Subscribe to this blog31 July 2008
The underground Afghanistan border at Termiz
Any Uzbek would state in surprise "There is nothing to see in Termiz", when you name this city as one of your travel stops. Well, the Chinese say the same about the city of Turpan, which is definitely one of the places I liked most in China. Experience therefore tells me to go and visit a place as soon as the locals tell you "there's nothing to see". And Termiz definitely is worth the journey if you are a fan of archaeological sites and historical ruins. 
Located in a very strategic location, the initial settlement of Termiz is believed to have started about 500 BC. But the actual foundation of the city is usually considered to have taken place under Alexander the Great. Therefore, some historians identify Termiz as a possible site of one of the Alexandrias. The sites we visited were Fayaz Tepa (ancient settlement), ancient Termiz city, the Zurmala Stupa (buddhist monument), Kyrk Kyz (fort), Sultan Saodat (medresa), the Kokildara (medresa) and the downtown Alexander Nevsky Russian Orthodox church. The archeological museum downtown Termiz is - according to the Lonely Planet guidebook - worth alone the visit to Termiz. We were impressed, but as we do not like too much museums, Rustam and I left the place after an hour or so. To sum up, there is a lot to see in Termiz.
During the war in Afghanistan, the Soviet troops were based in Termiz. Nowadays, the German and Dutch forces who are operating in Afghanistan use the city's airbase. Most of the people in Termiz therefore are used to soldiers who spend their money during week-ends in bars and night clubs. We checked out two notable locations: The outdoor club on the rooftop of the "Meridian" hotel. The other one was the "Flamingo", located downtown. The latter one had a sound level which was beyond legal limits in Europe and our ears were still ringing next day. Especially annoying was their DJ - a woman who would love to do a high pitch screech at a Jumbo Jet's volume level every two or three minutes. But the place definitely belongs to the locals and I only got in because of my Uzbek travel companions.
Next to Termiz - on the other side of the Amu Darza river - lies Afghanistan. Until a couple of years ago, there was a tunnel crossing the border below the river. Starting in the old town of Termiz. Unfortunately it collapsed and what remains serves now as prayer location for Muslim women. Given the world's geopolitics, we also wondered how this tunnel would operate in todays conditions. Since nearby Afghanistan serves as a major hub for drugs, Uzbek police checks within Termiz and from/to the city are thorough. In fact, on the road to Termiz I was asked - for the first time - to present all my registration forms proving where I stayed overnight. Although all tourists are used to get these forms upon check-out at the hotel, it is very unusual that any policemen actually ask for them.Labels: Uzbekistan
posted by Reto at
08:10
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26 July 2008
The Qarshi Nexia
There are some roads less travelled in Uzbekistan. One of them took us to Qarshi, which is a small town, about 200km south of Bukhara. Usually tourists do not stop here as this city mostly serves as a southern transport hub connecting half a dozen cities. We went there by "Nexia" which is the casual term for "Shared Taxi" in Uzbekistan. The name is derived from the most common car for this kind of transport, the Daewoo Nexia. Sharing a taxi implies that you have to wait until the car is full (four persons, plus the driver). We bargained hard and therefore arrived late and tired in Qarshi. We decided to stay overnight and explore what was on hand.
The hotel was a true run-down Uzbek guest house without running water in the bathroom and the dubious mix of guests who stay for an hour or so. Nevertheless, the price was attractive as the girls who stayed there and we decided to drink enough Vodka for dinner to be able to sleep. Another noticeable feature in this hotel was the shared air-conditioning with the neighboring room. This was achieved by having a hole in the separation wall for placing the cooling device. Half of it would cool our room, the other half was for the room next to ours. We didn't try what would happen, if we would unplug the mains (which were located in our room). But the hole in the wall provided entertainment with enough sound clarity that we did not need to switch on our television set (which probably did not function anyway).
However, discovering the city was quite fun. Some of the sites are the central downtown area where the locals walk along a park with a dozen of fountains during sunset. Another hangout seems to be the amusement park, located next to the bazaar. There are some historic buildings, most of them Medressas, such as the Khoja Abdul Aziz Madrassah and the Rabiya Madrassah. As any other town of significance, Qarshi has also a World War II memorial and a crying mother monument. As it was Monday during our stay, we cannot comment on night clubs as they are all closed on that day. Nevertheless, there is a very good restaurant (serving very good Vodka): the "Appelsin" (Orange). Actually, this place made our stay worthwhile and we definitely recommend it to anyone "stranded" in Qarshi.
