tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-40948410683785806102024-02-03T04:07:20.838+08:00Travelling veganViews and tales from a vegan Finn living in Asia. Travels, sports, music, veganism, environmentalism, and probably a bunch of other stuff.Jari (travelling-vegan)http://www.blogger.com/profile/03784215875655480912noreply@blogger.comBlogger63125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4094841068378580610.post-78596678543874324132020-04-12T07:48:00.001+08:002020-04-12T07:48:27.296+08:00<h2>
Tet in Vietnam</h2>
Lunar new year, aka Chinese new year, but in Vietnam it's called Tet, is the biggest celebration of the year. In the south it means yellow flowers, fruit trays, dragon dances, and impossible crowds at transport since everyone goes to their home towns. In the north it's red flowers, but we always go south as that's where my wife is from, so never mind that.<br />
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If you're a tourist thinking of visiting Vietnam, as interesting as the new year might be, I would recommend against going at that time. Mostly because it's impossible to get anywhere, and especially in the big cities, almost everything is closed. So instead I'll tell you here what you'll miss. And things you can find other times of the year when it's a much better idea to visit.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfm7hNuoTPN0BtW1zQVdejLxtGiTPwbdeUL_BnQzQlmhFbEIps69bxgwOXYzqlASIaXnpT0jUlTmdrv7tVqWnl_deHYxuuA4AfJt-N_iD5pJcAm2ZKa2P01NQffXOub7iIYjtH8qe704o/s1600/IMG_0490.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfm7hNuoTPN0BtW1zQVdejLxtGiTPwbdeUL_BnQzQlmhFbEIps69bxgwOXYzqlASIaXnpT0jUlTmdrv7tVqWnl_deHYxuuA4AfJt-N_iD5pJcAm2ZKa2P01NQffXOub7iIYjtH8qe704o/s320/IMG_0490.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div>
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One such thing would be the flower markets. And since the south is sparkled with rivers going everywhere (I'm talking about the Mekong delta here), a lot of these are on boats. The flower markets get very crowded but they're definitely worth seeing with all the colours and variety.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEil6Fj3LFBzjRAV_bExXzhP_VvZoFN0ZqJBZlc-HJvv2ciNM470bIlu_jjEr-fcNCkksXO7lnpTDyzIx5_IS9I4-zoTI8XC1yGAG7KYNVjAZA9kg4w5mKM61sOKoRCPTFp4y4wZy4fegiQ/s1600/IMG_0737.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEil6Fj3LFBzjRAV_bExXzhP_VvZoFN0ZqJBZlc-HJvv2ciNM470bIlu_jjEr-fcNCkksXO7lnpTDyzIx5_IS9I4-zoTI8XC1yGAG7KYNVjAZA9kg4w5mKM61sOKoRCPTFp4y4wZy4fegiQ/s320/IMG_0737.jpeg" width="240" /></a>In every household in the front they'll have a fruit tray, with all sorts of fruits gathered up and often drink cans behind them. There's also assorted nuts and other such snacks, and tea may be served. The first visitor of the year should be someone successful though, as it sets the luck for the rest of the year.<br />
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Another thing you'll find are flower trees, they try to make sure the bloom at the right time. There's likely some at the gate outside, and another indoors. The indoor one is decorated like a Christmas tree.<br />
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The cities tend to also have fireworks and other such things during new year. And dragon dancers go around doing their thing in front of houses. If you have family there, you'll need a lot of money in red envelopes to give away.<br />
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The breakfast in Vietnam tends to be either noodles or bread filled with all sorts of things. This stall in Long Xuyen kind of combines the two in a dish called súp bánh mì, you get both the soup and the bread. It's right at the central market in Long Xuyen, on one of the side streets. Look around of that dish name and of course "chay", which means vegetarian, and the most important word to recognise in Vietnam as most of the vegetarian eateries don't have any English labelling. So with that you should be able to find other food. Use <a href="https://www.happycow.net/" target="_blank">Happy Cow</a> to find the restaurants.<br />
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This time we went to Ben Tre, a province known for its coconuts, just south of Sai Gon (Ho Chi Minh city). Over there you can kayak along the river and see many blue birds, cycle on little roads surrounded and shaded by coconut trees, and of course buy coconut candies. They tend to be vegan (do check though, you never know!).<br />
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<br />Jari (travelling-vegan)http://www.blogger.com/profile/03784215875655480912noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4094841068378580610.post-57562037769585274542020-01-21T14:22:00.000+08:002020-01-21T14:22:17.650+08:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<h2>
Cempedak Private Island</h2>
As a surprise to my wife, we spent the weekend in the autumn on Cempedak island. It's in Indonesia, quite near to Bintan, 2.5 hours from Singapore. As a private island, <a href="https://cempedak.com/" target="_blank">the resort</a> is the only thing on the island, so you rely on them for food and everything else. This turned out to be a great thing because we could just forget about everything for a while and not be constantly <a href="https://www.happycow.net/" target="_blank">happycow</a>'ing where to eat next like we usually do on travels.<br />
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The surprise worked perfectly, even at the Indonesian customs she still had no idea where we're going, but at that stage I had to bring up the name as the customs officer was asking. Nonetheless, it was perfectly smooth -- you arrive at Bintan, go to the lounge at the port and the Cempedak people pick you up from there and drive you to the other side of the island where they have their own speedboat for the rest of the trip.<br />
