Giant Panda

Our next port of call as we move North into the bitter cold was Chengdu in Sichaun Province. Most know Sichaun as the home of extremely spicy Chinese food. However, our main reason for coming to this hunk of a city is that it hosts the Giant Panda Breeding and Research Center. We signed up for an early morning tour out to the Center in the hope of catching feeding time. Not to dissimilar to koalas, the giant panda do precious else except sleep and eat. Mating only happens during a 2-3 day period once a year, so it's not high on the 'to do list'. We arrived at the Center and seemed to be the only ones there. Our 'guide' took us around to the first enclosure were we could spot 2 pandas in the distance. The view was what I was suspecting from notoriously shy animals. To our utter joy at the next enclosure it was feeding time and once the staff had thrown in a big stack of bamboo everyone came a slow walking to breakfast. The way they eat the bamboo is very human like. They have an 6th finger, which allows them to grip the bamboo and eat with one hand, in much the same way we do. Eating seemed very much to be the highlight of the day, as they all got very comfortable before starting to shovel large amounts of bamboo into their mouths. We next visited the Panda Nursery where some 3 month old cubs were resting in their cots. Almost half the time pandas are born as twins, but the mother can only take care of one and usually kills the other twin early on. The nursery takes care of the orphaned twin. Pandas are born very under-developed and it takes about 150 days before they really can do much of anything. The little balls of black and white fur we saw were out cold and only occasionally moved, seemingly acting out a dream. They were adorable and made everyone smile once they saw them. The whole visit to the Center was suprisingly good, I was expecting the worse. Maybe my prejudices convinced me that it would be some huge concrete monstrosity with dipilated pandas wandering around. I'm happy to saw it was very professionally run and all the enclosure very nature like.
We leave Chengdu tomorrow to start our 4-day cruise down the Yangzi River towards the famous Three-Gorges and Dam. Seeing as though the entire area will be flooded under 200m of water in 3 years, its worth seeing now. As mentioned before, the language barrier in China can be slightly troubling, the above picture is a visual example.

Lijiang

Having no idea what to expect of China we have been pleasantly surprised. We spent a few days in Kunming, the capital of Yunnan Province, just getting used to the cold and full frontal language barrier. Kunming is a rather nice place all things considered, it's relatively pollution free and easy to navigate. Also, how can you not love a place with old people doing Tai Chi in the mornings and flying kites in the afternoon.
We braved another sleeper bus for the journey to Lijiang, and I'm just thankful that it will be the last one I will have to endure. This entire continent is not built for me. On arrival in Lijiang all lingering negativities from the bus trip vanished in seconds. Lijiang is probably the most beautiful town I have ever seen. Just think of a maze of cobbled streets, fish filled canals, antique homes, cheap beer, and good coffee. Just north of town the Tibetan plateau rises up from the plains of Southwest China, the Jade Dragon Mountain is how all mountains should look. Hopefully you can get some idea from the pictures, but somehow I doubt it. We spent a few days here just wandering around the streets, trying in vain to lose the myriad of Chinese tour groups. For some reason that we are yet to discover the Chinese still go around in huge tour groups with the stereotypical flag bearer. I don't see the point, if you can speak the language why do you need a helping hand to heard you around like cattle. The only explanation is if they can only travel in tour groups cause of some weird government big brother is watching thing.
We left Lijiang today and headed a bit south to Dali, another ancient town.

Welcome to Red China

Out of all the countries we have or will be visiting, only China held any real anxieties. The border crossing day started innocently enough. We shared a mini-bus with an American guy and a few Vietnamese down the mountain from Sapa to Lao Cai and the Vietnam-China border. We crossed the Vietnamese side without any difficulties, but the American had overstayed his visa so was in heated negotiations with the immigration official when we started walking towards China. The Chinese border crossing was also fairly uneventful, except when the immigration lady started inspecting my Machu Pichu passport stamps. Technically speaking, any stamps or markings not made by a country immigration official voids a passport, turning my pride and joy into a bunch of pieces of paper. Luckily, things panned out and we both entered China in good health. By this time the American had managed to pay some kind of fine on the Vietnamese side and was in the process of entering China as well. We thought we would be good sports and hang around for him so we could all get the bus from the border to the capital Kunming. The bus was leaving at 8:00pm, which was giving us just over an hour until departure. While we were sitting waiting patiently I suddenly had a bolt from the blue and realised that there was a time change between Vietnam and China, effectively giving us 5min to make the bus. In a panic we fled the border and the American in search of the bus station, luckily finding it just in time. Good thing to, as the border town looked decidely seedy. The American never made it and we haven't run into him since.
Now, the bus trip from Hekou to Kunming was unique as well. China has these sleeper buses, which is basically 3 long rows of bunk beds, designed for people 5'5" of less. Not the most comfortable surroundings for me. However, the real kicker on Chinese buses is the smoking. No matter the time, men, women, and children were lighting up, well maybe not children. Needless to say, not the most pleasant thing you want on a long night bus trip.
Arrival into Kunming has alleviated many fears, China is not all communist military swagger. It is very modern, people seem friendly, the streets are clean, and to Leighannes utter joy they have McDonalds. We are definitely looking forward to the next 5 weeks.

