Dorothy's diary 23rd May

Victorian Painted Ladies

Saturday 23^rd May 

A cold day. We caught a trolley bus to Alamo Square to see the Painted ladies. A row of houses reminiscent of Mrs Doubtfire.

I think time changes are catching up with me. I am exhausted. We call at the Westfield Shopping centre for a coffee and some provisions for lunch then back to the hotel. I go to bed and sleep for three hours. We decide not to have lunch but to walk to Powell and catch a cable car to Fisherman’s Wharf.

We have a walk round Ghirardelli Square, (A famous make of chocolate). It hasn’t warmed up at all. Alan buys a fleece and we call for a hot meal. We catch a trolley bus to Market and then transfer to another cable car up California and make our way back to the hotel.

Dorothy's diary Our longest day

Our first ride on the cable car

Thursday 21^st May

Today is going to be very long.

We got up early and left the hotel at 7.15 a.m. We managed to get a Taxi easily. Laziz had written down our instructions for getting to the airport and they worked perfectly. Traffic was busy but we had given ourselves plenty of time and we arrived at the airport at 8.20. The desks opened just before 9.00a.m. and we got rid of our checked in bags and went through to the departure lounge. Beijing Airport is very modern, it was renovated for last year’s Olympic games.

We had to go by driverless train to our departure gate. We found a small restaurant that served an English Breakfast so we took advantage of having European food.

By the departure gate there was an American couple. The woman was being ill and staff were very concerned that she wouldn’t be able to fly. It appeared that she had visited a hospital in Beijing and had got paperwork to say hat she could fly. The staff needed to check it out but she wouldn’t let them have the paperwork so that they could ring the hospital. Another passenger helped, but we were then called to board the plane. A few minutes later and the couple were on the plane, so things must have been sorted. Fortunately they are not too near us so we won’t be disturbed.

The plane is not full so we are able to stretch out and use extra seats. We leave Beijing on time at 12.00noon. We settle down for a good flight. After our meal the lights are dimmed so we can rest easier. We are not quite sure what to expect as we cross he dateline. It seems just like a night flight, and we are given breakfast before we arrive in San Francisco at 8.40a.m. Thursday 21^st May.

Immigration was very pleasant. We had two officers as one was training. Both of them were extremely pleasant and we had a good conversation with them, best ever experience of US Homeland Security.

Once we found our luggage we went through customs but didn’t have to open our cases. We found a Taxi straight away and we had left the airport by 9.15a.m.

A lovely sunny day but much cooler than Beijing. On arrival at our hotel we were able to check in immediately, which was great, we could freshen up and have a rest before hitting the town.

We found an Irish Pub that served Fish and Chips, and the waitress understood us. We didn’t need help in translation.

The city is very easy to get around so we are looking forward to discovering all it has to offer.   

Dorothy's diary The Forbidden City

Dorothy in the Forbidden City

Tuesday 20^th May

Our tour guide arrived at 7.50a.m. It was Power, the same one as yesterday. We were the second people to get on the bus. Power said that there were to be more people than yesterday so we set off on the round of pick ups.

When everyone was on board we set off to the Summer Palace. It was very busy when we arrived and the temperature was up in the 30’s.The gardens and palaces are very beautiful. We had a boat ride back across the lake and then got on the bus again. Power explained that we were going to visit a Pearl Factory. The pearls are fresh water pearls from the lake in the Summer Palace. We had lunch which was typical Chinese at a round table with a lazy Susan.

Back on the bus and we travelled back towards the centre of Beijing to the Forbidden City. I was little disappointed as we went in through the back door. We still saw everything but it didn’t seem right. We didn’t get the Wow factor of the first sight inside the city. The temperature had now risen to 36’C, and Power was rushing us.

Our next stop was a silk factory where we were shown how the silk worm makes cocoons and then how the silk is extracted and made into silk duvets. It was very interesting, but I felt that we had been taken there under false pretences.

We paid to see the Summer Palace, The Forbidden City and the Temple of Heaven and we were rushed round the sights so that we could be taken to buy pearls and silk.

We left the tour before we got to the Temple of Heaven as we were exhausted from the heat.

We had a rest back at our hotel and when the heat had cooled we decided to go by Metro to Tiananmen Square. There were quite a lot of people but because the square is so big it didn’t seem too crowded.

Back at the hotel we packed ready for an early start tomorrow.

Dorothy's diary The Great Wall

Alan on the Great Wall at Mutianyu

Tuesday 19^th May

The shower in our new room didn’t have any hot water as someone had turned the dial off, fortunately we had a shower last night so we managed with a wash.

