Categories
China Hong Kong Personal Travel

Train into China

Hong Kong to Shenzhen

approx 10:30 – Train from Hong Kong

As the Group (Dad, Brain, Elaine, Lynna and myself) traveled north into China, I was struck by how many mountainous regions there were. Apartments with mountain backgrounds.

I have noticed that several of the hill are covered with cement faces, but as one looks closer, nature does seem to be reclaiming what is hers.

The country side is still very green. There also seems to be a real division between what is “man’s hand” and what is mother natures.

Even though man has cleared for his own use, mother nature will not wane.

While waiting for the train in front of us to move… I sit and watch a white crane hunting in an abandoned rice field.

There is no water in the fields, but the barriers are still there. The only water is in the aqueducts that once served the fields.

A second crane flies by, and the pair flies off together.

Small white flowers now grow in the rice fields.

approx 13:00 – Shenzhen, China

At the train station, we were “attacked” by a poor Chinese family wanting to help with our bags. There was a mother with a young child attached to her, while a young brother and sister remained persistent in asking to help.

On the way to lunch, I noticed a large 8″-10 rat laying dead in the street.

A little further up the road, I noticed a neighborhood of homes that were nearly leveled to the ground.

The restaurant in the hotel had large plate-glass windows that looked out over the impoverished neighbor that we had just walked by minutes earlier.

Shenzhen, China to Guangzhou, China

approx 14:00 – Starting out to the Shenzhen Airport then on to Guangzhou

Shenzhen seems to be surrounded by mountains on all sides.

The highway we were driving over was just recently opened.

As I looks about, there is construction EVERY WHERE!!

There is a large contrast between what has been done, and what needs to be done.

The On/Off ramps to the Highways are NON-EXISTENT! In some cases, one could travel on the roads that were a combination of dirt and asphalt. Many places on the “paved” highway had spot that were just being redone.

One would be driving along, and then would have to change lanes because they were redoing a road joint.

In the States, the section would have simply be closed off for the repair time. Here, they simply place two traffic cones. If the workers were working on/in the median, there would also be just two cones. No warning!!

Just there!!

There were other points on intermittent highways where one would not see lane lines or traffic lights. Just CHAOS. Cars, bikes, motor cycles, trucks seemed to do what ever they could get away with, and some how, they did without ANY accidents!!

If there were “formal” On/Off ramps, the driver still had to deal with dirt, bumps and lumps in the road as well as bricks, rocks, etc.

Once on the Main Highway, the roads were rather nice. The driver, Mr. Fong, on several occasions hit 90+ mph, even though the speed limited was 100 kph, but then again, two things: 1) Out of the blue traffic cones; 2) Humans on the road working.

It was very odd to be traveling along, and then see someone on the side of the road, sweeping the shoulder with a long reed broom.

There was a constant battle with what was on the highway. I saw men working in the middle of NO WHERE. Bikes, motor cycles, trucks, taxis’, cars, etc.

On numerous occasions, I saw vehicles broken down! It did not seem to matter where or what!

The only cars that really seemed to move on a regular basis were the BMWs, Mercedes, Lexus’, high-end Honda’s or Toyota’s.

There were many Toll Booths were under construction.

When traffic had to converge, it seemed to be that who ever had the biggest or most expensive vehicle got in first.

As we finally got into Guangzhou, the traffic was far more local, but there was an increased injection of bikes (2 & 3 wheel types), people walking, cars, trucks, etc.

I saw both cars and motor cycles pass into the opposite traffic lane with no fear to pass slower vehicles.

At one point, we saw that someone had been “pulled-over” for something, and I could only wonder why. I had seen SO MANY traffic violations that it seemed absurd.

At one point, Dad thought he saw a group of people standing around a dead man along the side of the road.

approx 17:00 – Arrived at The White Swan Hotel on the Pearl River, Guangzhou, China

We got here approx. 17:00 (11/8)…

Brian, Dad and I sat in the hotel lounge while we waited for Elaine, Lynna and Robert.

They finally showed up some time around 18:30. The three of us were really beginning to worry, As it turned out, the “new” driver at “we” picked up @ the Shenzhen airport, did not know where he was going in Guangzhou.

Also, there was a crew flying in that got hung up in Chinese Customs because of some of the signs that they were bringing in.

approx 21:00 – Dinner

At dinner, which was help in the France room of a nice restaurant around two very large round tables.

We has several dishes that were quite interesting.

We had snake, which does really taste like dark meat chicken, and the comment was made that snake was “Chinese ribs”.

There was a baby duck. When the bowl was first placed on the lazy Susan, and spun by me, the head was sticking out of the broth looking at me!

Rabbit was also served, but I decided because I am not a big fan.

At one point, Oli, saw that I was using the hot sauce, and he tried to warn me about how hot they were, but I said that it was mild, so he and several other gentleman ordered some small green peppers which were offered to me as a shot.

I took one chew on it as they requested, I went for my beer, and they insisted that I not drink, so I forcefully put down my beer in a gesture to show that I did not need it.

We drank beer, brandy and gallons of tea!!

