Flying to Beijing tomorrow!

Yeah, it's the little finger that's usually exceptionally long, but some of the younger guys just had generally longer nails as well. I don't understand how it can be particularly practical. I tried Googling it, and some people say it's to do with showing you don't have to do manual work, but a lot of people seem to think it's for cleanliness purposes!

Gesang, are you talking about those ear-digger things? They seem to be popular in the parts of Asia I've been to. I always want to know how many people have managed to poke their brains out with those...

yes, this fingernail thing is weird and a little disgusting...i got the same explanation as wei1xiao4... (did you also see those miniature spoons some carry around at their bunch of keys for this? ick!)

but it seems that some younger men also grow them for fashion reasons..

my 23 jear old translater last year thought so...said its some kind of cool - gangster style - mystic image thing...

well, i dont know its not that impressing or adorable to me!! ;-)

Sebire, I wondered the same thing when I was traveling to Lijiang last summer with my friend who is Chinese. Usually it is just the little finger that has the long fingernail, right? So I asked my friend and she couldn't believe that I didn't know and she started to laugh at me. She told me it was for cleaning "the five holes." I'll let you extrapolate from there. Gross!

Sounds great Sebire... thanks for posting your photos and commentary of your travels! It's been very helpful to me as I shape my plans for June/July.

多谢谢!

Hey all, I've managed to traverse the country and made it to Singapore. Anyway, I've uploaded all my pictures now, and hopefully even rotated most of them.

China is a great place, and I had a fantastic time. After Shanghai (I swung round the old Cpod offices for a brief visit - they're really nice!) we went to Hangzhou, climbed Huangshan and went down to Yangshuo before ending up in Hong Kong.

Huangshan was quite funny - I have never seen so many tourists on top of a mountain before, and never in my life imagined that you would get tour groups, complete with flag and megaphone at the top either. However, the scenery is spectacular, so I had a good day.

Yangshuo is quite surreal, with all the lumpy limestone rock things, and we got really lost trying to mountain bike along a river (I blame the dubious tourist map) and ended up cycling through farms and paddy fields. Thankfully, I didn't fall into one, though my bike almost did.

Also, a tip to all those who may consider it: Don't get the sleeper bus from Guilin to Shenzhen on the assumption that there would be a nice smooth motorway by now, because it's potholes all the way. Fly, it's not worth saving 400 RMB!

I have been left with one or two cultural mysteries:

What's with men and really long fingernails? It's a bit odd to see when you're not used to it.

Also, why does the rice always come last in restaurants (if at all?)

And last of all, thanks to Cpod - I don't think I would even have considered coming to China if I couldn't speak a word of Mandarin. I've met so many students and people and it makes me envious that so many people's Mandarin is better than mine, so I will have to come back to China study if I can work out how to fund it!

Hey cheers azerdocmom, that's useful to know. I'll see if I can stick my head in, if no one minds!

Terracotta Army was cool too. I can't believe anyone would actually build something like that. It was rather surreal.

Sebire

The simplest may be to take a taxi; give the taxi driver CPod's address. Or, you can call them (I think) and have someone at the office tell the taxi driver how to get to the offices. James Theron (he has the Kermit the frog avatar)also posted some directions some time back. I took a taxi from the center of Shanghai somewhere and it took about 20 minutes and cost about $30 RMBs (I think.)

sebire - From the pics and your updates, it looks like you're having more than an awesome time! Looking forward to seeing and hearing more ^o^

How do you visit Chinesepod anyway?

Greetings from Xi'an!

Hehe, Wolson, sounds like you're having good luck with the Chinese food! I find that I don't know how to order or what to order. I need a Chinese friend! My friend that lives in Xi'an has helped out a bit though, plus as I said, I met some random TEFL types who also ordered us a nice meal. I just need to learn how to read menus.

I definitely ate something dubious in Beijing because I have had an interesting time sampling Chinese healthcare systems in Xi'an. For the newbies: if you hear "da bian tu piao" in a hospital, I suggest you run away swiftly, which is the option I took.

Bai Jiu is pretty rank stuff. Even the beer wouldn't wash it away! I hear it's a good way of making friends on trains though.

Anyway, China is soooo much fun, and attempting to talk to random Chinese people is really fun. If any of you guys haven't gone, you should try at some point.

Mandomikey, I went to Mutianyu. I would have liked to go to the really crumbling bit, but we didn't get up early enough and it sounded rather energetic...

Anyway, Terracotta warriors tomorrow, and Shanghai on Friday. Yay!

whats up with having to pay?? i read about you guys in a magazine and it said you were 100% free!! i might as well buy Rosetta Stone @ the price you guys are charging!!

Sebire - which section of the Wall did you go to?

Nice photos Sebire...looks like you and your friend are having a blast! I'm looking forward to seeing your photos from Hong Kong.