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The arrival was perfect, the place in the darkness of the night had a bit of a magical feel to it. I had told them several times we're vegan since we would be relying on them, but was positively surprised when the guest relations manager upon giving us our welcome drinks was saying they know we're vegan, clearly knew what it meant, and was asking about which kind of vegan breakfast we'd like.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgutyku699eGPCryl133oXSBW-sBM1MijnPemSnlTJEfTZqcFaawDqojNRxmKbRB2EKx4RLygrYueC2ij02POPu0cvF7EIi20xF9Jy4Z5h_X-B3hPUKRGOMkOD8GGUSEYE3Ohf6eoXJL1A/s1600/310D5937-B959-469B-BC14-3168BEEB8926.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgutyku699eGPCryl133oXSBW-sBM1MijnPemSnlTJEfTZqcFaawDqojNRxmKbRB2EKx4RLygrYueC2ij02POPu0cvF7EIi20xF9Jy4Z5h_X-B3hPUKRGOMkOD8GGUSEYE3Ohf6eoXJL1A/s320/310D5937-B959-469B-BC14-3168BEEB8926.jpeg" width="320" /></a><br />
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Cempedak is surprisingly eco-friendly. The whole place is built of bamboo, they don't allow any plastic on the island, compost the waste, use water sparingly etc. All this is really nice to see in a luxury resort, and it really doesn't appear to take anything out of the luxury either. The place was much nicer than any 5 star hotel we've been to (and we've been to many!), particularly when it comes to service level.<br />
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We chose the seaview villa, which is higher on the hill than the beach villas. Since we didn't try the beach villas it's hard to compare, but the villa on the hill was wonderful, and the wind blowing through made sure we didn't miss having an aircon at any time of the day.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtZ7PSxz4lm4ybXKN8BBcrlOeQoVyn0VDzzuIpLjMOsHW9qhv-VfAcM0pUoO-AM_AU3-tQ0sxzvycPqNm6hhsGcAUEsqHKpuRofwfndO4pwO36PVe20qYZnJCITVJlQ3lklmzPNG3R1FM/s1600/204DD1FB-5C92-498E-B54F-E57C706647A8.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtZ7PSxz4lm4ybXKN8BBcrlOeQoVyn0VDzzuIpLjMOsHW9qhv-VfAcM0pUoO-AM_AU3-tQ0sxzvycPqNm6hhsGcAUEsqHKpuRofwfndO4pwO36PVe20qYZnJCITVJlQ3lklmzPNG3R1FM/s320/204DD1FB-5C92-498E-B54F-E57C706647A8.jpeg" width="320" /></a> <br />
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The villas are huge, two floors, really specious, and with a private pool for that morning swim. The water in that pool was quite chilly in the mornings though. The bed has mosquito netting, which is good, although we didn't see too many mosquitos around. Might be just luck.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPtfnlu-WJBYdr9kDRS3yXxx5h_8j6JVfyG8d88zF_p6EMdnXIjuvGGYx5V0DxWQcSTuVl4RGaI7GiRHMTzrohSBoDMPYP-2qEjOAYW1a21sQykQ8QPcNH84N7KjoBqiixZQYNat0Jaiw/s1600/5E73FFCA-022E-45D7-BFB8-F62A2CD49BD0.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPtfnlu-WJBYdr9kDRS3yXxx5h_8j6JVfyG8d88zF_p6EMdnXIjuvGGYx5V0DxWQcSTuVl4RGaI7GiRHMTzrohSBoDMPYP-2qEjOAYW1a21sQykQ8QPcNH84N7KjoBqiixZQYNat0Jaiw/s320/5E73FFCA-022E-45D7-BFB8-F62A2CD49BD0.jpeg" width="320" /></a><br />
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As for things to do, the resort has kayaks, sailboats, paddle-boards, windsurfing, etc, all free of charge. I even got a free windsurfing lesson since it wasn't busy. They do an eco-tour of the resort area in the mornings, and one extra free activity each day. You can also go snorkeling or diving nearby, or of course relax by the pool or at the villa, or go for the spa treatments. The spa is not cheap, pretty much at Singapore prices, but has a great view.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3dhPnH1hhtASjD3U2xAaKGrT_Bg8GPIpDUo-rgcqX_y9W8qEqIk9QdnQ9ZIE9DoD7WkbyCYyF0sQol09zdEXGm7e6-XV4rfY7xsl5bv1WMreTnVLVfYlAMEiQh2ZtKtpr0Vw1qtCXdR8/s1600/2B60BB3E-5E93-4FF1-A0DF-FECDF3CCD5D4.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3dhPnH1hhtASjD3U2xAaKGrT_Bg8GPIpDUo-rgcqX_y9W8qEqIk9QdnQ9ZIE9DoD7WkbyCYyF0sQol09zdEXGm7e6-XV4rfY7xsl5bv1WMreTnVLVfYlAMEiQh2ZtKtpr0Vw1qtCXdR8/s320/2B60BB3E-5E93-4FF1-A0DF-FECDF3CCD5D4.jpeg" width="240" /></a><br />
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We also brought our musical instruments along (my wife plays the guzheng and I play the dizi, Chinese bamboo flute). Magnificent environment to be playing music in. At night the sky was so full of stars we were totally amazed, never seen such a rich night sky!<br />
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The best part of the wonderful stay was still the food though, I think.
Every time at the end of a meal they would suggest and ask things they
would do for the next meal, and since they were totally attentive to
feedback, the food kept getting better and better throughout the stay!
And we never had to wonder about things being vegan as they clearly knew
what it is and how to make great vegan food, which is truly a rare
treat in a non-veg place.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeEJ63s0PHXDWdnrzAX79xSCBdJRqWI2sqCOS5fDQRloxu2tCBlbEMu5XIhBi6M4WC5VqjLjwhfAzin8BuBYV-j7DKqMdRBNOaLYb4Q5Lf1lXBh4MAy3-Kt22RlBSHphpQipoqrbdaBC4/s1600/A8416679-272B-4862-9E1B-6640284E1903.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeEJ63s0PHXDWdnrzAX79xSCBdJRqWI2sqCOS5fDQRloxu2tCBlbEMu5XIhBi6M4WC5VqjLjwhfAzin8BuBYV-j7DKqMdRBNOaLYb4Q5Lf1lXBh4MAy3-Kt22RlBSHphpQipoqrbdaBC4/s320/A8416679-272B-4862-9E1B-6640284E1903.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />Jari (travelling-vegan)http://www.blogger.com/profile/03784215875655480912noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4094841068378580610.post-25941055439762299432019-07-29T14:52:00.000+08:002019-07-29T14:52:38.080+08:00<h2>
Beach Clean-up</h2>
This weekend I participated in the beach cleanup effort by <a href="http://sevencleanseas.com/" target="_blank">Seven Clean Seas</a>. It's a young organisation, just a year old, with the aim of reducing the waste in our seas. Now it's turtle hatching season here in Singapore, and the poor turtles have trouble climbing up to the beaches with all the plastic garbage.<br />