Uzbeks call cotton the "white gold" as this produce contributes significantly to their economy. Another "goldmine" is the natural gas production, which can be witnessed along many roads in the south. Needless to say that many cars and buses run on this kind of fuel, which is extremely cheap. Most buses therefore have gas tanks strapped to their roof. And cars - who seem to have been converted to this fuel - have their gas tanks mostly in the boot. There is no problem in finding service stations providing this pressurized gas, but seeing drivers unloading luggage from the boot before being able to fuel their car is a most unusual sight. Anyhow, we survived the hotel in Qarshi surprisingly well and were quickly back on the road through southern Uzbekistan. Again, we spent a lot of time bargaining for the next leg of our trip - but since this city is a major transport hub, finding a cheap transport was swift.
Labels: Uzbekistan
posted by Reto at
08:03
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17 July 2008
Uzbekistan reloaded: Smiling in a civil panic in Bukhara
The trip from Beijing to Tashkent on Uzbekistan Airways was the first flight on my journey. And it was a very comfortable trip on a brand new aircraft with a very friendly crew. Right after arrival in Tashkent, I ran through the usual administrative stuff: Getting local money and a local phone card. And a ticket for next day's high-speed train to Bukhara. Then I settled savoring Uzbek Samsa's which I bought off the street next to my hotel. And being able to buy the first sparkling water in months gave me a big feeling of comfort.Arriving back to Uzbekistan was like a coming home for me. The air was clean, fresh and breathable. The weather - although also in the 40's as in China - was dry and thus much more bearable. And the food is just perfect here. Needless to say that I am smiling a lot these days.
Since my last visit three months ago, the national phone company "Coscom"
has been sold twice and now belongs to a Turkish conglomerate. They launched the brand "U Cell", which has nice ads and beautiful colors. So I went with that company for my new mobile phone card. Call rates from mobile phone are anyway cheap - no matter which provider - at around $0.01 to $0.03 a minute within Uzbekistan. On the other hand, there are no subsidies for mobile phones. Even a two year old, big and fat Nokia phone starts at $60. This makes even a fake import phone from China a premium device.
The same evening, I called Rustam in Bukhara, whom I met back in April, to give him my arrival details. He was upset about the fact that I took the train instead of the bus. Although he insisted very strongly that the bus would be a much better travel option, I was not keen changing my travel plans, since I had already paid for the railway ticket. Trains to Bukhara stop about 15 km short of the town, in the neighboring city of Kagan. There, you'd take a taxi or Marshrutka to reach the destination. Since I knew the area, changing mode of transport would definitely not be a big deal and after hanging up the phone I was wondering why Rustam would make such a fuzz about taking the direct bus instead.Next day, my train arrived on schedule at the Kagan terminal station. The atmosphere in the coach was quite strange and I saw other passengers talking about me, hesitating whether they wanted to speak to me or not. I decided to ignore them, since many times I've been approached this way, just to learn about some "friend" who would be able to give me "special price" (read: overcharge) for lodging or transport. On the platform, the train station looked eerie. Many policemen and security guards were looking at everyone unboarding. I tried to call Rustam who - for reasons yet unknown to me - would not want to meet me at the station. But cell phone service was down - with a strange message: "Network blocked". I blamed my new SIM card and went to the station square to pick up a taxi. But there were no vehicles - only us passengers and heavy security force. Everyone seemed to walk like ants towards the road to Bukhara. Many locals were shouting and trying to use their cell phones as well - to no avail.
This was definitely unusual and I knew that somehow I was stuck in a place I really should not be right now. So I decided to follow the crowd and immersed in the ant colony. After walking for about five minutes, I spotted a couple of unmarked buses which everybody tried desperately to go on. So I did - and I managed to squeeze in a Marshrutka with my backpack. One Uzbek on board the bus started talking to me in broken English: "You know what going on?". I replied "No, what's the problem?". He then said "You go back. You not go Bukhara. Must take Taxi back to Samarkand. Now!" Definitely, there was some kind of major problem in this region and I tried to figure out what had happened. Everyone seemed to try to put me on a cab away from this place and I saw families with children and luggage walking in the opposite direction as we drove towards Bukhara.
