Tuesday, July 13, 2010

Vietnam: a vacation from our vacation

Most people agreed that Vietnam was their favorite country that we've visited.  Although personally, I'd still have to go with Japan, Vietnam was awesome as well.  First and foremost, Vietnam has very little in the way of provocative architecture, so it felt more like a vacation than school.  Second, everything is ridiculously cheap in Vietnam, so we were able to take our traveling college student budgets and stay in nice hotels, eat nice meals, and just generally live like royalty.  That's the good part about Vietnam.  The bad part is that it has some of the worst heat and humidity I've ever experienced, rivaled only by Cambodia, its next door neighbor.  It makes the sweltering heat of Kuala Lumpur feel like an igloo.  When we first arrived in Hanoi, the five minute walk between the airport doors and the bus left us pouring with sweat and gasping for water.  However, that didn't stop us from having a great time!

The first city we stopped in was Hanoi, the capital of Vietnam.  In the city, we visited the "Hanoi Hilton," a prison which held hostages during the Vietnam War, including John McCain.  We also went to the mausoleum of Ho Chi Minh, one of Vietnam's great leaders, and saw his body which has been preserved for over 40 years.  We also saw where he lived and worked.  One afternoon, we had the opportunity to take rickshaw rides around the city that ended at a water puppet theater where we saw a traditional Vietnamese water puppet show.  The rickshaw ride was scary since it involved darting around all sorts of crazy traffic and thousands of motorbikes.  [Speaking of which, here's a sidenote about driving in Vietnam: don't.  In the U.S., traffic lanes, signs and signals are the law.  In China, they were more like guidelines.  In Vietnam, they're solely for decoration.  The best way to get around in Vietnam is to get a local to do the driving, then close your eyes and hope that you get there.]   However, I think we would all agree that the best part of Hanoi was actually the day we left for an excursion to Halong Bay.

Halong Bay is a geological wonder that people come from around the world to experience.  It consists of steep rock formations emerging from the water with steep cliffs, but covered with vegetation at the tops.  It's such an amazing place to see.  Our day started with a 3-hour bus ride from Hanoi before boarding the boat that would take us around for the day.  On our way from the mainland to the rock formations, we were served a fancy lunch onboard.  Once we got into the bay and cruised around for a while, the boat found a secluded place to anchor and we were able to jump out and go swimming.  Swimming was a welcome relief from the heat and humidity, and we actually agreed that the water could have been a bit cooler.  Once we were done, there was sunbathing and drinks on the top deck until we reached a series of caves where the boat docked and we were able to walk through them.  From there, the boat took us back to the mainland, where no one was ready to leave for the long journey back to Hanoi.

After 3 days in Hanoi and an incredibly sketchy flight on Vietnam Airlines, we arrived in Hoi An, the second stop in Vietnam.  Hoi An felt even more like being on vacation than Hanoi.  We did see an old house and a historic Japanese bridge, but highlights included a boat ride on the river, cheap, good food and drink, a bike ride to a pristine white beach that felt like we had arrived in paradise, and of course, the tailor.  There is a tailor in Hoi An which the students visit every year and most of us suspect that this is the real reason our instructor even brings us to Hoi An at all.  This tailor can make you anything you want for a fraction of what it would cost in the states.  You can create something yourself or you can bring them something to copy or you can bring a picture.  The end result will be something that fits perfectly that you never would have spent the money on back home.  And the turnaround time is amazing since they can do in two days what would take two weeks back home.  I think all but one or two people ordered stuff from the tailor.  I ended up getting a gray suit as well as a dress shirt.  Some people went all out, ordering multiple suits, dress shirts, pants, skirts, shorts, ties, bow ties, etc.  I think everyone was happy with their purchases when we went to pick them up.  We also went to another place that tailors shoes.  I custom designed a cool pair of shoes for cheap, but they're already falling apart, so I wouldn't recommend the place.