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The turnout was great, I don't know how many people but must've been in the hundreds.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMWpR-AcuZKtziaH5GuYvekaSpdLT2CS557-RRJgR0Dk0_svGAhMiqHFLsX_Cl-XoqZ6H87QFmmFfBoDTiA7LJM7j9H5x-CT9giVoh92NB7d5k950nb0D4yvilCo1oXUZ7G0Iq4tak0F4/s1600/UNADJUSTEDNONRAW_thumb_9b4b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1024" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMWpR-AcuZKtziaH5GuYvekaSpdLT2CS557-RRJgR0Dk0_svGAhMiqHFLsX_Cl-XoqZ6H87QFmmFfBoDTiA7LJM7j9H5x-CT9giVoh92NB7d5k950nb0D4yvilCo1oXUZ7G0Iq4tak0F4/s320/UNADJUSTEDNONRAW_thumb_9b4b.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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We split to four groups and went to different beaches. It's quite shocking really how much garbage there end up at the shores of the clean Singapore. Here's a before picture of the beach where I ended up:<br />
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With so many people, the cleanup was quick, took a bit over two hours. Here's the after photo:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxUMmCzKkTHezQiLapgMtBv0QnhCPRIDwPRhVDA4Qd1Nghoiz1CMJjukXtMDLAPZiiWKr_Mwepp8LVRZhyphenhyphenAMjBofpBG5lpnjpWu0wdEDYy0S1AsNbePm-tDEoJbwe48lOsGbnIBxKddPI/s1600/UNADJUSTEDNONRAW_thumb_9b4e.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="768" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxUMmCzKkTHezQiLapgMtBv0QnhCPRIDwPRhVDA4Qd1Nghoiz1CMJjukXtMDLAPZiiWKr_Mwepp8LVRZhyphenhyphenAMjBofpBG5lpnjpWu0wdEDYy0S1AsNbePm-tDEoJbwe48lOsGbnIBxKddPI/s320/UNADJUSTEDNONRAW_thumb_9b4e.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
Overall, a lorry-load of garbage was collected, estimated to be up to 3000 kg! 😲<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcvBOxkV8VWkUNrUioj75UpVnhVmPgW5OR2exDypQvBEghfrXqePd3TYQCUXWWnMbUhu67NtjrutqdjhnLKLuA3MIPCGn9X_lOR-gVShlkVYpZzvx9XnK1YBDTV8b9xQeLqVzkbN3J5uM/s1600/UNADJUSTEDNONRAW_thumb_9b53.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="768" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcvBOxkV8VWkUNrUioj75UpVnhVmPgW5OR2exDypQvBEghfrXqePd3TYQCUXWWnMbUhu67NtjrutqdjhnLKLuA3MIPCGn9X_lOR-gVShlkVYpZzvx9XnK1YBDTV8b9xQeLqVzkbN3J5uM/s320/UNADJUSTEDNONRAW_thumb_9b53.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyxf2JvpznwgHzpsmZV8wL-YlWS_oHg9jU-oiZE76nvnCyysw8-tJmERdHoAvK9O_b6RhL5tlz1ynXLMZdNcxzQA4t-9SgUpcagH7SL9CVNq4ojkXdjKRLxjroZLBKsFhcc1hSHqmFkN0/s1600/UNADJUSTEDNONRAW_thumb_9b57.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1024" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyxf2JvpznwgHzpsmZV8wL-YlWS_oHg9jU-oiZE76nvnCyysw8-tJmERdHoAvK9O_b6RhL5tlz1ynXLMZdNcxzQA4t-9SgUpcagH7SL9CVNq4ojkXdjKRLxjroZLBKsFhcc1hSHqmFkN0/s320/UNADJUSTEDNONRAW_thumb_9b57.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Jari (travelling-vegan)http://www.blogger.com/profile/03784215875655480912noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4094841068378580610.post-25584450186755111842019-07-15T12:48:00.000+08:002019-07-15T12:48:29.617+08:00<h2>
Singapore</h2>
So let's start by what's so great about this small island nation I'm calling home nowadays.<br />
<a href="https://www.happycow.net/asia/singapore/?filters=vegan-vegetarian" target="_blank"><br /></a>
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<ol>
<li><a href="https://www.happycow.net/asia/singapore/?filters=vegan-vegetarian" target="_blank">691 all vegetarian eateries</a>, and counting! Haven't seen that amount in any other city, despite what any most-veg-friendly rankings say. I haven't done a research on the database though, if you know of places with more, feel free to comment below. It's a lot though, whether more exists or not. My favourite places, you ask? Loving Hut at Joo Chiat, and Herbivore in Fortune Centre. Speaking of Fortune Centre, more vegetarian eateries there in one shopping centre than in the whole country of Finland...<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaSdSBRs9H7qJP-YtlxDN3k0hIfdCyTwaxmGebzpaBT_aNhMHonnk-zsl-Ys7DwEMhUZ5hvGq-IkX9Rn7PuIwaQ9Hovjj6M0NHhysnOKzQ6cq-iH-NChn3lVsqF_j6bqb-0W9qPe4Tn7U/s1600/UNADJUSTEDNONRAW_thumb_8c2c.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="768" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaSdSBRs9H7qJP-YtlxDN3k0hIfdCyTwaxmGebzpaBT_aNhMHonnk-zsl-Ys7DwEMhUZ5hvGq-IkX9Rn7PuIwaQ9Hovjj6M0NHhysnOKzQ6cq-iH-NChn3lVsqF_j6bqb-0W9qPe4Tn7U/s320/UNADJUSTEDNONRAW_thumb_8c2c.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My favourite dish, the almond crumb filet, at Loving Hut</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span id="goog_356049600"></span><span id="goog_356049601"></span></li>
<li>It's green. Really, surprisingly green for a city state. Trees shading almost every road, gardens all over the place, and some tropical rainforest with wild monkeys and wild boars!<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD7l41pG8exu8eEXhLQmHV4orPvgtJT6Z32YUpBdj_ZpZV7QD7FMRMkucq4Pmi0p7nKGQVhLIzN_VYVU-fnKbqieuVOfWzFIhsCSwAZhg7bwUyG5AgCnM9obHQLdL8gDkn3KZPhNUf7OY/s1600/UNADJUSTEDNONRAW_thumb_9b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1024" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD7l41pG8exu8eEXhLQmHV4orPvgtJT6Z32YUpBdj_ZpZV7QD7FMRMkucq4Pmi0p7nKGQVhLIzN_VYVU-fnKbqieuVOfWzFIhsCSwAZhg7bwUyG5AgCnM9obHQLdL8gDkn3KZPhNUf7OY/s320/UNADJUSTEDNONRAW_thumb_9b.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lower Peirce Reservoir</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</li>
<li>Good infrastructure, like fast internet and good public transport. The MRT is highly reliable and the coverage keeps improving with new lines coming up. It can get crowded during the peak hours but not to the level of having to push people in unless there's some exceptional circumstances.</li>
<li>It's safe, everywhere in the city and any time of the day. Obviously you can't get zero crime in a city of 6 million people, but the crime rate is extremely low so one doesn't have to worry about it.</li>
<li>It's well-connected. Changi has been chosen the best airport in the world too many times to count, and overland or over the sea you can visit Malaysia or Indonesia pretty easily (although the borders can also get crowded for the weekends). So one doesn't have to feel limited by the small land area of the country itself.</li>
</ol>
