A video of Jaipur's kite festival

Because a picture is not always enough to explain a phenomenon, here is a video of the kite festival un Jaipur.

Varanasi's rituals

Since I didn't know my plans would change, thanks to the unexpected troubles with the train schedules, I took all my time to explore Varanasi. It was my first of two days in the city. Unfortunately, I would soon discover that this exploration would be all I would see from Varanasi.

Good news, though, are that instead of visiting seconday places, I ended up on the ghats, near the Gange river. Just by getting lost, I found the most important of them all, where more than 300 burnings (of bodies) are organized every day. You can see piles of wood everywhere in that area.

Again, being white garantees some hassling. A french speaking Indian told me he would not ask for any money but that he would tell me the story of the place. We can see people bathing in the sacred Gange while others are getting onboard boats from which they will throw their loved ones ashes in the middle of the river. 

The most interesting part is the cremation itself. Lots of smoke. Lungs filled with it for sure.

The unforseen

Mount Fuji

It's well known, when you travel, the unforseen events are plentiful. Bad news are they are usally a sign a problem is coming. One needs to reorganize everything, go back to the drawing table, change plans that were already in their 8.0 version.

Good news are some unforseen events are interesting enough...

I was very clear with myself. Wouldn't bouge. I wasn't going back on that. After establishing my itinerary in Japan, I decided to make it a short stay. Needed to cut somewhere. What needs to be done needs to be done. Taking my responsabilities, I cut my stay short of two or three days, pushing to later the moment where I would need to change the itinerary.

That explains the hard choice not to visit mount Fuji. That mountain might be one of the symbols of Japan, but it doesn't look easy to get there by train. With the bus, it looks easier. Would still have to find out if my JR pass covers the trip. One day, is it enough? Too complicated. Not enough time. No mount Fuji...

But...

When I got in Tokyo, I knew I would be spending two days with Hisai, a Japanese girl I met in New Zealand.  She wanted to show me Tokyo. I didn't know about her plans.

Day 1 :
- Have you seen mount Fuji?
- No. Too complicated...
- Do you want to see mount Fuji?
- Yes but it is complicated...
- I have my car. We can go tomorrow...
- Ok than!

So, by a sunny day, without clouds or almost, Mister have seen mount Fuji under all its angles. Karma was rewarding me for surviving a storm in Tangariro, New Zealand, by letting me see the Cherry Blossom Festival too, with thousands of colourful flowers. Take that, karma!

Those two days allowed me to check so many things on my japanese check-list : okonomiyaki, pachinko, mount Fuji, yakisoba, onsen, Shibuya, etc. Who do you think hate octopus and chicken hearts? Shark eggs? See urchins? And sushis for breakfast?

Here I am, a little sad to leave Japan, a country that is so welcoming. I tried to make the most of every minute, waking up at 6:45 on the last day to wash my clothes. Laundry couldn't wait anymore... Just before I left for the airport.

Met great people again. Hard goodbyes again. Still want to live on the road for a while.

All the same

Kyoto

Does Japan make me zen? Looks like I took a break from writing in the last few days.

I would blame the Golden Week, which made me spend a lot of time in transportation.

Like I planned, since there is no available room in Kyoto or Nara (40 minutes away from Kyoto), I needed to go back to Osaka to sleep.

In the end, it was a good thing. Only 15 minutes away with the shinkansen (fast train). The hostel was average, but since there was almost nobody sleeping there, it was fine. The woman working there spent each and every day in a small room with her dog. We would never see her. And all the beds were in the only room on the second floor, with minimal lighting. Nothing fancy. But very good to meet people.

It was even easier to get in Kyoto in the morning, with the fast train, than trying to use the transportation in the city itself.

I spent one day in Nara, known for its huge wooden temple... and its deers. Like everywhere else, the sky was on the verge of tearing itself apart. But only a few drops fell. Japan is almost as bipolar as New Zealand...

That said, Nara, Kyoto, Osaka... one ends up visiting so many temples. And they are all looking similar. Unless you really know the story behind each one. The problem is, Kyoto is THE temple city.

How many, Mam? 1600 buddhist temples. And yes, Sir, you're right when you're adding 400 shinto sites. 17 are listed as Unesco world heritage. And I, who is there, I'm thinking that 10 or 12 temples are enough for me. Enough! Especially when you pay 500 JPY each time to visit.

