Joe and Lou's Travel Blog

For the long weekend we opted for a “UK break” the reasoning being that three days spent in a foreign city cannot do it justice. The location of choice was Bath. Since Lou booked this a while ago she was not aware that it is on the itinerary for when the rest of my family come over to visit. Now I can be their personal tour guide. Also because Lou was making the decisions our accommodation was a little more up market than we are used to. She booked a B&B about 10 mins walk from the centre of town.

The first thing you notice about Bath when arriving on the train is that the buildings are not made of red brick, like everywhere else in England, but a cream coloured stone called Bath stone. As you would have guessed by the name it is from the local area. There is actually a by-law that says all buildings must be made from the stuff. A little snag is that the quantities are running low so they have changed from solid bath stone buildings to buildings built with cinder blocks and bath stone veneer.

Day 1

Our hosts strongly recommended doing the local walking tour kindly paid for by the Mayor. So in the morning we headed down to town to the starting spot. Our tour guide was a rather odd old man who had a habit of stammering regularly and appearing to lose his train of thought. He was a good source of local information and cracked a few jokes that were mildly funny.

Stonehenge

In the afternoon we had booked a trip to Stonehenge with “Mad Max” tours which began with bad jokes about Mel Gibson but the similarity to the movies ended there. Our tour guide gave us a potted history of the area that sometimes overlapped and contradicted what we were told by our guide earlier. I guess you can’t expect rigorous scholarly accuracy on a free guided walk or on a tour bus.

Stonehenge was not as busy as I had feared, and very well managed. We finally put our “family” membership of the New Zealand Historic places trust to use (which expires early next month) to get free entry.

We received audio guides with entry which can be a mixed blessing. On the one hand they provide an interesting, detailed and hopefully more accurate history of the attraction. However they can be very corny and put you off what you are trying to appreciate (see our entry on Gaudi’s Passeig de Garcia post on Thursday, April 08, 2004) The Stonehenge guide was better than most and helped you appreciate what is otherwise a strange pile of large stones. The commentary is very cagey about making assumptions always saying “we believe …” it seems to me that the most obvious explanation of its purpose was to celebrate the solstice, especially the summer one. I cannot say it was an awe inspiring experience, there were simply too many people with video and still cameras around snapping away to really appreciate it.

Food poisoning

On returning to Bath I suddenly had an overwhelming need to find a toilet. It turns out eating the seafood sandwich the previous evening, that I bought at the station in London, was not a good idea. I had food poisoning. We had a simple pasta meal and an early night.

Day 2

Georgian Bath

Bath was a sleepy little town after the Romans left England (more on that below). It only became popular in Georgian times when royalty chose it as a retreat and so all their entourage and the “social elite” followed. Now the old city mainly consists of Georgian architecture which secured its status as a world heritage site. Two impressive examples are the Circus, a circle of houses which enclose a small green and is dissected by three roads at 120 degrees. The second is the Royal Crescent, a half ellipse of houses. Both are very near to each other. We visited Number 1 Royal Crescent, a museum redecorated as it would have been when first built in the 18th century.

We also looked around the Assembly rooms, a large building used for evening entertainment for aristocratic visitors to Bath in its heyday.

This was enough for me, I went back the B&B (conveniently next door to the Assembly rooms) and relaxed while Lou went shopping.

Day 3

Roman Baths

You can’t come to Bath without visiting the Roman Baths. These were originally built in the 1st century AD when Britain was part of the Empire. The Romans loved to bathe and, due to the natural hot springs at Bath, they built a large spa complex including a bathing pond with a temple next door so they could pray to the gods that provided the healing power of the spring. To their credit their plumbing is still working to this day even thought the bathes were buried and forgotten for centuries. The museum is very well designed with many interesting facts about the area at the time of the Romans, their culture, and what the baths would have looked like in all their glory.


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It was lovely to get home after a great trip. We watched three mediocre movies (Garfield - easy on the eye, Shattered Glass - very cheesy and bad acting from Hayden Christianson, and 51 first dates - better than we thought), on the plane and managed to get a little sleep (I was better armed for the flight with an eye cover, ear plugs and blow up pillow).

I experienced more culture shock arriving back in London than going to China. I guess I expected everything to be different in China but underestimated adjusting back to England. There were so many white people around!