Of course there's also down-sides to everything, like they aren't good at recycling, could use more press freedoms, and the political system could use more options, but on the balance of things I find this the best I've ran into thus far. :-)<br />
<ol>
</ol>
Jari (travelling-vegan)http://www.blogger.com/profile/03784215875655480912noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4094841068378580610.post-49094222093581360032019-07-15T11:08:00.000+08:002019-07-15T11:08:38.871+08:00<h2>
10 years</h2>
It appears this long forgotten blog still exists, and so do I, so let us resume... Not going to revamp on everything from the past 10 years, just starting fresh. But the "few months in each country" thing seems forgotten, I'm rather settled in Singapore and liking it. There's still travels though, not to worry. :-)Jari (travelling-vegan)http://www.blogger.com/profile/03784215875655480912noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4094841068378580610.post-46453626495482044262011-09-27T21:57:00.000+08:002011-09-27T21:59:12.008+08:002009I want to write recent stuff, but in order to maintain the chronology, need to update things a bit. So, go with 2009 first. As mentioned in the end of the previous, we got back to Beijing, and indeed stayed there the whole year. There are a few <a href="http://www.ivu.org/ivcb/gb/restaurants/beijing.html">new restaurants</a> and now the <a href="http://www.vegansocialclub.com/">vegan club</a> has reactivated, but otherwise it's much as before. Large, crowded, polluted, but friendly and with excellent food.<br />
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<br /></div>
<img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5514257667009325474" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-cXSkmSvnglLpWIfBwVhS03pCGBQLW8hCi9BiJmwnD97Zzu2lwCP205cv3gdRZ6X0N2odsZhLFqS6l568oWLcdXCkJ38gZO93agHTrktweJea6XkRTx0Cz7KK10L3iuxWg0SwOEXM2MM/s200/img_5859.jpg" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; float: right; height: 150px; margin: 0 0 10px 10px; width: 200px;" /><br />
<div>
We did have a summer holiday in the Nordic countries though. In Tampere, Finland, the only vegan restaurant I mentioned <a href="http://travelling-vegan.blogspot.com/2008/01/home-of-santa.html">earlier</a> went bankrupt, sadly. That reduced the eating out options to one vegetarian restaurant, and even that open only during lunch time on weekdays. Quality not really worth cheering about either.<br />
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In Beijing there came and went a favourite restaurant, the Loving Vegetarian, which there's probably no need to review as it is indeed gone. The Vegan Social Club continued meetings, but rather than regular meetings in restaurants, potlucks in member's houses became the norm.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjERtPOMtjGAnJclcBKN-hG89s67wXwT3YC0g2R0sNmd2-LpyPCLNKTlC4p8uR1YcamZ9faPLbu6GIOqHTwwuklicYxsIuoVLN_US-rZ_w4xcUpLJxWuf7Bxh0Wy0213WSq7NBoglIdq5g/s1600/img_6366.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjERtPOMtjGAnJclcBKN-hG89s67wXwT3YC0g2R0sNmd2-LpyPCLNKTlC4p8uR1YcamZ9faPLbu6GIOqHTwwuklicYxsIuoVLN_US-rZ_w4xcUpLJxWuf7Bxh0Wy0213WSq7NBoglIdq5g/s320/img_6366.jpg" width="320" /></a>With reduced travel funding there wasn't an awful lot of that either. But there was Isabel's first visit to Europe in the summer, visiting Finland, Sweden, and Norway. While most of the time went in Finland, probably the most special part was visiting the fjords in Norway. We went over land and sea; Stockholm is quite good for veggie people but I'll get back to that on the more recent things, and Oslo was ok also. From there we took the train to Bergen, a beautiful town by the water but not so great food-wise.<br />
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Then we went by boat over to Flåm, with gorgeous fjord scenery all around. Flåm had even less when it comes to food, but the big hotel in town would cook decent veggie food and grilling something outside was always an option. We went kayaking, saw porpoises, and had lots of fun!<br />
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Back in China in the autumn we made another trip to Sichuan, but never mind that, wanting to get on to a bit more recent things. Here's a couple more photos from 2009 though.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijbqD6SmDUy8JIXvq8haoliy5vzhdk1OcbUjwsNUXXqINJSD3IQ0JOd6O0v9SJmELSRoJEFN7rrJKV2_27omUQ-qpvXlAJRZSx2SLSEkACIJ6Omw1eDJt5ppA6rpgmgmD_7TAJExzYGHo/s1600/img_6497.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijbqD6SmDUy8JIXvq8haoliy5vzhdk1OcbUjwsNUXXqINJSD3IQ0JOd6O0v9SJmELSRoJEFN7rrJKV2_27omUQ-qpvXlAJRZSx2SLSEkACIJ6Omw1eDJt5ppA6rpgmgmD_7TAJExzYGHo/s320/img_6497.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjveUHV8saAfyZ5mAqoqZP8GZbyCrqWeBFaLB6cLWXwoVn_DkF-ejPrPEatm_aggl_lyza11EVf3x9hvquBkAHpfX90nH6HalIK1MY22XI1uh0yfugibnfXi0YJOYgw5J6LzBrT2yBRdWI/s1600/img_6417.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjveUHV8saAfyZ5mAqoqZP8GZbyCrqWeBFaLB6cLWXwoVn_DkF-ejPrPEatm_aggl_lyza11EVf3x9hvquBkAHpfX90nH6HalIK1MY22XI1uh0yfugibnfXi0YJOYgw5J6LzBrT2yBRdWI/s320/img_6417.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
Jari (travelling-vegan)http://www.blogger.com/profile/03784215875655480912noreply@blogger.com24tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4094841068378580610.post-24556084249706978422008-12-24T01:27:00.020+08:002010-08-25T19:10:29.006+08:00Vietnam, part 2: and then there's twoWell, that's almost two years without updating this blog. However, I'll continue where I left off, as I did start this blog entry more than a year ago but just never finished it. The rest of the things to be updated later.<br /><br />So even before arriving in Vietnam, I contacted a vegan girl in <a href="http://www.veggieconnection.com/">VeggieConnection</a> and asked about veg food and interpreters for doing user studies in the country side. It turned out she was an interpreter, and all-around super nice, so we ended up talking a lot on the phone during part one of this trip. Part two, then, is where I took the bus to her village to do the user studies. The girl is called Isabel, and I even stayed in their house, enjoying the wonderful vegan cooking of her mother.