I joined a hostel project on Gulanyu island, near Xiamen. It was an adventure trip! Train, buses and boat - 3 hours ride! Once there I found out that the family does not run the hostel any longer as it was more AirB&B than a registered hostel. So the authority just forbad them to run it. It was another homestay but a way different from the first one as the family was a chaos especially the 3 year old daughter that I could a little monster. The child has her say in the family and the parents follow. Sorry but not with me, the worse it when she shouted at me and threw the toys we were playing with. This went over the limits and after two days of patience I stopped playing with her. She tried to manipulate me and being nice to me but it did not work! I got along with the cat who just needed food and cuddles! I spent time exploring the island which a very quiet one no cars, no honking but a lots of tourists. Nature is preserved too. As it used to be inhabited by foreigners and missionaries, the architectures of buildings and the streets are unique. It is very charming as well. I could feel a European atmosphere. As mentioned above, there is no car and not e-bikes, so all the transportation for goods are chart and humans. Everything is imported to the island and men / women will unload and load the boats and carry the goods to their final destination. The island is hilly, it does not help at all. Respect! The place where I stayed. A great roof top and lots of plants. I had so much time on my own that I read a book in four days. Colonial era in Gulanyu Missionaries ? After its defeat in the Opium Wars (1840 to ‘42), China was forced to open and establish five treaty ports to the outside world. Xiamen was one such port. Missionaries were subsequently allowed to come to Xiamen and live on Gulangyu, which was then an international settlement. Aside from doing their missionary work, these missionaries also brought with them advanced knowledge and technological capabilities of their Western, capitalist nations. Some of them set up schools, hospitals, and carried out charitable activities in Xiamen. Source: http://www.whatsonxiamen.com/travel-msg-2774.html Xiamen was the "Birthplace of Chinese Protestantism. David Abeel started the Amoy Mission, and Xiamen's New Street Chapel (新街礼拜堂), built in 1848, was China's first Protestant church. But S. Fujian has a very long tradition of religious diversity and tolerance. Source:http://www.amoymagic.com/XN/christian.htm Tea house, japanase restaurant and the great leader... Green and amazing trees! one afternoon in Xiamen, Jimey
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4 weeks holidays overseas did not make it easy to come back to China. I had so much free time, only teaching twice a week (Wednesday and Thursday) I had plenty of opportunities to discover the country and the region. I decided to check volunteering job nearby. There were two active members one in Fuzhou and the other near Xiamen, Both cities are 1 or so away from Putian. Both hosts accepted me. Here are my stories. Fuzhou - Fujian province Cala accepted volunteers to teach her 7 years old daughter English. It turned out that it was more a homestay and enjoy activities with her family and her daughter. I went there twice as we became friends. I lived in a traditional house that reminded me Taiwanese houses´ style. The room was even better furnished than the one the school provided me with! I had welcome gifts and fruits. Cala took really care of everything and prior to my arrival I was asked about my Chinese eating habits. Cala was concerned about it so much! During the 5 days I spent there we had home made food which was different from the local food as the family comes from a different province. We also had fish and local food. It was so delicious! During the weekend, I spent some time playing with Judy her daughter and we went iceskating too. We also spoke English and I helped her with her homework. She has just been learning English for 5 months and she is so good! Judy is very busy every day and has a tied schedule (English, piano, maths, Chinese chess and drawing). She has a 40 hours week starting from Monday to Sunday. Sport or free time are not included in the timetable??? Judy managed it well as she studied well and fast but what I noticed is that at the end of the day she is exhausted! HOMESTAY She leaves near the university area where the area looks like a village. No high towers, narrow streets and wooden houses and of course not heater even outside temperatures at night can drop to 2 or 3 degrees in March. It is the same on campus and in most South east China. To go to the city center by car it takes (depending on the traffic) 30 to 60 minutes, forget the public transport! Visiting a temple - 1200 m high Located on the other side of the city, to reach the temple it was a long drive! It was worth it as the scenery was so beautiful. The fogs made it mystic! It was very cold that day. We were all freezing! We enjoyed a short walk, after a hot tea and some local cakes. What a pity I forgot my camera! credit for the pictures: Cala A local tea house in Fuzhou During our tour in Asia we have never experienced a tea ceremony or never went to a tea house. Cala made sure that I wont miss that experience. The location was beautiful and she chose one of her favourite room where we stayed there the whole afternoon chitchatting and drinking tea and eating peanuts and cakes! 5 days in Fuzhou, we had a great time with Cala, her family and her daughter. Despise the cold and rainy weather, we did so many things even went to the movies. They all took care of me and they wanted me to come back soon. We communicated with a translator or Judy was the translator! A friendship was born! FUZHOU 2 One month later, I went back to Cala´s family. The relationship was different now, i was still a guest but it was less formal which was good. Again the weather was rainy and humid although the whole week it was sunny and warm. Activities: massage, hot spring, hiking in the mountain, movie and good food! European taste in Fuzhou Saturday evening, Judy goes to English classes meanwhile we went to have European food in a very nice restaurant Eating hours are regulated in China, Chinese will have dinner between 5.30 and 6.30 at the latest. We arrived quite according to this regulation after 7.30. I chose a dish with rice. The waiter told me that they did not have rice left. I was literally laughed out loud: no rice left ... we are in China. How could it be??? I went for pasta instead, which was very tasty. The German sausages were more Chinese, we cannot blame them for that. The last but not the least the desert the cheesecake blew my mind!!! Another weekend with Cala and her family! What a great and relaxing time especially the hike!
