Bye Bye Beijing hello Hong Kong
After breakfast Lilly collected us to transport me n Annie to the Airport and after saying goodbye to a very nice young lady and going thru baggage drop and immigration (Strangely we have to use International passport to fly between Beijing & Hong Kong even tho both are in China) we actually caught a train to our departure gate because the airport is so big ) I must confess I am unnerved when having to fly on airlines I know nothing of and DRAGONAIR was no exception BUT all my fears were allayed and the trip was really good and fast.Beijing was a great place to stay and would have liked to stay longer
the Xmas light display was a delight to see,even had a live choir in the airport singing carols.We are now in the Novotel Hong Kong Branch and only there for one night BUT a very friendly Christmassy atmosphere made us feel valued consumers
After a short walk around the very busy densly populated extremely well lit surrounding area we fell into bed around 11pm
Beijing 19th December 2013
WOW ! a lie in till 8am !!breakfast as usual was good THEN it all began !!Annie could NOT find her passport (mine was OK) We turned the room upside down,suitcases inside out.We contacted the manager,who in turn assted Annie to fill a Police report and also arranged transport to the Australian Embassy !! Just as they were about to leave Annie discovered the passport in a “secret compartment” in her hand bag !! Red faces all around so Annies peace offering of chocolates did the trick of settling everyone down..The next few hours were spent hanging around the Hotel and the lovely Lilly arrived to take us to the Theatre to watch performing Acrobats and what a spectacular performance they gave ! My hands were sore from non stop clapping.Pole dancres of an extraordinary nature were mind blowing.Contortionist in very onorthodox juxtapositions and aTight rope walker that was very gravity defying A must see show for an awesome experience is a must for travellors.Unusually there was NO programmes or videos to be found on sale. Because internet is hard to come by in Asia (FB is banned in China) these blogs will be delayed
The Great Wall of China and more
Up at 6.30 and after another great breakfast our host for the day (Jung) collected us with around 10 more people and we headed towards The great Wall of China.It was very noticeable the thick coats of dust on cars as the headed away from Beijing (caused by pollution) First stop was the Tomb of the Ming Dynasty.SO many steps to negotiate to reach our goal 200 metres underground.My legs are still in shock from yesterdays mammoth walk about !! At the Tomb site money has been congregating over a period of time and had been thrown by members of the visiting public .Lunch was great supplied by use of a lazy Susan (revolving centre table servo) In our group were people from Chile,Belgium,Russia,Malaysia,Germany,England and Australia . Unlike the United Nations we made decisions on worldly issues that would make this planet a better place to live in ! Next…the highlight of the day The Great Wall of China and what a spectacle it was (for my Canadian friend Linda? almost as good as Niagra Falls) We arrived at the Wall via a very splendid open ski lift which offered magnificent views if the surrounding mountains.Once again we encountered STAIRS/STEPS how those poor soldier of yesteryear got around could only have been very stressful for them To actually stand on the Wall that was built to keep Mongolians out was a great thrill..The obligatory vendors wer out in Force and can be a nuisance HOWEVER Annie bought a picturesque folding photo knocked down from a starting price of 240 Yuan down to 87 Yuan a great buy.On the way back to the hotel we stopped at Jade factory and just watching the craftsmen at work was a great experience My daughter Jayne has recently moved into a new home so we have bought a Happy Family Happy Home artefact simple because we were so impressed with the whole set up We were conned into visiting a tea shop where tea leaves where on sale at exorbitant silly prices then a silk shop which was also boring and a waste of time (good for tour conductors tho who are obliged to keep us there for at least 30 mins!) We arrived home around 8pm and ventured into town finding a Supermarket where Annie bought a bottle of milk for our tea but turned out to be Yoghurt !! Tomorrow is supposed to be a rest days BUT tell that to Annie Pictures to follow (hard to put on here in Thailand)
Beijing and -6
In the restaurant by 6am for breakfast (food choices were excellent) Our male tour operator collected us and we then collected 2 more passengers who hailed from Istanbul Turkey,very friendly couple and great to spend the day with. For the first time in an age I wore long trousers (jeans) simply because it was fffffffff……..freezing and so cold that lakes had frozen over ( we saw brave people actually walking over them !) First trip stop was at a Chinese Medicine University where we were treated to a great foot massage (naturally a fee was involved).A world renowned Doctor (according to him he treated non other than past Prime Minister Paul Keating!) worked on our health via feeling our wrist pulses and was fairly accurate in his opinions so much that Annie bought lots of herbal remedies! Lots of walking today and I,m still suffering the after effects !Continuing on we did a comprehensive tour of Beijing and amazed at the number of people around (apparantly Beijing has a population of around 25 million).After a lunch that included Peking Duck (very common food here) we travelled on to The Forbidden Citythe Temple of Heaven and The Summer Palace.In the parks people were enjoying themselves by dancing both modern and traditional and the favouriteChinese pastime Tai Chi .To the delight of the Chinese ladies I decided to ” avago” One particular Chinese gent went out of his way to have a photo taken with me ,naturally I obliged ! Facebook is banned in China (except for some reason in Hong Kong) It is very cole here (-6 early morning) the Palaces are manificent .We were taken for a look around a Pearl shop ( purely promtiobal for the tour guide to make a bit of extra money) and this was a complete waste of time. Thank for making the day to Nazli and her partner Nodi tour guide david and driver Mr Lee Pictures to follow