Hanoi and Ha Long

Saigon is mad, Hanoi is suicidal. Nothing can prepare you for the onslaught. In Saigon crossing the road is dangerous, but at least there is the safety of the footpath on the other side. Hanoi has no such sanctuary. Every square centimeter of footpath is covered with parked motorbikes, food sellers, beer sellers, and everything else under the sun. Walking around is extremely stressful and would drive you to drink if you lived here. I wonder what the visiting Presidents and Prime Ministers for the APEC with think on arrival. Saying that, it is a very cool place. The Old Quarter pulses with energy. Everyone is constantly on the move from 5am to 12pm. A half-day walking tour of the Old Quarter can take in all the main sights. The most impressive is Ho Chi Minh's Mausoleum. Unfortunately for us, Uncle Ho goes to Moscow for the winter for a bit of touch up work, but the building and grounds are still quite something. However, the best thing about Hanoi is its local beer stands, only signaled by the lit 'Bia Hoi' sign and the old man keeping his finger over the plug in the keg. The beer is brewed each morning and served at night and goes for a whopping 6p/per glass, in other words are round of beers for 8 people costs you $1. The first glass smells and taste a bit of rice, but after that it slides down effortlessly.
A short drive away from Hanoi is Ha Long Bay. We signed up for a 3day/2night tour of the bay and had an amazing time. Ha Long Bay was formed by water carving through the limestone creating thousands of sheer cliff islands. The sailing trip through the bay was beautiful with the constrast between the white and grey cliffs against the turquoise blue waters. We spent 1 night aboard a 'junk' boat and another at a lovely secluded beach resort. The company on the tour was top class and we are even keeping the group together for our next trip North towards China.

The Former DMZ

The middle of Vietnam is full of contrast. The area that once separated North from South is full of booming industry and antique towns. Many American veterans make trips to this area due to its focal point in the war. However, its the beautiful towns of Hoi An and Hue that rule the tourist trail. Hoi An is simply divine, and ancient port town is full of Chinese and Japanese architecture, all hemmed in tiny cobbled streets along the river. The entire old town is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and it deserves it. The place is enchanting, just wandering the streets and seeing the people busily selling their wares is enough to amuse you for days. We visited a few of the listed building and learnt about the varying architecture between the Chinese and Japanese. The highlight for me was the tile roofs, which were made in a ying-yang design. All the roofs were made of crescent shaped ceramic tiles overlaying each other in a concave-convex style. Everything was thought of to ensure that each building was tuned to the spirits.
After Hoi An we moved onto Hue to celebrate our 2 year anniversary. Splurging on a fancy hotel ($22/day) we arrived at the Orchid Hotel to be pleasantly surprised with an upgrade to the top floor. Hue was the capital of the Nguyen Dynasty and site of some of the most vicious fighting during the Tet Offensive. Much of the Citadel, which dominates the city was destroyed during the war. The Imperial Enclosure is still very impressive in its size and grandeur. It was here that the Emperor lived and carried out all the business of running the country.
A short distance outside Hue along the Perfume River are numerous tombs of the Nguyen rulers. Although built during their lifetime and used as country retreats, the tombs now are the burial grounds for the Emperors and their families. Each has a different style depending on the tastes of the current Emperor, but are all very relaxing and peaceful places.
Our next stop is Hanoi and the heartland of Communist Vietnam.

Saigon

Saigon is mad. There is simply no other way to describe the huge sprawling city. With 8 million people and 4 million motorbikes the roads are predictably chaotic. Trying to cross the road is exercise in remaining Buddhist calm. You simply step out into the tide and slowly make your way to the other side, any rash movements and you sure to get plowed into the pavement. Saigon offers limited sightseeing opportunities other then the Reunification Palace and the War Remnants Musuem. The Reunification Palace has been left as it was on that fateful day in 1975 when the first communists tanks came smashing through the gates. The most interesting part is the basement, where the war rooms were located. All the old maps and radio equipment are still in place. You can imagine the South Vietnamese and American generals pouring over the maps as the war progressed. The only dissapointment was not seeing the 'Big Red Button'. The War Remnants Musuem is a unique experience. It details the horrible consequences of the war, including the remaining effects of agent orange.
The real highlight was a trip to the Cu Chi Tunnel complex outside Saigon. The tunnels are incredible and a try testiment to the ingenuity and determination of the Vietnamese people. The tunnels covered 200km at their height, and provided invaluable cover and transportation options for the seriously out-gunned Viet Cong soldiers. The design of the tunnels is amasing, with every detail thought off. The doors were all made of a specific wood, so that when it rained the wood would absorb the water and expand, sealing the tunnel entrances and stopping any flooding. All the entrances were booby trapped with some horrific creations, just incase the American soldiers found a way in. I attempted to get into a secret entrance, but my gangly arms would not fit through.
After Saigon we visited Dalat, a former French hill station that is more suited to the French Alps then Indochina. We took a tour of the countryside with a group of local guys who call themselves the Easy Riders. Dalat is a famous coffee, silk, and flower producing region. Much of the flowers produced here actually make it to market in Holland.
After Dalat we headed back down the hill towards Nha Trang and the coast.