THANKS !!! On our way back in China, we decided to visit our friends Phyllis and to meet Pan and Man. Phyllis invited us to stay at her place! Great! We met Phyllis one year ago in Taiwan since then we already met several times either in Taiwan or in Japan. This time, we met at her place and explored places in Hong Kong we had not been yet. Of course, the most important experience was to taste local and Japanese food! We loved it! Besides, Phyllis took two afternoons to hang out with us. Knowing how precious 12 days holidays are, we really appreciated! THANKS FOR WELCOMING US ! We spent one evening with Pan and Man, we met in Croation in Sept. 2014 and visited in Nov. 2015 too! STILL TRADITIONAL FISHING IN HONG KONG THE FOOD COURT Local and Japanese tastes Tai -o - an ultimate fisher village Far away from the hustle and bustle city center, Tai O remains traditional but became a touristic attraction. We enjoyed the quietnes, and the nature! Discovering the area! LINE AND TOTORO.... A world without them would not be the same! The totoro shop is even better than the museum! SAD but TRUE ....
KL We The first night we arrived we already felt good. A capital and mega pole, we felt good vibes! Coming from China, we have a different view and impressions: No honking, no crazy driving, no E-bikes, no starring, no uniform, no pushing, no peeing in the streets, no spitting but smile, polite, caring and respect, no cheating on prices, no much bargaining,! More culture, more thinking, more personality, easy and quick internet and in a way ... more freedom! We planned to take part in different free walking tour but we were too tired to make it, this journey was not only rest but lots of back and forth! We went to the towers and slept in the busiest neighbourhood where at 1am we had to change the hotel. The whole room was vibrating: bed, wardrobe and the vibrations went into the pillows and matrasses! It was the worst night ever! In KL, we kept it simple. We made it to the TOWERS and we also met Prateek, a couchsurfer who hosted us two years ago in Mysore. VOLUNTEERING It turned out that the people who accepted us were from the Chinese community. We were exited to learn about our hosts and being able to practice Chinese too. The first place had a very basic accommodation but well we had to change our chip and be a volunteer again! Get out our comfort zone! It was located in a beautiful and ecological environment, except that the main road was 100 meters away. Cars kept on driving the whole night. It was impossible to sleep! At 5 am, we made some arrangements to get out of the place. By 9pm we were moving to Batu Ferringhi. The second place was near KL, 30 minutes by local train. The guy picked us up at the station and mentioned that we will celebrate Chinese New Year, the very same evening. The location was not really as described in the profile and it was soooomessy! Within 30 minutes we were on our way back to KL. No Chinese Celebration for us but a 24 hours trip in air conditioned environment (train, plane and hostel). Horrible! This is when we booked a flight to go back to Penang and rest there!!!! We reached a point where we think: are we still made for volunteering??????? HOW TO CONCLUDE 3 WEEKS IN MALAYSIA? ...
Malaysia has a very interesting historical background, it has survived invasion and colonisation. However, the country has been sold and the main resources is based on technology, tourism and palm oil. The whole country outside KL has been turned into a huge palm oil plantation with negative consequences on the ecosystem. Floods and earth slides are two common natural catastrophes now. During the flood in Taman Negara, we experienced a very sad situation concerning the elephants. They have less and less territory and had to escape to places but are chased away or even being killed. The more we travelled, the less joy we have as we eyewitness how earth is being destroyed. We enjoyed the mixed culture, ethnies that influence the Malay customs. What we missed is to dive in the deep blue water of the East Cost? Who knows when we will go back? We recharged our batteries! Ready to rumble again... TAMAN NEGARA - KUALA TAHAN We spent one week in Penang and a week end in Alor Star to visit one of Önder´s friend. It was time to move on and the next stop will be Taman Negara, the central part of the peninsula. THE PRIMARY RAINFOREST From Alor Star, the bus should be there in 6 hours! Well we reached Taman Negara the very next day. We had to make a forced stop. Well we had the best homemade burgers of the island! Taman Negara is older than the Amazonas, 130 million years! We were up to hiking and discovering the jungle! It was kind of natural disaster as it had not stop raining for days. Taman Negara was flooded but still accessible, but the deepest jungle was not. We were lucky as it stopped raining some times and we took the chance to explore the area. We did not have the chance to go in the deepest jungle. To get there, we booked a boat trip! It was pouring like hell!!!! in 3 days: two hikes and one walk arount the village! The first trek was supposed to be easy and nice to get fitter. It was nice but not easy. We went up and down (return) the hill as the road to go back to the village was blocked. What we dread, really happened! We had to go back the way we came in- up and down the mountain. It was very steep, slippery, no water left and a couple of hours left before dark! The humidity level raised (over 90%) too as it started raining. We were easily out of breath and tired. We had to finish the trek before dark! For a first hike, we had it all!!! But we were in the oldest rainforest on earth ...it made the differences! Everything there