<div><br /></div><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNlhIMiFT01IP-uX0qGdceJxr4d-LgLmgYrstzIQUVLA1CaTwJPpvvKWem4SBBrZtj03ED1X1urGUxi1JY8JxgJnvg2nn8ttwrsq27NqVY_isersXRScDaJgIutiqaX7Z2Zf_1hHtTp-k/s200/20112008597.jpg" style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5509302866628265314" /><div>This meant a five-hour bus ride from Ho Chi Minh city to a city called Long Xuyen in the Mekong river delta. The minibus ride included a half-an-hour lunch stop in a place with no vegan food, and a ferry-crossing where one could see these funny boats with eyes painted on them. She came by motorbike to pick me up from Long Xuyen. Now I'm not crazy about motorbikes, so a girl wearing a mask arriving by motorbike isn't the greatest turn-on for me, but I hopped on and we chased the sun on to her... town, perhaps, she called it a village but I was almost inclined to call it a city due to the apparently large population. I still don't know what the population is, but at one or two main streets I guess it doesn't really constitute a city.</div><div><div><br /></div><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRmicGsMqAB1xKF39AlN16GAuBFUTsp7qhnnfUdKZ1c2kxrHMHgDEq9kaIwL2LZmZ2-kf-TcJuh2sTPypC_DQIPhj7BKzdx5ldKQWxi_duFs-dzLk6fZS9TZIDC2udjM_8tccdD-EVdbs/s200/21112008607.jpg" style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5509302127826902866" /><div>I was lucky enough to come in time for dinner, and her mother was cooking. I was asked to carry the food to the living room, fine, but after I set the plates on the table they pointed out that this wasn't the Vietnamese way. They eat from the floor. Ok, fine, when in Rome... The food was delicious though, and everything served in the house is vegan! Awesome. The mother and one elder sister are vegans also, the rest vegetarian. Unfortunately Isabel was the only one speaking any language other than Vietnamese, so my communication was limited, but the whole family, including the husbands and children of her elder sisters, all live in the house. I was given a bedroom upstairs complete with a huge balcony. Before you go thinking it was immense luxury, let me point out that there was no bed. Just a bamboo-mat on the floor. </div><div>No deep sleep then.</div><div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPetomZnuQBA8h60DXxPkg0CmkrAgxJlzoYIOdZ8V8JCQTEvoIJdoq-LfxFRLX-k1YsWErCpcjLLdnSt8l0Zx7NjhkcN0tPXkLXFy7f4cfZqH2RhyugIJpvL3MY5m1CSVIksGo0A1mBgE/s1600-h/21112008602.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPetomZnuQBA8h60DXxPkg0CmkrAgxJlzoYIOdZ8V8JCQTEvoIJdoq-LfxFRLX-k1YsWErCpcjLLdnSt8l0Zx7NjhkcN0tPXkLXFy7f4cfZqH2RhyugIJpvL3MY5m1CSVIksGo0A1mBgE/s200/21112008602.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5295593896278886754" border="0" /></a>Whatever light sleep there was got interrupted at 5 AM as a loud radio broadcast came on. At first I thought it was someone in the house, maybe using the radio as an alarm clock and accidentally turned it too high that morning, but then I noticed the noise came from the outside. It's a broadcast that's heard all over town, every morning from 5 AM to 6 AM, to get people up with the sun, apparently. This would set the pace then. Given that I wouldn't be able to sleep, I got up, and since Isabel was sleeping and I couldn't communicate with others, I decided to go for a run. On to my shorts then and off with everything else and running around the small town certainly did turn a lot of heads. I guess foreigners are a rare sight, and crazy ones even more so.</div><div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGHEuTfJB-3YL9NNsQUqhkxONYURgoL-VnH0FYqWJ1Mp1S_UvMgBrnbzJ5-QD1kHrZUSzUBSCXI6p8WkJg1gPvt0jPNJfpD8RQYKlx0RQOumOItkhGQI6JIjhsVdMguBG1_-otwjGxjnQ/s1600-h/21112008606.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGHEuTfJB-3YL9NNsQUqhkxONYURgoL-VnH0FYqWJ1Mp1S_UvMgBrnbzJ5-QD1kHrZUSzUBSCXI6p8WkJg1gPvt0jPNJfpD8RQYKlx0RQOumOItkhGQI6JIjhsVdMguBG1_-otwjGxjnQ/s200/21112008606.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5295595814332311250" border="0" /></a>After a nice run it was time for breakfast and then to work. I set out heading to what seemed more like countryside with Isabel, after we printed out the forms she had translated. After the first interview it was already lunchtime, and given how long it seemed to take to get these done, I figured we should give some gifts to the people we interview. So after lunch we bought some small stuff and started to give those to all the interviewees. Just small things like drinks and snacks, but they were well-received. To my surprise Isabel had to do most of the writing on the forms as a large proportion of the people were actually illiterate! That I hadn't expected.</div><div><br /><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPoQtveUr89T2J4I2XNaZkZlLLlap3Omrr_yJ7AOt2MWMfZ-NgU73uDHsp0bZ-Qc_kGmzc8JkBwqESts23kBLVhn58iEQ9eT8X72C9xcr-K9iDZVGESkOAhyphenhyphendHKHtWf0AheLymIrNH_eA/s200/251120082108.jpg" style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5509281669754427490" />Anyway, we picked up pace in the interviews and got quite a lot of them done in the coming days. And it was just a lot of fun spending time together too, whether it was at the interviews, meals, going around by bicycle, or hanging out on the balcony at night. Some days later I was due to go to a workshop in Hanoi, so we celebrated getting the interviews done, and somehow the whole thing started turning romantic all of a sudden. Odd.</div><div><br /><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZcemggQsaXCtJKt88GPFZ4xekeq4dRcQ3IzcpDj9N0xQYKl9i_yQUsr2cwT0ZcCuScQB7p1iu7md_xpn1yC_8W95rYyzj7hcTNrr5DhyphenhyphenkJEQwOESo8layUhOFzKDIt_r7opSLAAYk0eU/s200/251120082131.jpg" style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5509285945660407890" /><div>So we went for a hike up a small mountain called Núi Cấm near the town of Châu Đốc, close to the Cambodian border. Along the way there were lots of beautiful flowers, a small water-fall, and the above heart-shaped splash of water. Up on the mountain there is a big Buddha statue and a pagoda (Chua Phật Lớn), where we were lucky enough to arrive at dinner time and they offered us free food. All vegan of course. Unfortunately it was already getting dark and there wasn't really any way of getting back so we just stayed in a little hotel on the mountain.