Beijing and onward Publishing wee bit awkward here
After a fairly good trip to Brisbane we caught the midnight flight to Singapore.On the flight Annie had one of her massive Migraines and at one point we considered cancelling the holiday because of the severity of the illness. I didnt escape eother I had the most horrible sniffles with a tissue stuffed up my nose for the latter part of the trip ,both our ailments settled down as we arrived ay Changi Airport Singapore.We caught the flight to Beijing with the flight attendants being fantastic.Immigration and passport were very quick (one of the best I have experienced on my travels) Lillian our escort greeted us at the Airport and she is a lovely young lady.the driving to the hotel was an experience I am unlikely to forget,drivers are almost suicidal,the air was thick with the infamous smog that is known world wide .We checked into the Novotel Hotel that gave us great service and after a quick cuppa we retired 6 pm
i
red at 6pm
China and Asian Cruise and into 2014
Dec 15 th we are due to set off on our Asian Cruise including 4 days in Beijing China.Annie has started packing 2 months ago !! We then fly to Hong Kong (I love that place) to meet up with our ship The Volendam.The trip will see us onboard being (hopefully) well catered for over Christmas and New Year.Places we will visit are China/Vietnam/Cambodia/Thailand and the wonderful Singapore (where will stay for a few days afore heading home).2014 is already beginning to look very busy including meeting up with my eldest daughter in Brisbane .Suncoaster (of which we are members) visits .We are hosting a rally in Woodbridge for fellow Nomads in July (Queensland Coast near Bundaberg) and hopefully another tour around Australia in our motorhome mid year
Super Boat Race Hervey Bay
On the Esplanade at the weekend the final round of the 2013 Offshore Superboat Championships at Hervey Bay was a fantastic event with over 25,000 people lining the shore to watch the races and the largest outdoor TV screen in Australia on the shore with live stream from the race which also went to a worldwide audience via the “Motorsportstv” app.Conditions were a challenge for team the wind came up and so did the waves which made for great viewing for the spectators,these boats can get up to 260 kms per hour send great plumes of water into the air !!. At the other end of town where we live (Urangan) miniature model powerboat exhibitions were on display and can get up to speeds of around 160 kms on the waters surface !! The models can be quite expensive with top prices around $5000 ! one small on water accident could prove to be very expensive ! not for me I’ll stick with model trains !!It was a great day out and the 14 km long Esplanade was peppered with small stalls along the way
This event was a first in Hervey Bay and the local council are applying for it to be held annually as the race injected lots of money into the tourism industry
Melbourne Cup 2013
Once again the Horse Race that stops a nation is in full flow and we were invited to the Bayswater Hotel for an expense paid lunch and for a couple of hours or so the atmosphere was quite good with Raffles,door prizes, fashion shows and dancers helping to fill in the day..My friends in Blackpool UK (where I hail from) studied form and advised me what horse to back.Fortunately I couldn,t get to a Bookmakers (or TAB as it is known in Australia) to place a bet.Their selection did not rate and i saved a few dollars simply by missing to place a bet ! Ironically this race is shown in pubs/clubs and even schools all over Australia and is usually followed by adverts telling people to gamble responsibly !
Adding to the wonderful days ambience the Seaside views were magnificent from the Hotels front window depicting paragliders and the magnificent Urangan Pier a mere 5 minutes drive from my home
Last nights in Narrabri NSW
Due to my modem packing up this blog is a little late..Our last full night in Narrabri was leisurely and the evenings entertainment in the BIG Marquee was provided by Michelle Little who has a fantastic voice and leans a lot towards Patsy Cline music Prior to the nights fun presentations were held and my particular chapter The Suncoasters won the mens triple Disc Bowls !! Overall since we had Solar Panels put on the bus overnight stays attracted the grand sum of $5.00 very thrifty as sites are now getting between $45/$50 nightly !!and being self sufficient has been good On our return home we passed thru a country town called TEXAS (brilliant!) During the course of the Rally collections were held for NSW fires that have decimated large areas in and around The Blue Mountains and it is pleasing to know our Rally contributed 1000,s of dollars to help out fire victims.After a coupleof days rest we will atend The Melbourne Cup lunch as organized (and paid for) by Annies sister Claire
Fifth Day at Narrabri
Today was one of the best! We went to watch the Yabby Races and entered 2 of the scheduled 3 races We won !st prize in 2 of the contests ! After the events ( and they are very funny) the unfortunate winners/losers et al were all cooked and eaten !! I have never seen a Yabby,let alone race one,the only edible part is the tail leaving so much waste !.Then later on came came the BIG event The Gangsters Ball.Most people dressed for the occasion appropriately and I held the bus up with my machine gun (fake) Entertainment was a Jazz band and the evening swung along nicely.Alcohol was permitted and I went thru 2 bottles of white !! Some of the dress ups were amazingly good and our next door neighbours looked good in their outfits.We still have 2 days left and Saturday the Rally is open to outsiders who in turn are allowed to sell their market wares on site
The Yabby Races Narrabri 2013
Watch me play Didgeridoo
Geoffs Life After Work ! 