takes another dimension: it is so big, dense, so powerful! Batu Terisek! The second one was easier and shorter. The sun came out too. We enjoyed the quietness and the vegetation: trees, birds and plants. It was a repetitive story, the road was blocked so we could not go too far. Beautiful nature! The walk: we did not go far but enough to see how high the flood had been! We were still amazed by the power of the nature! Leaving Kuala Tahan, established at the Titiwangsa, was not an easy task. Roads were blocked, no food supply during two days and even the river was not navigable. We had to postpone twice our trip. Friday was apparently a good and lucky day. Roads were still blocked but boats could sail slowly on the flooded parts. It was a real adventure! THE BEACH IN PENANG - BATU FERRINGHI Being honest with you, the beach was passable nothing to compare with white sand and deep blue water of Patoyo island in the Philippines. Over the years, due to the commercial activities (harbour and leisure ones), the sea has been spoiled. Well, it was good enough for a swim until jelly fishes stung me on my arms, rips and back!! I was on my way back to the shore. It was a burning and i felt like paralysed. I had to swim back to the shore without using half of my body (not far, thank god)! I did not what had just occurred! It was so weird. A local on the beach heard shouting took me to the nearest local clinic. He knew exactly what I had. He advised me not to move and everything would be ok in a couple of hour. Once at the clinic, the lady at the reception asked me for my passport?!!! I was wearing my bikini and a kanga, not even flip flop! I looked at her desperately and replied: “Can I have first smthg to ease the pain?, my passport will be there in a short while!” Crazy, though! It took me an afternoon to recover and more than 10 days healed up the burns. After that, it was my last swim! :( THE FOOD ON THE ISLAND It was a food paradise, halal non halal, Chinese, Western, Indian, and Malay. Everything was tasty, colourful and made our senses revived. In months, one of the best dining experience and so cheap too! This come from the diversity of ethnics, culture and even religion. So far the population cohabite peacefully and separately but there was time where communities were not dominated. Now as wealth has reached every community, people tolerate each other until the next crash ? who knows?! What we have been told is that the administrative parts are hold by 60% of the Muslims and the rest is the business area which represents 40% is managed by the Chinese. Locals kind of panic as the Spring festival approached and the Chinese will close their shop during a week! The country will be paralysed! Indian come from the South India - Tamil, Chinese from Canton. Rice (nasi), meat, curry, veg, pizza, roti, chapatti, biryani, kepab… donuts and our favourite drinks: te Tarik, te limon, matcha and coconut water:)
Penang, a semi island in the North of Malaysia. "semi island" because it is bridged to the peninsula. On our first trip there, we took the bus (as good world travellers), promoted as a 4 hours trip, it took over 6 hours to get there! After this trip we found out that we could fly for less than 30€ one way, a 40 minutes flight! Well we learned from it... Anyway, to come back to the bus journey, a dad and his son sat next to us. When we crossed the bridge, the son was so amazed about it. It was such a pure and innocent emotions, so beautiful. We could notice the love from his father to a son! People, way of living and customs are a way different from KL, the capital. People are more relaxed, they enjoyed more life! Georgetown is the main city on the island, one the oldest one in Malaysia and is inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2008. To explore the capital of Penang state, we did not need a map we just strolled the streets and be surprised by the beauty of the colonial buildings, the streets arts that explained the story of the city and just the genuine mixed of the culture: Tamil, Chinese, Arabic. How the street art began? It was to phyicall brand the George town Unesco World Heritage Site, the Penang State government opened an international pitch for "Marking Georgetown". The winning idea culminated in a unique series of steeled-rod caricatures which retelles the history of the streets and the stories of its communities. They are 51 pieces, we saw over 20 of them. It was funny and very instructive! OTHER POPULAR STREET ART A BIT OF HISTORY AND Colonial buildings "As the Dutch East India Company had dominated the Far East spice trade by controlling the East Indies, the British East India Company requested Captain Francis Light to establish trade relations in the Malay Peninsula. Faced with Dutch dominance in the region and a growing French threat, the Company sought control of Penang Island as a Royal Navy repair base and a trading post between China and the Indian subcontinent." Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Town,_Penang In a nutshell: the French were supposed after the revolution to gain the Dutch Territory. The Dutch betrayed the French by bargaining with the Brits. The deal was that British decided to give Indonesia to the Dutch and in exchange they controlled entirely Penang and Malaysia. This is how the French lost their influence, territory in Malaysia…Later during the Second World War the Japanese invaded during 4 years the island. What stroke us is that Penang is still the only place where the road signs are still in English and now they added Tamil, Chinese and Arabic language. Even in the past Armenian used to live on the island! |
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