On Saturday we went to Hampstead Heath. It was a lovely day and we checked out the swimming ponds which looked murky. This didn't seem to deter the punters though. Kenwood House is a stately home in Hampstead Heath and it is very well preserved. We enjoyed wandering around and appreciating the art works (some by Vermeer...of Girl with a Pearl Earring fame). We walked to where outdoor concerts are held, just down from the house. The philharmonic orchestra, a soprano and a tenor where practicing on a stage across a lake. It was a beautiful setting and I sat down to listen to one of my favourite arias from Madame Butterfly. Bliss.

In the late afternoon we went to Rae and Steve's for a lovely bbq. Our first of the summer! Sad but true.

I've been enjoying the Olympic coverage. Hope the Kiwis can pull out a medal winning performance soon. Just watched Patterson win the Women's all round gymnastic title. I got a bit distracted whilst watching Korkina's floor routine as the sound of sirens blared outside and I saw a load of cop cars cut off a car, pull out a guy and overpower him to clip some cuffs on. It's not every day you see that! Just another day in good old Kilburn.

Went to Canary Wharf to meet Michelle and Mel for Tapas last night. There is a great vibe out there as there are a lot of bars and restaurants along the water front. A bit like back home. The buildings are very modern out that way. All the investment banks have offices in this area so there are a lot of suits with pound signs in their eyes.


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That's an interesting title eh! More later...

More impressions of Hong Kong
I thought that there were big billboards in China but they are dwarfed by the ones in Hong Kong. There are also lots of neon light signs (like in Japan) which look very effective when looking down the narrow streets.

The MRT (underground) is spotless. Steven's theory is that if you keep something really clean then the people will respect it more. The english Oyster card was modelled off the HK Octopus card. We got a tourist one for 3 days travel and an Airport express trip. There is air con in the trains and mobile phone coverage.

Aberdeen Bay, China Bank view and Victoria Peak
On Thursday we first went to Aberdeen Bay for a San Pan ride. This was relaxing and we could get a good view of the fishing boats and flash yachts. The Bank of China building is very flash and tall so we took the lift to the 43rd floor (about half way up) to check out the view. There is also a good view from Victoria Peak. We took the tram (which was quite steep) up for a look. As well as the lookout platform there are shops, restaurants and attractions, including Madame Tussauds, at the top. We enjoyed the view (mostly of skyscrapers and apartment buildings) and then settled down for an English lunch. After lunching and chatting for some time we went into a Jade store to learn more about how to look for good quality. Jade is lucky for the Chinese and is considered a gem stone like diamonds etc. You can tell if the jade is good by the quality of the colour and if it is translucent. The prices can vary greatly. Too expensive for Rae and I. Like a lot of the things over here and in China, they look good in the Asian context but I'm not sure if it's really my personal style. Maybe one day I'll buy a nice piece. I do feel that this trip has made me feel more Chinese. Or should I say, I identify more with my Chinese heritage. That night we went to dinner with the parents of two boys who stayed with Aunty Pauline in Dunedin. Alden had some interesting and funny anecdotes about his experience's as a foreign student in NZ.

Drinking in Hong Kong
After dinner we went down the road for a drink. The first bar we went to had a lot of ex pats in it. And, to Rae's great fright, huge cockroaches! The whole street was lined with stripper bars. We found, what we thought to be a normal bar with a covers band. The band were very good and played all the latest hits. The bar was full of white men and Thai prostitutes. I guess we could tell their purpose from their revealing clothing and the fact that they weren't with friends. They just stood around waiting for men to buy them drinks. At first Rae and I didn't want to go for a boogy on the dance floor as we didn't want to be mistaken for working girls but after a while the dance floor filled up so we thought it would be ok. We had a great time doing funny dance moves and chatting with some of the girls. It was a bit yucky thinking about the men and knowing that many of them would have wives and families in their home countries. Steven said that many of the working girls find themselves in situations where being in the sex trade is the most advantageous. They may have had philandering husbands who had left them with children to look after but no skills for decent work. It seems unfair to judge them when you don't know the full back story of how they came to do what they do. They seemed very nice and enjoyed seeing Rae and I's silly dance moves. Rae and I were thinking of a song to request and decided on 'Shut up' by Black Eyed Peas. But we didn't have to request it because as soon as we had decided the bank started playing it! Crazy.

Monsoon weather, flower and bird markets
On Friday we got to experience monsoon like weather. The rain was heavy and lasted for a long time. We went to the Kowloon side of HK and started shopping but in the end ducked into a restaurant for lunch. After that we split up. Steven, Brian and I went to the flower and bird markets. On the way we tried some exotic looking fruits. I was hesitant at first after trying Durian in Malaysia but needn't have worried. Both tasted sweet and yummy. One had white flesh with tiny black spots, which was mildly sweet, and had the texture of a kiwifruit. The flesh of the other looked like bits of garlic but tasted very sweet, The flower markets were full of beautiful flowers, some of which I'd never seen before. The bird market had many pretty birds and bags full of locusts and crickets (food for the birds). Steven said that birds where popular pets in HK as they do not require a lot of space. I guess the same would be true for fish as well. That night we went to the area with all the flash bars for ex pats. It was chocka!