</div><div><br /><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPKoN_PoDx6unrpHfz2rhi5a6QZssDEAtysnxXd4ZvlTUJREisnSIBwVXucYQi6YRRKpkGM9xFIGGovk7bTNP4-wZ8LQ_YsW5rBPQcnJTozTN03DqS28RI_iTAOfQmoj-26mZD5QsiFQU/s200/02122008769.jpg" style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5509287808733891618" />Then there was a quick train trip to Hanoi and back... it takes 29 hours one way but is quite alright. You can get rice from the train but not vegan food otherwise, so bring something along to have with rice or bread that you can buy from stations the train passes by. It stops for 5 minutes or so, enough for quick purchases. After a quick and uneventful conference in Hanoi I returned south and joined up with Isabel again to go to Đà Lạt, a nice city of flowers that's considerably higher than much of Vietnam and hence has cooler temperatures. We had a lovely few days there, rented a tandem bike (that we decorated well) and went around. There are a couple of veggie restaurants in Da Lat also, but I don't have their details on me just now... message me if you need those!</div><div><br /></div><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9dd3EzGhM0smnkGIGDcJnO88rDNDypHo5ckTS5jvR7i71eLwplqbDEt7W2igY8x3HeHOtVsfjWC1etXnD4ZeDU9TM0l7M7dlws48dxQZkeP4EoRPnHEUzzHsb-qKUXbu4KxOmi_v7u4k/s200/img9828.jpg" style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 141px; height: 200px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5509291178361570002" /><div>After Da Lat it was time for Isabel's graduation from the university. And for that I needed something formal to wear. We went around looking for a sizable suit to rent in Ho Chi Minh city, and eventually found one at a wedding photography shop. Isabel wanted to try on a beautiful wedding dress she saw, the shop staff thought we were getting married, and on an impulse we decided to take wedding photos! That proved to be heaps of fun, not only at the moment but also later when sharing the photos with friends and relatives, some of whom really thought we got married, and also going through the photos just between us. That always put us to a good mood.</div><div><br /></div><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaJMYIsf4CMqcS0LT2pFvQg_bKcWDQnoRg6mkBTNO88m4zPMcmtS8iAr7TUqlM-AI99Fk6TJN9JUu_i4-4H3tah6VW6bqJFE5LWdYiEr3tT2SqEzv7Jo1sVO8GVM11DLuWxr1mMR5-o_A/s200/20122008989.jpg" style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5509295766228769682" /><div>The graduation itself was a simple party with shows that seemed like primary school performances to me. Either way, I had been called by my boss to get back to China, and with that looming we went to a beach for a couple of days. One of the easiest to reach beaches from Sai Gon is an island called Vung Tau. There's a fast ferry service that takes you there in about an hour, and the town of Vung Tau does have a veggie restaurant so don't worry too much about food. The beaches are passable only though, yet, with Isabel that was lots of fun.</div><div><br /></div></div></div><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho5zKJeSpQ4bFIgMhx2iM6r4Ou9lFoO4QhLPdJrRP6Cj5pF-lfVPuCaqp42vrM2Wgc0eTd7W26WqCARBflCt_6mCAdfRmcUoB9PPFdg3k0dIMBS05YovgQoU5XSFRENydDdXSSMOHNjxQ/s200/14122008102.jpg" style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5509298075006797618" /><div>Almost forgot to mention, also during the stay Isabel's sister had a baby. And funnily enough my sister in Finland had a baby a few days later. We did visit the hospital. Christmas in Sai Gon seems to involve getting on motorbikes and sitting in a traffic jam for a few hours, then returning home. Supposedly they're going to see the Christmas lights in District 1, but no-one seemed to be getting anywhere. Nothing else going on really. One of Isabel's friends helped me convince her to come to China with me, so we got on a train north together. Alarmingly she was feeling cold as early as Hanoi, but we pressed on nonetheless.</div><div><br /></div><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9zjuZfdm35-nZ4PRigomcsaHCLBf_GmrZn7mKu3I9XarEgpMtt0JEiHkQmbQTBOQfJjQ9ycNaa3a_KxRRwTkjgb-RR4Ydi3HUOp0H4-5DLIt2dNKVjiPWYo_zHm5PIRMH3jadKV_G88U/s200/311220081069.jpg" style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5509301354752530610" /><div>The price of the international train tickets had doubled during the couple of months, so we decided to find an alternative. This turned out to be a bus from Hanoi to Nanning in southern China, and a train from there to Beijing. This drops the price to a third of the international train: it costs over 2000 CNY while the bus is 150 CNY and the train from Nanning around 500 CNY. Unfortunately with the timings one has to overnight in Nanning, but the cheap hotels around the railway station only charge 80 CNY a night. That is where we spent New Year Eve then. Oh well. By the way, there is a veggie restaurant in Nanning also, I'll put the address here later.</div>Jari (travelling-vegan)http://www.blogger.com/profile/03784215875655480912noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4094841068378580610.post-83667455744119560872008-12-23T23:58:00.012+08:002009-01-13T16:15:10.876+08:00Vietnam, part 1: North to southHanoi seemed even more polluted and noisier than Beijing, which is quite a lot to say. Beside that, the wireless networks didn't really seem to work, or at least were super slow. But one day the amazing massage kitty knocked on my door. Or rather, meowed behind it. So I let him in, he explored the room for a moment and jumped on my lap. And that's when he started showing his amazing talent. He went on for at least 15 minutes, massaging non-stop! I figured no-one would believe me without a video, so here is one.<br /><br /><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dx5iPrMLLR1RTUTBzFIpf3QldNxMFWmXxG8xwrWsL2H0cJjYZeL4wbtOlBrDX9n3EoyDyWlYfDQ4Ene_1_q' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcYGfBl2LhIZ-mYzsrta-24VkkXZEQ_QiA_TxS8KMVKTyQs3Foz1dChpWJoH_qvaiQf61kiLokO66lL1jtKYE3AYw0N0K4aXYMF5s5HtwZd-gf8BZebXOZ19UxfF62sPqGQ7KO1ZXYi-Y/s1600-h/31102008307.