We got up early as we wanted to say goodbye to Laziz. He should have been staying in Beijing for a few days but he had received an email to say he had to go to Cheng du for some training. The journey will take about 28hours on a hard sleeper train which isn’t very comfortable, 6 people to a carriage and no door.

Our tour to the great wall was due to start at 10.00a.m. and our guide arrived early at 9.45a.m. The mini bus arrived and we set off to pick up the other three people who were going with us. A couple from Reading were the first to join us. We started talking to them and discovered that John had lived in Hoyland as a baby, talk about a small world. (Hoyland is the town near Barnsley where I was brought up, and where we lived until 1994)

We then picked up a young Swedish man and we set off for Mu tian yu. The journey took about two hours. It was not very busy so we were able to take the cable car straight away.

I wanted to buy a fan as it was very hot. We had to barter and the lady was very insistent that she could do a good deal on two fans. Eventually we got what we wanted ONE FAN.

On to the cable car and up to the wall. It is quite a difficult climb as the ground is not very even. There are steps and slopes and even though we were climbing, some of the wall is a downward slope. We walked from stage 14 to stage 19. Up to stage 20 would have been very difficult, it was a very steep climb and we really didn’t have the time. Ewan had left us early and managed to get to stage 20. We were pleased with ourselves that we had managed as much as we had.

On the way back to the city, our guide said that included in the tour was a visit to a Chinese Health centre. We arrived and were given a talk about the difference between western and Chinese medicine. We were then offered a foot massage which four of us accepted. While having the foot massage a doctor came and gave us a free medical consultation. It was very interesting and both Alan and I took advantage of the advice and bought the products that were advised. We are going to start using them when we get to San Francisco.

Back to the hotel and then off for something to eat. We haven’t had a meal at all today.

It was easy to go to KFC.

Off to bed now as we have another early start tomorrow.     

 

Dorothy's diary We have made it

The Last Station Beijing

Monday 18^th May

We have made it. We have travelled by train from Amsterdam to Beijing.

We arrive in Beijing at 2.00p.m. and make our way from the station by taxi to our hotel. The Shindom near the Temple of Heaven. We are given room 219 which is in an annexe. We unpack a few things and have a shower to freshen up, then Laziz arrives and asks if we would like to move to a room in the main hotel. It will be better for us but is a bit of a nuisance packing up again. We sort ourselves out and go down to the lobby to meet everyone to go out for a meal.

Laziz is taking us to a restaurant on the other side of the city, so we have to use the subway. It is very easy as all the signs are in English as well as Chinese. Tickets are 2 yuan each, about 20pence. The subway is very modern as it was all updated for the Olympics.

The restaurant was very good. Laziz ordered a few items so we had a chance to try various dishes.

We had chosen two tours for our two days in Beijing, and the tickets were ready when  we arrived back at the hotel. Tomorrow we are visiting the great wall.

 

Dorothy's diary Our last train across two continents

Our train at the Mongolian / Chinese border

Sunday 17^th May

Our last train.

We have managed to travel from Amsterdam to Beijing by train, and apart from four small backtracks ie Newcastle to Lindisfarne and back, Daugavpils to Riga and back,

Irkutsk to Lake Baikal and back, and UB to Khogno Khan Moutains and back, it has been a continuous journey.

Our train arrived from Moscow and we boarded to find that our provadnitzas were Chinese males. We found our compartment and stored our luggage. It was a little easier as Joan was booked through to Beijing but stayed in UB to join another tour. There were only 3 of us in our compartment, Alan, Merrill and myself.

There are a lot of westerners on this train. We met a Finn who had travelled overnight from Finland to Moscow and then on this train continuously for six nights. Fine if travel is what you are about, but if you want to see and experience the country not too good.

We are travelling through th Gobi Desert. It is very dry and dusty, that is why we don’t open th window and we have a fan in the compartment. We must all be tired as we have all had a sleep and it is still only 1.00p.m.

We have now arrived at the border and have left Mongolia. We have gone through passport control and immigration and now we have been issued with thermometers. All of us in our compartment are OK but we have all been issued with face masks. What Charlies we look.

We will be here for some time as the bogies on the train have to be changed because of the different gauge from Russia/Mongolia to China. The carriages have to be lifted off the track, while we are all still on the train, and the new gauge bogies fitted. We are told that it can take four hours. It is 10.15p.m. so I don’t suppose that we will get much sleep.