At a police checkpoint near a major road crossing, all the Marshrutka's had to stop and all passengers were ordered to disembark. The place looked like a gigantic bazaar with hundreds of people and policemen. The guy from the Marshrutka, Ali, still following me was begging me to return back and avoid going to Bukhara. But I insisted to continue to Bukhara and told Ali that Rustam and his family were waiting for me in Bukhara. Moreover, I figured out that I had enough water to walk the remaining 10 km with my backpack - if really needed. Ali understood my determination and he gave in by showing me a way around the police checkpoint. After the checkpoint, he helped me to stop one of the very sporadic taxis and I joined as fifth passenger - clinging onto the backpack which was loosely put on the cab's roof. Finally, I made it to Lyabi-Hauz - a tourist area in Bukhara, where I would certainly find a place to stay. Only a handful of people were on the streets. But my phone worked again and I called Rustam who met me a couple of minutes later. He helped me to manage cheap accommodation. Later we settled for some tea in a Chaikana where I finally got an explanation about what was going on. There was a bomb attack about one week ago in Kagan and many families were leaving Bukhara, because rumor said that there would be a bomb attack tonight in Bukhara. It was unknown whether terrorists or the Afghan government was behind the original attack on Kagan. I was in disbelief.
Strangely enough, police drove around town in cars. But why would they let tourists visit the area while locals were leaving? So, I decided to wait for "the bomb" - while Rustam's family evacuated. His mother insisted in vain that I should leave town with them and stay at their grand-parents home, about 30 km from Bukhara. Maybe I am too naive - but then again: After having been in the middle of a civil unrest in the Congo, this definitely was not as a crisis situation here. It looked more like an orchestrated panic among uninformed locals.Although I was supposed to be waiting for the big bang, I fell asleep very quick that evening. Next morning, I had breakfast at my guest house. Nothing had happened and I decided to look up this mystery in the Internet. It turns out that on July 10th, an ammunition depot blew up in Kagan (ABC News, BBC News), killing and injuring a lot of people. There was no mention of this news when I was back in Tashkent and I guess the fact that the Uzbek government decided to keep reports about this incident away from Uzbeks in other regions just had contributed to the general panic.
As by the time of this writing, Bukhara looks very normal again with regular crowds of tourists, hawkers and locals. The real news story of the week was my first sun burn on this journey which I caught on a small trip to a neighboring lake. The Chinese sun block definitely does not work in Central Asia. But I'll keep my smile (and buy a real sun block from the store here in Uzbekistan).
Labels: Uzbekistan
posted by Reto at
08:42
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13 July 2008
Journey to the center of the earth: Beijing
Back in Beijing, I had to wait almost a week to get the Uzbek visa processed. This gave me ample time to explore all the sights that are mentioned in the backpackers bible - the Lonely Planet guidebook. After trying in vain to find more sights in the French and Japanese guidebooks, I gave up. It seems that I have seen it all here. So I went exploring the city for some of the non-touristic sights, which means - for example - wandering around the Beijing Central Business District. Being off the tourist maps, it features some of wackiest modern buildings I have seen so far in Asia. Most notably, the new CCTV Headquarters and the Soho Shang Du buildings were most a most unusual sight. Throughout the city of Beijing, there are other new and - to my taste - beautiful buildings, such as the Beijing National Stadium and the China National Grand Theatre. Contrary to the "temple overload" (which kicks in after having visited the n-th temple in a day), I did not experience any "skyscraper overload". Maybe the guidebooks should start to cater for tourists who are finding some beauty in new and modern buildings.
However, Beijing still surprises the naive traveller with some peculiar difficulties. During my last stay, the three subway stations near Tienanmen square were shut down in late afternoons for several hours. Many tourists got "stranded" a couple of blocks away from their destination and had either to walk or take a cab. This time, these stations were served throughout my stay, but upon arrival the Beijing Railway subway station was closed for several days. It is absolutely stunning that Chinese people seem not to care about major subway stations being closed for such long periods. Obviously, the cab drivers outside the railway station had a feast during that time and they were unwilling to switch on their meters. A trip to my hostel (two subway stations) was quoted 100 Yuan (15 US$) with a clear unwillingness to bargain. So I walked for about one hour to the hostel with my backpack and temperatures of over 35 degrees Centigrade.