After yet another sketchy Vietnam Airlines flight, we arrived at out final destination in Vietnam, Ho Chi Minh City, formerly known as Saigon.  Although Hanoi is the capital, Saigon is the largest and most developed city in Vietnam.  During this time, the world cub started, so we spent a few nights in a bar by our hotel watching the games.  I also had the most delicious burger of the trip at another hotel near ours.  For Vietnam, the price of the hamburger was outrageous, but it was what I would have paid back home for a high quality burger, and it was definitely delicious!  We also had the opportunity to try real pho, which is a Vietnamese noodle soup that was really good.  The stuff in the states just isn't the same.

One of the days in Saigon, we had the opportunity to take a boat around the Mekong River, which is considered to be the lifeblood of Vietnam since the Vietnamese are dependent on it for so many things.  We stopped at a floating fish farm where fish are raised and harvested for food.  Apparently, theft is an issue and each fish farm usually has dogs to warn of any intruders at night.  After the fish farm, we went to an island where coconut candy is made.  We got to watch them make it, then taste free samples, which were delicious.  It's not like any candy I've had before.  From there, we went to another island where we had the opportunity to try a number of Vietnamese fruits.  They were all good, except for the disgusting durian.  It smells horrible and reminded me of moldy eggs, but it's very popular here.  In fact, I hate going to supermarkets here because they all reek of durian.  Anyway, the boat dropped us off, and we rode in the back of an atv truck thing to another area of the river where we rode canoes through the mangroves to our lunch spot.  After another delicious meal, we boarded the bus and headed back to town.

It's easy to see why Vietnam was a favorite destination for everyone.  Between the three cities we visited, we got to experience a lot of the local culture and still have time to relax.  With reluctance, we boarded our final sketchy Vietnam Airlines flight and headed for Cambodia.

Vietnam pictures here!
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2506246&id=3431093&l=d927128962

Two days in Hong Kong

After being encouraged to visit by a number of my friends since starting college at USC, I finally got the chance to visit Hong Kong (even if it was only for two days)!  Ironically, none of the people who had encouraged me to visit them were there at the time, but luckily, we still had a local in our architecture group who was able to show us around between obligatory family dinners.

We got picked up from the airport in one of the nicest tour buses I've ever seen (cushy black leather seats!) and checked into our hotel, one of the nicest YMCA's I've ever seen.  When I think of a YMCA, I think of a hostel with a community gym and swimming pool, but this was a full scale hotel.  Our room was on a high floor and had nice views looking across the water from Kowloon (where we were staying) to Hong Kong Central (the financial district).  We only had two nights in Hong Kong, so we didn't stay in the hotel long before heading out to explore.

We went out for dinner at a place recommended by the hotel and it was nice to finally be able to speak English with someone outside our group.  We were able to order without looking at pictures and pointing to things on the menu or making a Chinese friend do it for us.  The language of Hong Kong is Cantonese, but pretty much everyone knows English and Mandarin as well.  After dinner, a group of us walked a while to a night market where you can probably find any knock-off imaginable.  Some people bought lots of stuff but I didn't see anything I had to have.  I think that if it were something I really wanted, I would have already found a way to buy it back at home.

I was about ready to call it a night after we got back to the hotel, but I'm glad I didn't because a group of us ended up going out with the Hong Kong local in our program and she took us to a bar area in Central called Lan Kwai Fong.  It was lots of fun and highlights included a Russian vodka bar inside a freezer where everyone donned fur coats (strange with the heat and humidity outside), a bar where you could order flaming towers (a giant tower of glasses that has been lit on fire where you drink from the glass on the bottom through a straw), and a bar where we bought jello shots in syringes.  We got back late and went to bed for our city tour the next day.

The morning started with a bus ride to Hong Kong Central and a cable car ride to Victoria Peak where you can see much of the city below you.  After a brief photo op and history of the city from our guide, we headed down the back side of the peak to an area called Stanley, which was on the beach and included another market to explore.  From there, we headed back to Central to explore some of the buildings such as the Bank of China Tower and HSBC Building, but unfortunately, it was a weekend so everything was closed.  Too bad it couldn't have been planned better.  We stopped for authentic Hong Kong dim sum for lunch where we ordered all of our food off of trolleys, then walked back to the hotel.  After lunch, we took a subway and explores yet another market, returning to the hotel early.  We had a ridiculously early departure time for Vietnam the next morning.