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcYGfBl2LhIZ-mYzsrta-24VkkXZEQ_QiA_TxS8KMVKTyQs3Foz1dChpWJoH_qvaiQf61kiLokO66lL1jtKYE3AYw0N0K4aXYMF5s5HtwZd-gf8BZebXOZ19UxfF62sPqGQ7KO1ZXYi-Y/s200/31102008307.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5283022564155888578" border="0" /></a>Beside talented kitties, there was a lot of rain in Hanoi. Soon the city was flooded, which at first was just a curiosity to me as I had never been in a flood before. It was kind of interesting to go knee-deep in water to the veggie restaurants. But later I heard dozens of people died in the floods, which gave it a much more serious tune. Nonetheless, I went of hiking in Sapa, hoping that the rain would cease.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinQMecwqdCmMrPBLv1YXrejl97wowWrodoYZ22ZBt_7mEP1Sf_s78IZQI0goJl0i6-oRmPtNU8KW5Tg1bUq-UQq-XU95RNFEx5YLUYdIsTYODoc8ap38wAKqsNZczIpDO_WFMnhLjdcIc/s1600-h/021120081927.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinQMecwqdCmMrPBLv1YXrejl97wowWrodoYZ22ZBt_7mEP1Sf_s78IZQI0goJl0i6-oRmPtNU8KW5Tg1bUq-UQq-XU95RNFEx5YLUYdIsTYODoc8ap38wAKqsNZczIpDO_WFMnhLjdcIc/s200/021120081927.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5283023401965912466" border="0" /></a>As luck would have it, it indeed didn't rain constantly in Sapa, but it was pretty cloudy with occasional showers. This made it rather nice hiking weather, but these organised tours have very light hiking. The scenes were pretty great, albeit the place is very touristy and a lot of locals always follow around wherever you go and soon try to sell you stuff. They do it pretty effectively too, managed to even sell me a shirt and two bandettas! Otherwise it's worth the trip. Veggie restaurants I didn't find, nor really look for as food was included in the tour and they did make it vegan for me. Actually the tofu in tomato sauce was really tasty.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMXi_CdM29BZVzByK1dCp_7kWnpNa6JogqBnJMeeWXMflHbSUQCFirf6j3ecSqDl3KZxo13L6qlc-RwoeZm7CiOVQ8VAOhvgO8JwXKW92NDbnmzpcBy35dAmuU_P5dp6ZuYadxIzNjLy0/s1600-h/021120081994.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMXi_CdM29BZVzByK1dCp_7kWnpNa6JogqBnJMeeWXMflHbSUQCFirf6j3ecSqDl3KZxo13L6qlc-RwoeZm7CiOVQ8VAOhvgO8JwXKW92NDbnmzpcBy35dAmuU_P5dp6ZuYadxIzNjLy0/s200/021120081994.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5283025424119988930" border="0" /></a>After returning from Sapa I just wanted to continue down south. Hanoi and surroundings were still mildly flooded and not too interesting anyway. I bought one of the open bus tickets that allow you to go from Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh city or the other way around and stop in key places along the way. This was in a sleeper bus, unfortunately one might say as the buses are slow, too small to really sleep in, and too small to sit in, just like the Chinese sleeper buses. The sales people convinced me these would be different, saying they're German buses, but whether they are or not they're just the same as the Chinese ones, don't believe them!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwjCDREFHRpPQRWVUWrXC8Q8L9caa9rwP7HnXJBMeNq8U1B_fT_6IyZK_egtedN8pCEBOnkDb26TKDUDX0-Ce6kU0ujy38Y9FYKqJvw89ClrK2Gf1bDf9nHZZC8Ae4HmkcLe1cUdDf5x8/s1600-h/051120082024.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwjCDREFHRpPQRWVUWrXC8Q8L9caa9rwP7HnXJBMeNq8U1B_fT_6IyZK_egtedN8pCEBOnkDb26TKDUDX0-Ce6kU0ujy38Y9FYKqJvw89ClrK2Gf1bDf9nHZZC8Ae4HmkcLe1cUdDf5x8/s200/051120082024.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5283031267115150434" border="0" /></a>After a long and unpleasant journey I arrived in the city of Hue, just to be surrounded by hoteliers and motorbike drivers. After a short bidding competition I agreed to follow the first guy offering me a hotel in town, as it sounded about right. They drove me there by motorbike, and this was in fact the first time I've ever been on a motorbike. To my surprise the big luggage wasn't a problem. The hotel was good, but another motorbike driver who I at first thought was involved with the hotel kept on asking me to take his tour. Instead I wanted food, but as he was so persistant, I asked him if he knew vegetarian restaurants in town. He did and drove me to a very nice one, and kept on marketing himself. After the long sales pitch, I agreed to let him drive me around for half a day. Big mistake! The tour was ok but he didn't say a price, I overpaid, and thereafter he wouldn't leave me alone. Stalking outside the hotel constantly and asking to drive me wherever I was going. Had to leave town quick to get rid of him. Note to all: stay well clear of pushy motorbike drivers!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy4Yi15OxsM4pbE3KLKJF0H9XJH2wy6j37O5SEPSnu2fCeI9TrWfH7JucENSp-3KZD7CPQvOwry7HXc_cU37zaBusrqdp-MfUw6Nt_IiXg3HbGdaZiNgUgdgcvsIVTEmQDl4jd4VN6TBU/s1600-h/08112008455.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy4Yi15OxsM4pbE3KLKJF0H9XJH2wy6j37O5SEPSnu2fCeI9TrWfH7JucENSp-3KZD7CPQvOwry7HXc_cU37zaBusrqdp-MfUw6Nt_IiXg3HbGdaZiNgUgdgcvsIVTEmQDl4jd4VN6TBU/s200/08112008455.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5290683312986360402" border="0" /></a>Fortunately the next city, Hoi An, was also nice. The hotel the bus dropped us in front of didn't have wireless so I walked a while and found one that did, and they had a swimming pool as well! With free drinks in the evening. So that and my Vietnamese book provided solid entertainment after dark. Before dark there's the beach, and on the way to the beach, there's a <a href="http://www.karmawaters.com/">vegan restaurant</a> in the most amazing location: a bamboo house with a pier on top of a lovely tropical river. The food might not be the finest in the world, but it's vegan and completely adequate, and the location is a killer! There's a couple of vegetarian restaurants in town also, but I wasn't too crazy even about the old town.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjj69M0wROccXk7RQ6WnNl-KDOQ1kNZ_DJ8i7t4jL8DNkoef32FsJckjEYjPhattdWr5EODIcyy1OkdMoNiTz7Don1s-lIQ9_1RVK1JjiQSTrPm2URL9nFC2NVr4DPVgHaRLLP19NBbXmU/s1600-h/15112008531.