Beijing has changed the ticket system for its subways since my last stay. Back then, it was a paper ticket which was handed out by a cashier and then checked by a platform attendant. Nowadays, the tickets can be bought at vending machines (bilingual Chinese / English). The ticket check is being done through electronic gates - much as you'd expect it from a rapid transit system in any other major city around the world. However, the Chinese seem to have their problems with this new infrastructure. They have difficulties understanding the vending machines and it takes them a lot of time to go through the buying process. Also, most of the locals seem to be completely lost once they finally have succeeded in obtaining their ticket. They do not know how to pass the gates and are constantly debating with the platform attendants to whom they want to show their electronic ticket instead. The gates would be very easy to pass, since they open upon contact of the ticket on a clearly marked touch pad. But the locals either do not put the ticket close enough on that pad or they rub it with all their force over that surface.
It is wonderful to be for once "in the know" here in China: All the tourists I've met so far do not have the slightest problem with this system. In fact, many Westerners are clearly annoyed and are moaning impatiently while waiting in the queue when locals clog up the ticket distribution points or the electronic gates. On the other hand, it is fun when I have to explain to a Chinese, how to buy the ticket and how to pass the gate. Which happened twice this week.
Beijing seriously gets ready for the 2008 Olympics when it will be the center of attention for a few weeks. The new subway ticket system is only a precursor of the changes in the next few weeks. Most of the construction sites that were still busy back in May are now gradually finishing. This is not only of interest for tourists who discover literally every day some new building or a reopening, renovated Hutong. Also, the locals seem to be excited about all the changes that are going on. At less than 30 days away from this sports event, the whole city seems to be covered in posters featuring the official mascots or the Olympic rings. It is actually very difficult to buy any souvenir without the "Beijing 2008" label and even many locals wear these shirts and caps. It would be easy to succumb to this air of enthusiasm, but I still try hard to resist. Although there have been a lot of negative reports (including from me) about how the Chinese government deals with the Olympics, I have been reconciled during this stay in Beijing. Looking at the bigger picture, this event clearly is a boost for the economy and the nation's identity as a whole. The Chinese want to be recognized as a nation that has its place in today's global economy. Yes, there are paranoid gestures and a control-freakish bureaucracy by the Chinese officials. But then again - things are bound to change for the better: One example is the support of the government by encouraging people in the service business to learn at least a basic set of English - due to the Olympics. Before that, English was mostly spoken by some young students and the average Chinese had little interest in dealing with foreigners. The government encouraging its population to be open to foreigners may be the first step towards a truly open minded society (and consequently: government).
Therefore, I will be leaving China with a mixed bag of feelings since I haven't been able to understand the country and culture to its full extent. One day I'll be back learning the next lesson about this truly great culture.
Labels: China
posted by Reto at
09:05
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07 July 2008
Off the beaten track in Changshu
Visiting my brother Rene who is - by coincidence - working on a business project in Changshu, was a very welcome deviation from my current round-the-world trip. This small city (by Chinese standards) is neither featured in the Lonely Planet nor the Guide du Routard guidebooks. There was little information about how to get there, but my hostel in Suzhou eventually figured out that there are inexpensive buses (16RMB/2.3 US$) running from the North Station to Changshu every half an hour or more. The one hour trip is beautiful, since the main road runs along dozens of small canals and rice fields.
Once arrived in Changshu, I boarded a taxi that would take me to the five star hotel, where my brother did reside during his business trip. It looked a bit odd, arriving at the shiny, fancy "Crowne Plaza" hotel in a backpacker gear with dirty hiking boots and a rucksack that clearly has seen better days. But staff was very friendly and I was able to rejoin Rene whom I hadn't seen in months. We exchanged gifts. Well - he actually gave me presents from home. I gave him the useless stuff I wanted to get rid of to make my backpack lighter. He'll carry the plunder back home when he leaves back for Switzerland.
The city itself consists of a huge hill with an even larger lake, surrounded by busy downtown areas. It is actually a very lovely place and one wonders, when the Chinese (and the Lonely Planet) decide to put this place on the tourist map. We had no problem to fill two days with plenty of activities, such as visiting temples, pagodas, Shang lake and the downtown district which is separated by an old town set alongside a small canal and the newer shopping district - which the locals call the "walking street". Surprisingly, entrance fees to these attractions are as high as anywhere else, so you have to expect to pay 30 to 50RMB for visiting any of these places. However, there are next to no tourists in Changshu and we had all the places for ourselves.