– Andrew
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Categories
Hong Kong Personal Travel

First day in Hong Kong

Note – All images are scanned from slide film.

View from the Hotel Balcony

This was my first real viewof Hong Kong

Assignment: Get my Visa into China

Walking around Hong Kong

  • Interesting Building 01
  • Interesting Building 02
  • Between Buildings
  • Close-Up on the Bank of China

Cable Car to the top of Mt. Victoria

We took a very steep cable car ride to the top of Mt. Victoria, where we walked around the top. At one point, you can see the other side of Hong Kong.

We then took a taxi from the top, all the way down, and into Kowloon, where dad was getting new glasses.

Walking around Kowloon

I had a “Fast Food” Chinese meal!

Dad and I walked along the water front.

  • Looking back at Hong Kong
  • Side of a Museum
  • Museum Sign
  • Hydro Foil

Took the Star Ferry back to Hong Kong

Sat on the porch and watched the life before me

  • The Museum from Hong Kong
  • Construction 01
  • Construction 02

On the way to dinner, I saw forests of apartment buildings!!

Dinner on the Floating Restaurants

Sitting in the Emperor’s chair

While waiting for our table, a Chinese man tired his English on me, and only managed to say to me: “I’m a SEX MACHINE!

– Andrew
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Categories
Hong Kong Japan Personal Travel

Last Day in Japan

LAST DAY IN JAPAN

Asahi Evening News (English Newspaper)

Macs in their TV commercial

09:30 Pick-up & Over to the Akasu’s

Pictures of the family

Mrs. Akasu’s family scroll

  • She has an Imperial background which is over 1000 yrs. old
  • The original scroll is in a museum

Mrs. Akasu offered to me a bowl and (2) cups made by her great grand father over 150 yrs. ago

Soba lunch with the whole family

We looked at the pictures of my trip

Mr. Akasu & Yuri accompanied/drove me to the Bus terminal

“Normal” traffic for a Sunday

Under the Overpasses, they have set-up areas where people can play baseball, basketball, etc.

At the Airport

The Concierge lounge was as packed as the main terminal

Mailed my Post Cards via a gate person/women

17:55 – UA Flt#801 – Tokyo/Narita->Hong Kong (11H)

On the plane to Hong Kong

Walter ???, sat in the chair to the left of me. (See Bus. card)

Hong Kong the First Night

Stuffed into Buses

Customs

Dad and Brian meet me at the airport

Staying in the Grand Hyatt

Nightcap

The waitress was Filipino and I got her to try and teach me some words

  • Shea Shea – Thank you (Mandarin)
  • Doo Chea – Thank you (Cantonese)
  • Salamack – Thank you (Filipino)

– Andrew
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Categories
Japan Photo Essay Photo Journal Photography Travel

Kamakura, Japan

Note – All images are scanned from slide film.

Temple/Shrine Island

This was a fascinating island.

After walking through a small little town with many open air markets, we proceeded to the top of the island.

Once at the top, you are greeted by a White Dragon protecting a coin pond. We briefly stop to make an offering, and then continue down the walk way.

As you walk, you see many more Shrines and Temples…

  • Watering Stand w/Cat
  • Bronze Dragon Shrine
  • Prayer Wall

Ocean Side of the Island

Map (General) & Map (Detail)

Once you get to the back side of the island, which faces the ocean, there is a wood walk (green) way that is built into the cliffs.

In two separate areas, there are tunnels (yellow) that go into the cliffs.

  • Walk way into Cliffs 01
  • Looking out from a tunnel
  • Split in the tunnels

At the end of the tunnels, there are mysteries to be found!!

Train back was during late “Rush Hour”

Dinner at Akasu’s

During Dinner an Earthquake of a magnitude 3.0 hit

When I first felt the quake, I thought that it was a large truck, but as the Akasu family looked around, and a door swung open, I began to know there was something more to this.

The Akasu family informed me that I had just witnessed an earthquake!!

After some time, the local TV stations began to report the tremors.

– Andrew
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Categories
Japan Personal Photo Essay Photo Journal Photography Travel

Culture Day – Japan

Note – All images are scanned from slide film.

Culture Day (Japan)

This morning I woke up around 04:00 A, and I have been puttering about the room. Getting the presents together to
take over later.

07:00 Breakfast

09:00 Meet Mr. Akasu in the lobby

Back to his home for the first time

  • We exchanged gifts
  • We watched the Waterloo Gardens tape

First experience on the Japanese train system

See the young men walking around in full decorative dress with wooden shoes that sounded like horses on
a cobble stone road.

Bus tour took us by…

  • Emperors place
    • Walked around the Emperor’s Place…
      • 500 yrs to build
      • 2013 Dwarf Pine trees in the Main Compound
      • Over 3 miles in circumference around the compound
    • Monuments
      • Samurai Warrior
    • The small stones around the gates where used to detect when someone approaching
      • Guard Gate 01
      • Guard Gate 02
  • The Diet (Japanese Government Building)
  • Russian Embassy
  • Tokyo Tower
    • Tower 1
    • Tower 2

Dinner at the Akasu’s

Agadashi and Delivered Sushi!!