In most cases, you can't even geet IN the temple. The Golden Pavillon, one of Kyoto's symbols, is supposed to house relics from Buddha. But you can only see it from a distance, stuck in between hundreds of Japanese who are trying to take some pictures. Eight minutes later, your 500 JPY are gone.

Sushis

Japan is the perfect place to eat sushis. Fresh ones. With a conveyor on which the sushis are going around. In the end, you pay for the number of plates you have taken. There is a line at the door to eat in those restaurants. It's not too expensive and it's worth it. Better than eating at home.

Seduction

My theory about white men in Asia is confirming itself. One doesn't need to be good looking to seduce a Japanese girl. That's what a woman confirmed : they all want an eurasian baby, half-white, half-asian. That woman was sorry she married a japanese guy because their children will be totally asian. But be careful. I was told the north-american techniques to seduce are perceived as agressive here.

Anecdotes

Funny anecdote. In the bathroom of my hostel in Osaka, there was a big "Toilet.cam" poster, a poster you can buy on Amazon for example. It shows a lot of things that can happen in a bathroom... Strangely, when I saw it, I had the reflex of looking around to make sure there was no camera in that bathroom...

Still in the anecdotes area, I tried to recharge my new razor, the one that saved my life in Hong Kong, but it looks like the adaptor I bought there isn't working here in Japan. For now, I have two electric razors I can't use. As soon as I get in Tokyo, I'll try to find a new cable which will work for both. Let's see if I can. Japan is the place where all technologies are after all.


Soon the be three months

Times goes by very fast. Soon, half of my trip will be behind me. Still so much to see. But already a lot has gone by. I'm heading to Nagano tomorrow morning (May 7th in Japan). Indeniable sign of time, I'm now ready to use my South-East Asia guidebook. The one as thick as a dictionnary that makes my bag heavy from the start.

Adventures in Himeji

Hiroshima

The sky got grey. And it seems like it chose to rain everywhere I'm going. But I'll have to live with it.

Should have trusted my instinct, when I got in Hiroshima under the sun, and should have gone directly to Miyajima, where is the famous Floating Tori. From there, I wanted to climb a mountain, the Misen, to appreciate the view.

But I decided to push it back to the next day. One afternoon would be too short... But the next day, it was raining. I waited under a small roof, in front of the Floating Tori (covered for renovations), but it wouldn't stop. So I traveled back to Hiroshima.

One day later, I left for Himeji. The only directions I had to get to my hostel : from the train station, walk for 20 minutes.

So I took a taxi, hoping not to get lost. It was 9 PM. But the driver didn't know where was my hostel.

He decided to stop randomly in the middle of an alley. Rang one house door bell. The people living there got out and gave him directions. But it didn't look like he understood. So one woman got in the car with us and helped us get to the destination.

There, it wasn't really a hostel, but more of a guesthouse. A real japanese house, a 100 years old, where you sleep on the floor in the most traditionnal way. It looks like they are Japenese welcoming people in their house.

You know you're not in a commercial hostel when the owner hugs you before you go, and when he waits on the sidewalk, waving at you while you walk away.

Other than that, Himeji has nothing very special. Especially (that is my luck) since its castle, the real attraction there, is closed for renovations until 2015. Scaffolds again. Not allowed to walk in.

After, I got in Kyoto, where it should rain for two days. And like everywhere else, I was told I should visit the aquarium. They are obsessed with aquariums in here. 

Getting in Japon

Like in New Zealand, you need to have bought a ticket to get out of Japan to be allowed in. Having had trouble at the beggining of this trip, I had everything with me. But nobody asked for it.

Vietnam visa

A visa is necessary to get in Vietnam and you need to obtain it before arriving in the airport. So I used the website myvietnamvisa.com. Very efficient, for a small fee, you get a letter which confirms the visa was granted. You then need to exchange that letter against the visa itself once you get in the airport. Crossing my fingers for everything to work well.

Amazing contrast

Osaka

The contrast is amazing between China and Japan. Interesting to see that two asian countries, so close to each other, are that different.

Even if I spent only two days in the rising sun country and I've seen only the ordinary town of Osaka, I can tell I like that country.

First, no smog. No-thing. For now, at least. Two days full of sun with blue sky all the time. No clouds (or rain or smoke).

The streets are clean, clean, clean. No spit anywhere. Noise? Not close to the noise in China. Funny looks at my white guy head? None? Surprised looks when I mime something? None. Japanese try to understand.

For a third consecutive day, strangers ran to help me. I take a picture of myself? Someone run to take the picture for me. I have a big question mark above my head in front of the not-easy-to-understand metro system? I get help to buy the ticket and someone helps me to get to the appropriate platform. Super!

