretted it. You can see why she writes for Women's Weekly as her dishes are old fashioned Australia. Simple, heavy flavours that do not challenge the palate. Easy to cook comfort food. There is a place for that, but the recipe book was redundant.
The runner up, Poh Ling Yeow, also a Malaysian, is the exact opposite. She loves to experiment, while still exploring her culinary heritage. Plus her recipes and video are available for free on the ABC website.
Meanwhile, I'll continue to eat the wonderful meals dished up by my masterchef Malaysian wife (and try to contribute where I can!).
The other night they had a challenge to recreate their fondest childhood food memories. Gosh, that would have been a challenge for me. Mum and dad cooked some okay food, but I cook and eat a whole lot better these days. Unsurprisingly, the challenge was won by Alvin, a Malaysian born contestant.
I say unsurprisingly because I contrast my childhood food experiences with that of my Malaysian wife. Food is possibly the single most important aspect of their culture. It's more than just laksas and curries. There are influences from India, Thailand, the West and the many provinces of China and the Arabs. The fusion of the Chinese and Malays with the Nyonya cuisine is an example. There are sweets and flatbreads, fruits and spices, noodles and soups. When we visit Malaysia it is mainly to eat!
Not only did B's parents own a restaurant and catering business, but eating out both at restaurants and the very cheap hawker stalls is very normal in Malaysia. And when they do cook themselves it is often a feast of many dishes.
Last year's winner of Masterchef was Julie Goodwin. B bought her recently released recipe book and soon regretted it. You can see why she writes for Women's Weekly as her dishes are old fashioned Australia. Simple, heavy flavours that do not challenge the palate. Easy to cook comfort food. There is a place for that, but the recipe book was redundant.
The runner up, Poh Ling Yeow, also a Malaysian, is the exact opposite. She loves to experiment, while still exploring her culinary heritage. Plus her recipes and video are available for free on the ABC website.
Meanwhile, I'll continue to eat the wonderful meals dished up by my masterchef Malaysian wife (and try to contribute where I can!).
Categories: allrite elsewhere