Living in a five star hotel was also a very welcome change. My brother had to pay for everything, since this lifestyle is somewhat beyond my budget. The evening buffet would cost about 450RMB (70 US$). Same goes for the breakfast buffet or any kind of drink I had. But I enjoyed every bit of this splurge, which my brother financed entirely. For the first time in months, I was having a Muesli which deserved its name, with plenty of fruit, fresh yoghurt and "crunchyness". Also, I was able to see other television channels, than the Chinese government ones. Something which seems to be possible only in this kind of luxury hotel. Having a British, American or French news broadcast definitely adds a welcomed window to the world - although I consider myself being quite up-to-date thanks to the Internet. After two days in this luxury bubble, it was time to return to my world. It is hard to say what I prefer. I definitely enjoyed the service and the pampering a lot. Really a lot. But having to elbow my way through the crowd at the bus station's ticket counter to get the bus back to Suzhou was as much as fun. Sweating the rest of the way back to the hostel through 30 degrees wasn't exactly fun - but somehow I am used to this. After a shower I met a German student who put me right back into the price segment to which I belong. We ate dinner together at a Chinese place for 15RMB (2.2 US$) each - including the drinks.
Labels: China
posted by Reto at
08:22
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03 July 2008
Suzhou and the eternal sunshine of a tourist mind
So I have been rambling a lot about China in my past posts. Not all of it is that bad and I am actually collecting a list of things I do like here and which I probably will get used to and therefore might miss when leaving China.People. Chinese people usually are very friendly and helpful. Even if they don't speak a word of English and you ask them for directions, they will try to find someone who can help - they might even use their mobile phone to call an English speaking friend who then will act as translator.
Moreover, Chinese really do smile a lot. And they definitely love to get the "Ni hao" as a reply whenever they randomly greet you by saying "Hello". It even alters some of my behavior. For example: When I bump my head somewhere (usually in a bus handrail or an entrance door) back home, I tend to be quite annoyed about the bad design - made for small people. But here in China, as people start to laugh when this happens (as if they were saying "yet another foreigner bumping his head"), it makes me smile about my clumsiness, too. I should have known better and being the center of attraction in such situations is actually pretty fun.
Trains. Although the procedure to take the train is like a major undertaking (showing up early at the station, baggage screening, waiting in the departure lounge), the ride itself is smoother than on the average train back home. And there are a lot of trains and they are on time. Therefore, traveling long distances on sleeper trains is a no-brainer, very cheap and comfortable. Food. OK, I don't really fancy Chinese food. But the quality of food is absolutely excellent. Even if you eat from a small stand on the street, you get good quality. China has so much variety in food that eating out never gets boring (as long as you're willing to try out new stuff). I will definitely also miss the spicy "Hot Pot", which became one of my favorite dish. Also there are instant drinks, such as chilled Green Tea or hot Milk Tea with Coconut pebbles which I will miss.
Toilets. You may call me crazy - but hear my out. To be honest, the ratio clean vs. dirty public toilets seems to be the same everywhere in the world. A lot of public toilets in Europe stink as well. However - and I confess - I am the guy using loads of toilet paper to cover any public toilet seat before sitting down. Obviously, I do prefer the squat type toilets which are most common in China. There is no need to cover seats and big business is done very quickly. And hey, I even got used to the fact that I can see my squat neighbor, because usually there is no toilet door.
As you might have guessed from the above small recap of positive things, I am ready to leave the country. For the past two weeks I've been trying to arrange travel to Tibet, and - although it is open for Western tourists - it is not possible to visit that place as individual. Only group tours, closely guarded, and coming at a premium price may go there. To obtain this level of knowledge, I had to roam around bigger cities, like Wuhan, Hangzhou and Nanjing, where I took every opportunity to see travel agents and inquiring hostels about the various possibilities to visit Lhasa (Tibet) as the official situation remains unclear and rules change every day. The final straw was broken by Thomas' experience: He simply booked a train to Lhasa to put the rumors to the test. Upon his arrival in Lhasa, he was greeted by the local authorities and being told that he had to leave Tibet within a short time. So I won't see Tibet this year.Right now, I am in Suszhou, a very touristic and beautiful city one hour west from Shanghai. Temperatures here reach a staggering 37 degrees C every day and it is also very humid. Needless to say that exploring this city is an achievement and everything (even traffic) slows down, compared to other cities I've been. However, Suzhou is the perfect strategic place to visit my brother who is currently 30km away in Changshu. Furthermore, I'll decide on the onward journey - now without Tibet - once I come back from there.
Labels: China
posted by Reto at
14:10
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01 July 2008
June in Review: More Pictures
By clicking on the respective album picture, you should be taken to a small selection of exclusive pictures which I have taken during the month of June while going through China's West and heading back to Central China.
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| China's West | Central China |
Labels: China
posted by Reto at
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