In the innovation category : the three-in-one faucet in the bathrooms. They give soap, water and dry the hands. Also in the bathroom, they thought of putting a seat for a baby in front of the toilet to allow parents to free their hands. I also like the vending machines with which you order in the restaurants... if you can understand what is written on the buttons. You choose, you pay, you get a ticket and the waitress arrives with the meal.

The only problem came from transportation. It is efficient, no doubt about that. But for the foreigner, it is kind of complicated to understand. Because there is the JR, the metro and another train company in the same town. Once you understand how the map works, you need to catch how you're supposed to pay, it gets easy to understand where you go and how much it costs. After, you choose the amount on the machine, no matter what the destination is, and there you go.

No congratulations for the overpacked stuff though. Buying a bottle of water and putting it in a plastic bag? We'll need to tell them.

In the end, the recycling bins are everywhere. Especially next to the vending machines. For the trash can, on the other hand, you need to search a lot. Maybe it helps people to recycle, but if you're a tourist with the first signs of a cold... it's not very nice.

Tip

I don't think I wrote about that earlier. When you leave Canada, it is possible (and recommanded) to register online on the canadian governement website. That way, if there is any security issue while you're gone, it'll be easier to find you and to get in touch with you.

A great wall of language

Hangzhou

China is without a doubt the most tiring country I visited yet. Because you need a lot of energy, especially when you travel alone, to make your way around a country where you can't be understood. Or almost.

One needs to try to understand, on top of all the usual stuff you encounter in a new city : avoid getting lost, how does the metro works, watch the wallet, find a supermarket...

I had a similar experience in Europe, in Poland for example. But at least, there, the alphabet was the same. Or almost. I could read stuff on the street signs or on a map.

By chance, Hong Kong and Shanghai have bilingual signs : cantonese (or mandarin) and english. But it's not as easy when you get out of the big cities...

That's when tips come handy. First tip : always have a business card of the hostel or hotel you're staying in. The address is often written in chinese on it and it helps being understood everywhere. Lost? A taxi will bring you back where you belong.

Tip number 2 : Bring a guidebook (like Lonely Planet) that offers a translation of all the proper names. Lost? You can show the symbols in the book and people understand immediately... At least, it's to wish for...

I experimented that in Hangzhou today. There, english, and even french, can be read on signs in temples and parks. But to take the bus or order in the restaurant, nothing you can do. My book could at least help me when I boarded the wrong bus... and to find one by trying and making mistakes...

I can also confirm it is very important to listen to that little voice inside of yourself that says you need to go back. I paid to get in the park that leads to the Lingyin Temple. But oh surprise, you need to pay again to get in the temple of the same name. The ticket I got only allowed me to see other attractions. The problem is I was running out of time. I paid for everything, but I definitely haven't seen everything. The little voice in me was telling me to go back to the bus, just in case. Because I had a train to catch.

The decision was a good one. Took me one hour to get to the train station. Squeezed like sardines in a public bus, the Chinese won't hesitate to walk on each other and to push each other to grab every free room. After one hour, I was starting to feel bad in there, especially because of the heat. It was time for me to get out and to breath fresh air.

Scam

There we go. I confirm you need to distrust the young chinese couples in very touristic places. They target white people, ask them to take a picture for them, engage in a conversation and end up inviting them to share a tea ceremony. A very expensive one. If you say no, they will insist. Three times yet I got invited. Always the same process. Lying is very not nice, but I use the excuse of "Oh! The tea? Been there yesterday..." Like that, they are reassured and think my money was already stolen. And they leave me alone.

Octopus card

Little tip about Hong Kong.  You can find the Octopus card, very useful, that is the exact copy of a project we had in Sherbrooke a couple of years back. It's a "paypass" type card you can recharge as you wish to pay for public transportation, restaurants and grocery stores.

In the metro, for example, the cost of every trip is lower with the card. Cheaper than buying tickets one by one. Only problem is since you never put the hand in your pocket to pay, you lose track of how much you spend. Money goes away very fast.

You can buy that card in the airport and you will get a complet refund (except for some fees) when you leave.

Surviving Macao

Macao

Surviving Macao. In the sense of living after being in Macao. And in the sense of staying alive in Macao itself...

Not that it's a dangerous place. Especially since that part of China feels more like Europe or Las Vegas than Asia... in its more commercial way. With 28 degrees, 60 % humidity (weather forecast expert friends, what temperature does it make us feel?), with a very warm jean, a heatstroke can come fast.