HI Sebire! Wow, great pix! You look like you are having a great time. I'm envious..I didn't want to leave China when I went 3 weeks ago with my son. It's cool to see your Grt Wall pix; I was just there, climbing it too. And, I was just at the Temple of Heaven. I miss China very much.

Wolson, that's great that you're visiting the Mecca of Mandarin Addiction! You must post pictures! Oh, and I agree with you on the 白酒...there were a few bottles at a dinner in Peking accompanied by a tiny little porcelain cup. I poured some out and smelled it. It smelled truly awful...like terpentine or nail polish remover!

Sebire: looks like you having fun!

I have been in China since the 22 of February and I am afraid to admit I have yet to get the feared "拉肚子".

In Qinhuangdao, they found out that I like pepperry food, so every meal afterward was from Sichuan. One of the VP's hosting me has a wife from Sichuan: I have never tasted such good food! 很麻拉，最好吃！This string was occassionally broken up by meals at a Korean "烧烤". I was getting serve food so hot that several of the Chinese at my tables could not eat it. I guess the peppers, if you eat enough of them, will kill any thing. It did not get me yet, though. :)

If I could figure out how to post pictures on ChinesePod, I would show you some of the dishes.

I have to warn you to stay away from the spirits they call 白酒 which we commonly call Maotai ... everytime I drank that, immediately, my stomach was in pain for a few minutes.

But the wine in Qinhuangdao (the home of the the Great Wall Winery) was totally outstanding. Mayor Liu, the Mayor of Changli, the county that has the "wine valley" served me some limited vintage that was as high of quality as any wine that I have ever had elsewhere. So I recommend, if you have not tried the wine yet, to try it.

Now I am in Shanghai and going to enjoy the sweet Shanghai food. It is such a break from the food I had been having. Even though I do like Chuan food, I do like other things as well.

I am back to travelling around again: this week, Shanghai, Xian and Wuhan. But I am going to get to the holy grail Monday: ChinesePod Central!

I hope that you too can get to Shanghai, Sebire. I know that the ChinesePod regulars will not be happy unless you get in to see them!

Hello sebire! I just want to wish you and your travelling companion(s) a very safe and enjoyable journey that will give you enough good memories to last a lifetime! Take care.

Hey, the trains aren't so bad. We were on a K class train to Datong, which was really quite nice, and then I think an ordinary train to Pingyao which wasn't so nice. I didn't sleep at all on the train to Pingyao, but that's because I'm a bit weird. Everyone else slept well apparently. The toilets are usually broken - they don't flush, but sometimes they have a random bucket, which I presume is for flushing purposes.

There is a foreigner train ticket booking booth in Beijing Zhan, and when we got to Datong there is a very helpful CITS man that grabs you when you get off the station and books pretty much anything you want for you, however you have to pay commission. I haven't had to exercise my Chinese that much, but I suppose I will have to in Xi'an.

Is it true a Chinese doctor will stick you on a drip for anything?

thanks Sebire (Fran too). I enjoyed the pictures.

Hey Sebire... hope you are having a great time. Yes, do keep us updated any chance you get. How are the trains?

Hi Sebire... glad to hear your enjoying your travels. Your insight is very helpful, I'll be heading there in June.

Henning: is there a lesson/QW/DA that references 黄连素?

Thanks Sebire! It's great to hear and see that you're enjoying your trip. :-)

I have some photos, but I haven't labelled or rotated them because I've been sitting here for 3 hours uploading them!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/13958909@N04/

Hey Taipan, I was lacking internet for a while. Am in Pingyao at the moment, it's pretty chilled out and we're being cheapskates and refusing to pay 120 kuai to look at sights because it's raining, so i'm sitting on free hostel internet.

However, Beijing was great, I really liked it. Unfortunately, 5 days is just not enough - I have to go back. I didn't even manage to shopping! Plus that city is huge. Did the usual touristy stuff, and attempted to get to the Great Wall via public bus: not a good idea. On the plus side, we got there so late that it was practically empty (and had highly amusing negotiations with a very angry-sounding taxi driver, who remarkably managed to communicate with me.)

I have also been to Datong, and we had a look at those massive Buddhist grottos and a Hanging Temple, which are both really impressive. Datong isn't so impressive, but I was collared by a bunch of TEFL teachers who were trying to convince me to teach English in China when I finish my trip.

Also, I have discovered pi jiu improves Chinese dramatically.

Is that ok for an update Taipan? I think we're going to Shanghai after all, once we've gone to Xian. My photos aren't very good (I blame the camera), but I'll send the link in a bit.

Sebire,

You've gone dark. What's with the radio silence? Update please.

Henning, I'm fine, judging from other traveller's stories, I have yet to be poisoned on the same scale as some peopl.