Of the three cities we visited in China, Hong Kong is the one I'd most like to go back to.  We were there for the shortest amount of time and there were numerous areas we didn't get to explore.  Hopefully, I'll go back someday when more of my friends are there to meet up with and take me everywhere I missed.

As usual, Hong Kong pictures can be found here:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2506047&id=3431093&l=2d8a58f3f5

Monday, July 12, 2010

A few things about Shanghai

First things first: don't fly Shanghai Airlines.  The airline was so sketchy that people cheered upon landing.

Second, there's a delicious pork dumpling place just down the street from where we stayed.  We stuffed ourselves and still paid less than a dollar each.  I couldn't tell you the name or address of this place, but I could probably show you generally where it is on a map.  There's also a really good Chinese restaurant that was recommended by one of our professors who was born and raised in Shanghai.  All of us agreed that it was the best Chinese food we'd ever had.  This is the only time this entire trip where we've made advance reservations for a restaurant and it was totally worth it.

Third, go to Shanghai and go now!  Don't miss the expo!  Shanghai is one of the few Chinese cities that has been open to the rest of the world for some time, so it has had a lot of outside influences.  This placed it in the perfect position to host the 2010 World Expo.  No architect should miss the expo as it consists of pavilions by each country, some of which are very impressive and are designed by fairly big-name architects.  The normal tourist usually takes 3-4 days to see the expo but we only had one afternoon, so we were only able to enter a few pavilions.  Highlights included the Danish Pavilion by BIG and the UK Pavilion by Heatherwick Studio.  We also entered the New Zealand and Belgium pavilions, and ate dinner inside the South Korean Pavilion.  The expo wasn't even in our original schedule, but I'm so glad that there was enough student demand to cram it in.  It's definitely worth going despite the heat and insane crowds.

Fourth, the rest of Shanghai is cool too!  Because the city had different concessions for the different nations that occupied it, each area of Shanghai has its own distinct character.  We didn't get to explore all of it, but we did get to walk around the French Concession as well as visit the Bund, a waterfront area that is still much as it was 100 years ago.  We took a boat along the river one evening, a great experience to see Shanghai all lit up at night.  We also visited the more modern part of Shanghai, which includes icons such as the Shanghai World Financial Center (giant bottle opener), the Jin Mao Tower, and the Oriental Pearl Tower.  We went to the observatory of the Oriental Pearl Tower and enjoyed standing on the glass floor.  The view was amazing and would have been even better if it had been a sunny day.

Fifth, after we explored Shanghai, we took a day trip by bus to Suzhou and Zhou Zhuang.  Suzhou is home to two famous Chinese gardens, the Master of the Nets Garden and The Humble Administrator's Garden.  They were both large and beautiful to stroll through, but didn't have the attention to detail of the Japanese gardens.  We also visited the Suzhou Museum.  The exhibits weren't exciting but the building was designed by I.M. Pei.  The thing I found interesting about it was the central courtyard that incorporated many aspects of the traditional Chinese gardens in a modern way.  After Suzhou, we visited Zhou Zhuang, a preserved town that is linked by canals, sort of like the Venice of China.  We pushed our way through extreme crowds to visit Shen's House, a traditional Chinese noble's household.  Since we didn't get to spend much time in Zhou Zhuang, I'd like to go back again on a less crowded day.

To me, Shanghai was a lot better than Beijing.  It could be because everything seemed new and shiny thanks to the work they've been doing to prepare for the expo, but I think it's also because of the variety of areas within the city and the fact that it still seems to have a rich history.  In becoming a modern city, Shanghai was able to preserve much of its history and character, unlike Beijing.  Beijing felt like the government was trying to put a modern face on a city that wasn't really there yet.  Anyway, I can't wait to go back to Shanghai because I feel like there's still lots more to explore!

Photos from Shanghai are here:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2505617&id=3431093&l=67e8330c91

Everything's bigger in Beijing!