Luckily, I survived (a little bit in spite of me) while going up a hill managing the few millilirtes of water I had left.

The worst part, let's say it like that, was to get lost in those neverending streets while darkness and smog were falling, in a city where each skyscrapper looks exactly like the other skyscrappers. Visual references don't exist. You forget the roman way to build streets, with parallel and perpendicular streets. Forget logic. Forget the street signs too, because they might send you in the wrong direction...

Simply put, you walk towards east, you take right... but you find yourself being completely up north. Where everything is grey. No tourists. Like a movie which takes place in the future where it's always grey. How come? Don't know. Will never know I think. But I didn't panic. Didn't take the risk of bording public transportation. I walked all the way across the peninsula, heading south. Got there way before the ferry going back to Hong Kong.

Visa

That said, I'm very happy to announce I got my visa for China. I'm under the impression it is easier than it looks to get it. Because they receive so many requests. It seems like they accept almost all of them. There goes a saga that wasn't one.

I'm taking a plane for Shanghai this Thursday and I'm thinking of spending around 20 days in the country. I already have my ticket for Japan. I will need to stop and plan a little bit because the countries ahead ask for visas...

The Chinese visa saga

Victoria Peak, Hong Kong

Will get the visa? Won't get the visa? We'll see!

I thought it would be more simple to get the chinese visa in Hong Kong... Faster maybe, but simpler, I'm not sure.

I flew from Sydney to Taipei, then to Hong Kong. Long enough to lose the notion of time. I got in Hong Kong in the morning with the intention of getting my visa during the day.

After some verifications, the office which receive the resquests is close to the hostel. You can walk there (and be hot because of the humidity) in 25 minutes.

Note : the office is open between 2 and 5 PM. Closed on the week-ends (I didn't think of that and we're friday). Closed on April 4th because of a holiday. It doesn't leave me a lot of time since my flight for Shanghai (if I get the visa) leaves on April 5th... The three working days they need to process the visa are starting to scare me a little bit.

Note : we are in Hong Kong. Finding an address is not always easy. But I got there around 3 PM.

I start filling the forms, but oh, misfortune, I don't have the address of the hostel I booked in Shanghai. And I haven't booked anything in the other cities. But I must declare everything.

Got back to my hostel really fast. Booked hostels. Printed proofs. Back very fast to the office, getting lost on the way... Not being sure what I should have answered to some questions. But... those forms are now in the hands of the chinese authorities. Gave them away at 5 PM on the dot. They didn't ask for any photocopy. *sigh*

I'm now without my passport. I will get it on Monday, hopefully with a visa, because I asked for the express treatment. I'm crossing my fingers and every other parts of my body for luck.

Hell... (but not really)

That first day in Hong Kong wasn't a easy one. Because I needed to apply for the visa. But also because I need to adapt to this first country where I have a hard time making myself understood. Also because my brand new bottle of soap for my laundry exploded in my luggage on the way to Asia. But also because my razor broke down... while I was starting to shave my hair. Doesn't work anymore... Needed to search for a new one I could buy.

That also mean my new "permanent" and "irreversible" look was inevitable. No more hair. And I didn't get to visit anything on that first day.

Paradise... (but not really)

Karma came back for that second day. I went for touristic places to get use to the area. From the top of Victoria Peak, where Gilly is on the picture, I got a 360 degrees view of Hong Kong.

After a while, you become used to the crowd. You start finding your way. You find out how transportation works. And fears go away until you need them again.

For the second time in three years, I walked randomly on THE place in town where a giant pillow fight happened to celebrate the International pillow fight day. I saw the same thing in Krakow in 2009.

Tidbits

When, in the restaurant, the waitress ends up bringing you a fork and a spoon, that probably means you don't look like you can handle the chopsticks...

Saturday was the event "One hour for the Earth". So instead of seeing the light show they usually have on the skyscrappers at night, around 8:30, I saw Hong Kong getting darker. The only thing I didn't get was why they had a show with microphones and speakers to celebrate it... You know, when you tell people to use less energy... do the same with your show.

Temperature wise, under the neverending grey sky, it's around 22 to 28 degrees for now. That's hot.

For the language, I'm ok, even if I'm starting to feel a wall in front of me. Hong Kong is bilingual and almost everything can be read both in english and in cantonese.

Note to myself : stop ordering chicken. When they give you the meat with the bones and the only things you got are chopsticks, you need to work hard to be able to eat...