Shopping, Aqua spectacular and Star ferry
Times Square is a big flash shopping mall. We wandered around and Rae bought a cell phone for Steve and another pair of shoes. We had Sushi for lunch in the food hall and then took the tram for a different perspective on the area. In the evening we went to the famous Temple St Markets. It was interesting walking around but there wasn't much quality stuff for you to buy, in fact there was some very dodgy stuff as the markets are close to the red light district. There were also a lot of fortune tellers, strangely enough they were all men. Rae bought some souveneirs. We headed down to the water front to see the free Aqua Spectacular. This was a fountain, pyrotechnics, laser and fireworks show with images of HK for the Shopping Festival. We oohed and ahhed along with everyone. Then went to enjoy the view of the HK skyline on the Star Ferry.


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Yay, I can now access my email so bring on the messages (o:

Zhongsan
On Tuesday we drove from Guangzhou to Zhongsan. This is the town my Dad's father and mother came from. It seems to be doing very well with furniture and clothing factories, and prawns and agriculture. Apparently the land is very fertile. The motorways here are lined with imaculately manicured shrubs/hedges and there are 100s of flash apartment buildings all lined up together. You don't see anything like it in NZ or the UK. And, for once, I saw blue skies! We also drove past some sculpture and furniture factories in amongst the agriculture fields. China is booming, there is so much fast paced development.

We checked into the hotel that Uncle Arthur recommended and order a mini van to drive us out to the villages. Aunty Pauline got hold of her 2nd cousin on my Dad's Grandmother's side (Leung) who was the Police High commissioner for the time, but now retired. He accompanied us on our pilgrimage. First stop was Goong Goong's village. We met with Dad's cousin in law, the wife of Brenda's brother. She lives in Goong Goong's house and has split it in half so that the other half could be rented out. We lit some incence for Goong Goong and Por Por and saw photos of our Great Grandfather and Mother. The style of the house was old and simple (not like the new house of Mar Gee) but with nice decorative interior features. You'll see the photos. It was very hot but there was a good ceiling fan and standing fan. We then went to visit Dad's Aunty, Goong Goongs 5th sister. She is 94 and still with it. Rae took her portrait. She has a carer. Goong Goong had 5 sisters and 1 brother (Uncle Dixon still living in Canada) I think. Our great grandfather died young (he also indulged in opium a little too much) so our grand father had to support his mum, sisters and brother and his own family. This is why he moved to Fiji to work. Another relative, the daughter of Goong goong's third sister, was summoned and the 5th sister's grand daughter. Are you confused yet. We all were!

Did I mention that we needed to get special permission to enter the village from the Police Chief. We did and then had a police escort! Probably the only time I'll get that. The other police dudes brought cold water for us. Rae took their photos as well. I think they were quite chuffed (o: Then we went to Dad's Mum's village. Por por's family home was similar to Goong goong's but the ceiling decorations/carvings/paintings were more elaborate. Apparently Por Por didn't get to see it as she was married at 16.

Aunty Pauline has been chatting away in various dialects of Cantonese like a trooper! We all rely on her to find out what people are saying, however Pam and Moira can also pick up bits and pieces. That night Rae and I shouted everyone to dinner including the Leung side (the police commissioner and his family). We had yummy lobster and pigeon (tasted between chicken and duck....got to try it once eh!) and 7 layer cake (Dad, you'll remember this one).

This post may be a little disjointed sorry. Got to fly to met Pam et al and her cousin Steven who has flown from NZ via Thailand to meet us.

Next day...
We are in Hong Kong now. It is very flash and happening. We took the ferry over from Zhongsan. It took around 1 and 1/2 hours. Before that we had a crazy foot massage at the hotel in Zhongsan. It was the massage from heaven and hell! I'd never been hit, poked and proded so much. And it hurt! But was ultimately relaxing and good for us. We also got a back and full leg massage as well. The ladies seemed well trained as they could tell where our knots and pressure points were, and worked on them. They all laughed at my squeals and facial expressions. At one stage they crack all your toe knuckles! I was a bit squeamish after that (o:

We had a great Thai dinner with Steven (Pam's cousin) and said farewell and safe travels to Tracy and Moira (they are off to Europe today).