 

Dorothy's dairy Mongolian Ghur and Barbeque

Barnsley Fans outside a Mongolian Ghur

Friday 15^th and Saturday 16^th May

We travelled back towards the Khogno Khan Mountains. It stated to rain but I was only a shower and we were travelling so we didn’t get wet.We arrived at our accommodation which was a Mongolian Ghur.

The Ghur is a round tent and inside around the perimeter were six beds. In the middle was a wood burner which acted as a heater and cooker. Bayra soon got it going which was very good as it was still very windy and cold. Laziz started making some rice soup for lunch. We were supposed to be going horse riding but it was too windy so we declined. We all opted for a lazy afternoon instead. Fresh air and driving over rough terrain work wonders. The owner of the Ghur came in to stoke up the heater with dry dung. He didn’t use any tongs just his bare hands.We were amazed that it didn’t smell.

We weren’t sure where we were all going to sleep as the Ghur next door was supposed to be booked by someone else but after discussion with the owner it was decided to have a girls Ghur and a boys Ghur. The only problem was that next door was only for three people and there were four girls. I suggested that Joan Merrill and Bagi slept next door and I slept with the men. As it worked out Bayra and Mishka slept in the vans so there were only three men and me.

We didn’t have to dig our own facilities. There was a double facilty about two hundred metres from the Ghur. You could choose the shape of the hole one was rectangle and one was triangular. The rectangular one was better if you weren’t quite sure of your aim.

The whole thing was quite an experience.

We had a quick breakfast and the set off back to UB. The wind had dropped but it was still cold. Laziz had made sandwiches for lunch so that we didn’t have to stop on the way back. We wanted to get back to UB for shopping and Museum visits.

We are going out tonight to a Mongolian Barbeque Restaurant. Watch this space and I will enlighten you. 

Fantastic Meal. All you could eat for 13.900 togrogs about £7.00. A salad and soup bar.

Meats and Veg were all arrayed in dishes you take a bowl and fill it with anything and then take niothr bowl and fill with the sauce of your choice eg. Lemon, Ginger, Peanut, Soy, then you can add some spices. You then take it to the barbeque, which is a circular hot stone. The chef will then cook your meat and veg and add your sauce and serve it on a plate. You can go back as many times as you please.

Bagi joined us. She has only worked for Imaginative Traveller for two months and is quite shy, so we hopefully encouraged her.

As we have an early start tomorrow we went back to the guesthouse to finish packing.

Dorothy's diary Kharakoum and Erden Zuu Monastery

Temple at the Erdene Zuu Monastery Mongolian

Thursday 14^th May

We had another good breakfast and then packed up and set off across the desert again. We didn’t have to go too far before we were on a tarmac road which was much more comfortable. Kharakoum is called a city but it was just about the size of a large town.

The Erdene Zuu Monastery is on the edge of the city. It is walled and has 162 Stupas around the perimeter. A stupor is a white building that sometimes contains ashes or ancient manuscripts. This monastery was founded in the 15^th century by the second son of Chinnghis Khan. It is still a worshipping monastery so there were a number of monks wandering about.

In the monastery grounds there were quite a number of market stalls. The stallholders were very insistent that we buy souvenirs. We had to barter which I am not very keen to do but we got a few bargains. One stall holder was following us pestering us to buy.

We then set off into the desert to find our next camp site. This time it was by a river and surrounded by trees. Alan had difficulty finding the ideal spot for the facilities so we ended up with three.

We hadn’t been there very long when a herd of Yaks wandered by. Fortunately they didn’t linger.

The wind had started to blow and it was quite cool so we didn’t take too long before we were wrapped up for the night. It was still blowing strongly in the morning and we had quite a lot of bother getting all the tents and equipment stored away. 

Our transport in the desert - a Russian four wheel drive mpv

Tuesday 12^th May

Our Drivers Bayra and Mishka arrived with transport and we were also introduced to our guide Baggie. We helped to pack everything in to the two mini van type vehicles. Alan and I were in one van with Bayra and Baggie and everyone else was in the other with Mishka. It took us about 1 1/2 hours to get out of UB as we had to stop for fuel and then we stopped for Bayra and Mishka to speak to friends who they saw in another vehicle. Apparently this is quite normal in Mongolia as the country is so vast that people donot see each other very often.

We finally set off, the road was a tarmac road but still very bumpy. After about an hour we set off across the desert. NO ROAD AT ALL just tracks across the desert. We thought the other road was bumpy, this was something else. We soon realised that the rule was relax and think that you are a rag doll and you should be OK. This track lasted about another hour and then we stopped at the side of a river for lunch.