Wildyaks, the problem is solved. Someone told me which number to ring, and then it turned out I had 1 RMB on it! It cost 280, and I thought it had 250 RMB on it, but evidently not. I have only received a couple of calls! Maybe it has 250 minutes instead. It was China Mobile - I assume that's China Telecom? I just now have to work out how to top it up.

Wei1xiao4 I love dim sum, I'll look forward to the HK version!

Sebire, no, there is no code. Do you use China Telecom (yidong) or China Unicom (liandong)? 1861 does not work for unicom.

If you are stuck, ask a local. You should be able to call 1860 to get your information, but then you have to deal with some Chinese first, until you get to the English language connection.

Sebire, I will be here then. Let me know how I can help you. You must have dim sum in HK!

h

sebire,

sorry to hear that!

Believe me, it is a law of nature rather than a jinx (or at least a very old jinx affecting all travelers from the west). But 黄连素 is the perfect anti-jinx.

Hmm, wildyaks, is there some kind of code I have to type in first, because it refuses to send a message to 1861.

wei1xiao4, thanks for the invite, everyone is so nice on Cpod! I'm flying from Hong Kong on the 19th of April, and hopefully I shall have at the minimum 2 nights in HK. I have no fixed itinerary at the moment.

Henning, you've jinxed me. This is all your fault.

When do you plan to come to HK?

Cool - have a great time Sebire! Can't wait to see the pics.

Corrigendum: You have to write HF (capital letters) into the text message and send to 1861.

If you bought a China Mobile card (not Unicom), then you should be able to send a text (with nothing in it) to 1861 and you get a text back. There will be a lot of Chinese text. If I remember well, the first figure is how much you spent this month, and the second how much credit is left on your card. (Or the other way round...)

i like to apart

Oh, they always replied in English, except for when we bought a SIM card, and I said it was tai gui le, and they started talking at me. If anyone can tell me the characters for "checking your credit" that'd be great, because my dictionary is rubbish, and I don't understand the leaflet they gave me, so have no idea how much I have on this SIM!

Hey guys, I've been here for one full day and it's great! Beijing after Delhi is such a relief (not that Delhi was bad, it's just very, very different). The only thing is that whenever I try out my Chinese, everyone answers me in English!

I'll definitely drop into CPod if I make it to Shanghai - it all depends if I run out of time/money (no forthcoming free tickets for you, Rsmith91). Beijing is so much more expensive than India! And Henning, after some of the places I ate in India, I reckon I'll be immune to anything BSR throws at me.

Oh, and re Frank's DA - the blocked toilet lesson is a must listen...

Azerdocmom, your Josh could be the new Aric when he grows up! He's so comfortable in front of a microphone. I wish you had spoken a little Mandarin for us too!

Hi, pena007

It's great that you are able to expose your children at such a young age to their cultural heritage. I echo your sentiments. One of my deepest regrets is that I didn't speak to my kids in Mandarin as they were growing up but they are learning is now (10 and 13 y/o.) My son and I were just in China and he's expressed his feelings about it on the last Dear Amber show (we recorded a DA while there.) I was tremendously encouraged by his enthusiasm about his Chinese-ness!

I have trouble convincing my kids how important learning to speak Mandarin is - that they're half Chinese blah blah. Deja vu - rewind 35 years ago when I also whined to my mom and resisted learning Chinese. So hopefully in Beijing, they'll also realise that hey presto - Mandarin is useful since so many people speak it - not just mom!

We're taking our kids - ages 6 and 4, to Beijing at the end of April. Really psyched. The trip is really going to be their first experience of a 100% Chinese environment, and hopefully it will motivate them to keep speaking and studying Chinese.

So many people going to China this year! I want to go, too!! But, alas, it'll have to wait. Have extra fun for all of us who can't quite make it yet, sebire!

Have a perfect trip!

And get those 黄连素-anti-diarrhea miracle pills as soon as possible. Definately before getting dragged into the BSR.

Man, they were a lifesaver on that last trip. Who knows if I (or my sons) would have made my flight home without them.

Oh, yes, another poddie in China! Sebire, travel mercies to you on your long journey the next couple of months. Be careful out there. Keep your money/phone/passport on your body at all times!

Let me know when you are in Hong Kong. I will take you for dim sum if I am here!

yeah Sebire, come visit us. We'll even take you to BSR!

Have fun Sebire! Post pictures and get on Dear Amber for a cameo.

Wow! lots of c-podders visiting china this year!! congrats Sebire...I'm flying to Shanghai tomorrow afternoon!

Lets keep in touch so we can share stories and pictures when we both get back. Good luck!

-Adam

Have fun Sebire! I'm sure you'll have a great time - thinking about it, how couldn't you have a great time in China...

Are you visiting CPod in Shanghai? Or will that have to wait until next time, when you're going to pay for me too. :)