After a full day of traveling due to our completely out of the way connection in Hong Kong, we finally made it from Tokyo to Beijing, our first stop in China!  After finally getting used to Japan, China was a bit of a culture shock.  While the Japanese are quiet and reserved, the Chinese are loud and in-your-face.  They'll shove you out of the way to get where they want to go.  Their driving is also less than perfect and we almost found ourselves in an accident on the way from the airport to the hotel.  Our bus tried to change lanes into a lane where there was a much smaller car.  Needless to say, there was a great deal of swerving and honking and cursing from the USC students as we saw what was happening.  Anyway, the other negative thing about mainland China is that some of the rudeness definitely made me wish for the forced smiles, bows, and politeness of the Japanese.  However, all this being said, I really did enjoy getting to experience Beijing!

The night of our arrival, our flight was delayed due to poor weather in Hong Kong, so there wasn't much time to do anything.  After departing Beijing's Airport's spiffy new terminal 3, we arrived at our hotel and checked in, delighted to find that it was a Marriott Courtyard with comfy beds, a large bathroom, sheets, and washcloths, but dismayed to find that internet access was not free.  That night, I had plans to meet up with some other friends who also happened to be visiting Beijing at the time, but after both parties failed to coordinate properly, the plans fell through and we didn't end up meeting until the next evening.

The following morning, we were up early to visit Tiananmen Square.  The sheer scale of the space is massive and yet it was relatively full with vast numbers of tourists.  If a space like that existed in the U.S., I don't think there would ever be enough people to fill it.  I know I definitely wouldn't want to stand in the middle of a huge concrete square with the sun beaming down on me on a hot summer day.  It's crazy to imagine the square filled with half a million people all gathered to hear the voice of the great Chairman Mao.

After Tiananmen, we walked through the adjacent Forbidden City.  Although it was impressive, I couldn't really relate to it because it was so huge.  It obviously shows the power and strength of the dynasties that built it.  From the Forbidden City, we went to lunch at a place where they tried to get us to buy freshwater pearls, then to the Summer Palace, an elaborate home built by Chinese Empress Dowager Cixi on a manmade lake.  We explored the palace, walked along the lake, and took a boat back across to where we started.  Like everything else in Beijing, the Summer Palace seemed overly ornate and excessive, and I think I prefer the simplicity of the Japanese temples.

In the evening, I finally got a chance to met up with my other friends who were visiting Beijing.  We checked out Wangfujing, the largest shopping street in Beijing.  It is also home to the night market where you can find all sorts of interesting things on skewers, like beetles and tarantulas.  Since none of us were in the mood for them, we found a dumpling place to eat instead.  Afterward, we went to what became my favorite place in Beijing, an area called Houhai with a bar street that is located around a lake.  Although the area was geared toward tourists, Andy used his Chinese to get us a better price on beer.  We also managed to find Mexican beer for Elder.  We went to a few bars before calling it a night and heading back to the hotel.

The next day, we visited the Great Wall Commune before the highlight of Beijing, the Great Wall itself!  The highlight of the highlight was running into Andy and Elder at the Great Wall with no prior planning.  We visit a lot of places and don't stay anywhere for too much time, and the Great Wall is pretty long, so it was funny to run into them there.  Anyway, we had an hour to explore the wall, so we opted for the more difficult but less crowded direction and set off.  Walking along the wall was fun and we made it all the way to the point where you weren't allowed to continue.  I wish it hadn't been so hazy because the views from the wall were great, but they could have been a lot better.

In the afternoon, we visited the Beijing Olympic Village, but not before a lunch stop so they could pressure us to buy jade.  The Olympic Park was impressive, especially the Bird's Nest, and it's sad that it's not currently being used for much.  In fact, paint is already peeling and the stadium is very dirty due to the polluted Beijing air.  In general, China seems to embark on these large, impressive building projects, but fails to plan and allocate resources for maintenance and cleaning, so many places are less impressive than they could be.  However, that being said, we couldn't enter the Water Cube because it was undergoing repair work, so I guess this doesn't apply in all cases.

For our last night in Beijing, we met up again with Andy and Elder and hung out in the lobby bar of our hotel.  We were feeling lazy after our long day so we relaxed with an appropriately labeled "Great Wall" bottle of wine and enjoyed it before going to bed early.  The next morning, we were off to Shanghai!

Pictures of Beijing can be found here:
 http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2500271&id=3431093&l=d8a472407c