Laziz said that we had another 2 – 2 ½ hours before we reached the camp site. Most of the journey on dirt tracks across the desert.

On arrival at the camp site we got stuck in and erected our six tents and sorted sleeping bags out. Our beds were just polystyrene foam mats.  Alan was commandeered into digging our facilities. He did a good job but none of us relished the thought of using it.

When we had eaten dinner Alan, Patrick and I went for a short walk and then as the sun was setting we settled down for the night. We soon realised that our tent was on a slight slope so we didn’t  sleep very well. The next morning we emptied the tent and turned it round which proved  to be much better.. 

Wednesday 13^th May

Laziz and Baggie had prepared breakfast. Cereals, Bread and Jam and Fried Egg sandwiches. We all helped clear up and then we set off to visit Old Man Monastery. We expected it to be a fair walk but it was just about ½ stroll, where we had been the previous evening. It was very warm and part of the trail was a climb up a very stony path. A lady from the village gave us an explanation of the monastery and Buddhism in Mongolia.

One of the temples was highly decorated with banners and pictures. The significant colours of the banners are

White signifying Milk

Green signifying Earth

Red signifying Fire

Gold signifying Love

Blue signifying Sky.

These colours are the same in every monastery.

The old monastery was destroyed in 1937 by Stalin and all of the monks were killed. There are now only 5 or 6 monks who live in the area.

Laziz gave us the choice of walking further up into the mountains, but as it was very hot we all declined. We went back to camp and rested until dinner time. After dinner we had a game of President and Donkey and then retired as the sun went down.  

Irkutsk to Ulan Bataar

Victory Day Parade

Folk singers at the  Victory Day parade

Saturday 9^th Sunday 10^th and Monday 11th May

Victory Day Parade in Irkutsk. After breakfast we left the hotel as the parade began to move past. The parade moved into the square to our right. The park opposite was filling up but we managed to get a good view on a wall. We couldn’t hear any of the speeches but it was a good experience to be part of.. We realised that we have now been part of memorial day celebrations in three continents. Our own in the UK. Veterans Day in America in 2007, and now 9^th May celebrations in Russia. We never expected this when we booked the tour.

The temperature is rising, the last time we checked it was 14’C, but it is probably higher this afternoon.

People have started to drift away from the park in front of the hotel and we are passing the time resting until 9.00p.m when we need to leave to catch the train to Ulan Bataar, Mongolia.

Our train left Irkutsk at 10.00p.m. and we arrived in plenty of time to get settled. We heard English voices and discovered Australian and English people were travelling to UB on the same train.

Alan had bought a bottle of vodka and some orange juice so we had a night cap for two nights.

The border crossing.

We arrived at the exit station from Russia at 1.00p.m on 10^th May. Laziz explained that we could leave the train but not to be surprised at the manoeuvres. The first few carriages were shunted off and placed on the next platform. Then the next carriage was shunted to follow the other carriages, this left our carriage on it’s own. The first carriages had formed a train that was going back to Irkutsk, when that was moved away, our carriage was then moved to the second platform. We then had to return to the carriage for passport control and customs declaration. The carriage was also searched while we stood in the passage. Mongolia is one hour behind Irkutsk time so we had to move our watches back one hour. The train was allowed to leave at 5.50p.m.

The train travelled for 40 minutes and then stopped at the Mongolian border town of Sukhbataar and we had to go through the whole procedure again. We finally got underway again at about 10.00p.m

Vodka and orange on the menu again.

We were met at Ulan Baatar at 6.00a.m by the owner of the Guest House which we were staying at. It is Youth Hostel type accommodation. We could not have our rooms until the previous occupants had left which was 9.00a.m. At that time we were able to have a shower and a rest before Laziz showed us the city.

It is quite a compact city, but both Laziz and David (The owner of the guest house) had warned us that UB is notorious for pickpockets, so not to carry more money than necessary and to keep hold of our bags at all times.

There is a good department store with a souvenir shop so there will be no need to go hunting all over the place for gifts.

Alan and I wandered up to the Gandan Khiid Monastery. The main monastery building has a statue that is 26 meters high, and there is a mass of prayers wheels surrounding it. We went to go into one of the buildings but had to drink something that some young monks gave us before we could enter. No idea what is was but it hasn’t poisoned us yet.

After a coffee and cake at an Amsterdam Bar we went back to the guest house for a rest before going out for a traditional Mongolian meal with Laziz.