Anyway others are waiting for the free internet so I'd better go.


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Pasted from an email from Lou:

I hate the internet in China!

I’ve written this blog entry 2 times already and not succeeded in uploading it. The other 2 where masterpieces but I’m fast running out of steam and patience hence fear that this version will not be so good. Please bear with me…

Rae’s birthday

It was Rae’s birthday on the 30th so we organised a nice cake and dinner for her. The cake was a fruit sponge, was decorated nicely and had the words ‘Happy Birthday’ in Chinese, and ‘bachel’ in English. Whoops! I‘m sure I wrote it out clearly! We had a good laugh. Now Brian calls Rae 'Bachel’ and Rae calls Brian ‘Git well hung’….Don’t ask! Rae picked some yummy dim sum dishes for dinner.

Our villages

On Saturday we visited the Young’s relatives in a village called Pan De. This was a great experience that not many tourists have. It made me very grateful that my ancestors made the epic journey to the other side of the world in search of a better life and opportunities. Uncle Alick has a sister in law and nephew, Mar Gee there. We drove along a modern highway for most of the way and finished the journey along a dirt road surrounded by fields of rice, bananas, paw paws, melon and corn. There was a juxtaposition of old and new as the motorway goes over the village fields. There is also a man made lake for fishing and swimming in.

Mar Gee works very hard growing rice for the local restaurants and has built a spacious 4 story house for his family which has all the mod cons including TV, stereo and washing machine (the latter is only used for special things or occasions). This is a stark contrast to their last home which has only two rooms. He and his family pulled out all the stops for us. We enjoyed fresh lychees (much nicer than the canned versions) and a home made lunch (nothing beats it). Other family members where Mar Gee’s mother (Uncle Alick’s sister in law) and his three children. The one/two child policy doesn’t seem to extend to the villages. In fact the South of China was the last region to be unified and hence the maybe the firm hand of Beijing is lighter. Later we learnt to play Mah Jong, and wandered around the village, followed by the cute village children fascinated by Brian and Tracy (the two whiteys). The children also loved being photographed by the digital camera as it enables them to see their own images instantly on the screen. 500 people live in the village.

Rae and I struck good fortune as our Great Grandfather’s village, Gwa Liang, was close by. Mar Jee and his son took us there by motorbike, which was fun and only slightly hair raising as I was riding with the young lad. The village was, like Pan De, a mix of old and new housing. The old housing was more interesting as it had the old decorative features on the roof tops. The main source of income seemed to be the clothing market as many of the villagers were sitting around sewing/adjusting denim jeans. We smiled and nodded a lot. Unfortunately we couldn’t find out if we had any distant rellies still there as we didn’t know our Great Grandfather’s name. I guess Rae and I imagined what it would have been like to grow up there. We wouldn’t have had the opportunities for growth, development and travel we’ve been afforded but I’d like to think we’d have been happy.

That night we went to a nearby town, Sar Bau, for meal. The food was delicious and there were a couple of dishes I’d not had before, e.g. prawns in a yummy sweet sauce and a patty/pancake concoction with prawns and turnip. Both Brian and I have been well catered for (Brian is a vege) in fact we’ve eaten very well! Hence the blossoming tummies.

Exploring Guangzhou

On Sunday, Pam, Pauline and Moira went back to Pan De to spend more time with their rellies. Brian, Tracy, Rae and I had plans for a mini Olympics as we read that there was a tennis court and bowling alley in the hotel to accompany the gym and pool. Our plans were thwarted as the tennis courts were under repair and the staff pleaded ignorance to the existence of the bowling alley. Instead we ventured out into the heat of the day.

The heat really drains your energy and I’m particularly pathetic! The first stop was one of the markets. This was full of junk you’d find in the $2 or Poundland shops. We decided to try the Hard Rock Café for an English lunch however it had closed one year ago due to SARS. Pity the tourist maps weren’t updated. We ended up having burgers and fries in a 5 star hotel. We then went to some Gardens nearby which where pretty but a bit boring. We tried in vain to find the 5 goat statue. I don’t think we missed out on much (o: After that we went back to the hotel to relax in the pool. Bliss! That evening we went on a river cruise which was very pleasant and relaxing.

Chilling out

Guangzhou is a thriving business town not a tourist town. This suits me fine as I’ve been able to catch up on washing, postcard writing etc. The last few days have been very full on but great. I’d like to get rid of my air conditioning cold before we hit Hong Kong.

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