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjj69M0wROccXk7RQ6WnNl-KDOQ1kNZ_DJ8i7t4jL8DNkoef32FsJckjEYjPhattdWr5EODIcyy1OkdMoNiTz7Don1s-lIQ9_1RVK1JjiQSTrPm2URL9nFC2NVr4DPVgHaRLLP19NBbXmU/s200/15112008531.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5290685428083289442" border="0" /></a>Next up was Nha Trang which seems like a big city, whether it is or not. They have beaches, supposedly nice ones, but I preferred the beach in Hoi An. No amazing restaurants either. So, onwards to Mui Ne then, there the beaches are awesome! I ended up in a beach resort that had absolutely nothing else, but the beach was enough for a weekend. Just swimming, sunlight, running on the beach, didn't really ask for anything more. Except some fruit juice, and they do have that. Note that if you get the open bus ticket that doesn't include Mui Ne nor Da Lat, you can still stop in one if you pay them a few dollars extra. But it's better to get a ticket that includes the stop in the first place, they're both really nice.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhm5gI3xxJhO_aoQZbXeHhBuMcNEAcYQSR96uxY12Uvriuo87IttEdpyAg3EZV8bmxOyoZJMc62_PYxKWygS96CQPeFyG4G4jM-NHjdVbKXcj_n_C2u1Qh33kasS_eGJDvVEMIAp0A4PTM/s1600-h/19112008581.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhm5gI3xxJhO_aoQZbXeHhBuMcNEAcYQSR96uxY12Uvriuo87IttEdpyAg3EZV8bmxOyoZJMc62_PYxKWygS96CQPeFyG4G4jM-NHjdVbKXcj_n_C2u1Qh33kasS_eGJDvVEMIAp0A4PTM/s200/19112008581.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5290688471900786994" border="0" /></a>And then to conclude this first part of the Vietnam tale, I arrived in Ho Chi Minh city, also known as Saigon. Or actually Saigon refers only to Ho Chi Minh city districts 1 and 3, but that's only for the smartasses. Anyway, the initial reaction to the city was to run away, and it never really changed. As told by a local, the only good thing about the city is food, as ascertained by an American who had spent 4 months there and announced you can't find anything good here no matter which way you go as I was looking at the map on the street. I started by walking to a park, and had to literally run away from the "massage girls" that even grap your arms and try to cut you up with their motorbikes. But yes, the food is good, and the best of it is at Thien Tam, which is located on 443 Su Van Hanh noi dai, district 10. Tel: 08. 8630798. But more about that and other things in the next part. I also went to tango, they rarely have milongas but they do have <a href="http://saigontango.blogspot.com/">regular classes</a> so I joined one. Quite fun.Jari (travelling-vegan)http://www.blogger.com/profile/03784215875655480912noreply@blogger.com26tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4094841068378580610.post-54321113634271842402008-11-09T21:39:00.009+08:002008-12-23T23:56:18.741+08:00Beijing weekend<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRRLddNhXskV-IUS5ZOWQJm1CuJVKBk6dGjLtZbIMEofGjUPyiaif_p1OyqwIdbZ23Go5NpcM7IfjBRVnXS3WDpvJzOtiKyAmqKSnKbnwwmnb7tYk3IRJUccMtVu83g41cFjfq438cpJw/s1600-h/23102008258.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRRLddNhXskV-IUS5ZOWQJm1CuJVKBk6dGjLtZbIMEofGjUPyiaif_p1OyqwIdbZ23Go5NpcM7IfjBRVnXS3WDpvJzOtiKyAmqKSnKbnwwmnb7tYk3IRJUccMtVu83g41cFjfq438cpJw/s200/23102008258.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5266654922471689522" border="0" /></a>Kind of depressing to arrive in Shanghai to witness the brown murky waters and the gray skies. It was mostly natural though, a rainy day, but still. Cold too. Anyway, Shanghai has its share of nice restaurants and I was looking forward to a feast until I eventually got queued all the way to the ticket counter at the railway station and found out they wouldn't have tickets for the faster evening trains but only for one leaving in the afternoon, and what's worse, a hard seat for that! Stupidly, I took that ticket then.<br /><br />Now here's my information piece on train travel in Asia.<br /><ol><li>Use the train rather than bus if possible in countries other than Malaysia, South Korea, and possibly Japan. In Japan it's pretty much the same but the bus is cheaper.</li><li>Never ever take a hard seat for a journey of over 3 hours in China! If that is all that's available, forget point 1 and take the bus.</li></ol><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_Hwlu76DHHACMbcalCVUtt9cRM0i93ngUzub_1QUdNrCNkzCZiQAGlX-MOG0YLbqFWFvcCIDzytjjVI0-UQ4ZHi0YImexakRzUX_h5HRGc8FK_rgIcSgsXD_j1A93LeV6YPWTwavXzkY/s1600-h/23102008270.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_Hwlu76DHHACMbcalCVUtt9cRM0i93ngUzub_1QUdNrCNkzCZiQAGlX-MOG0YLbqFWFvcCIDzytjjVI0-UQ4ZHi0YImexakRzUX_h5HRGc8FK_rgIcSgsXD_j1A93LeV6YPWTwavXzkY/s200/23102008270.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5266655260505268658" border="0" /></a>Anyway, I rushed to the vegetarian restaurant whose location I was most certain about, the one on Nanjing road, and ate quickly. The food was really good though. Then back to the railway station and to endure 17 hours on a full train, on a hard seat, with lights on all night and no hope of sleep, to be filled with anxiety of actually getting the tickets onwards to Hanoi and to get to work within some reasonable hour. So what to do? Study Vietnamese of course. :-)<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyn-WKdfds9vtLvlAD6dTFVzxxRzn3CbMYMlu19lJtOcvV8WUozT3NAgIgRkGWBU91ITSFx6PcIYVa-9XzRiZMSS8TjJqjpjmdtp9KeDim-4h8cQMjysg6pq7fz746B7vIw-ZqKuF08Jc/s1600-h/25102008271.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyn-WKdfds9vtLvlAD6dTFVzxxRzn3CbMYMlu19lJtOcvV8WUozT3NAgIgRkGWBU91ITSFx6PcIYVa-9XzRiZMSS8TjJqjpjmdtp9KeDim-4h8cQMjysg6pq7fz746B7vIw-ZqKuF08Jc/s200/25102008271.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5283012172513843538" border="0" /></a>The train arrived around noon and Beijing railway station unsurprisingly doesn't sell tickets to Vietnam. They suggested the west railway station, but I didn't have time to go there, heading to work instead. Afterwards it was on to a new vegan club event, Fridays at the Vegan Hut. Great to see the folks again and of course the Vegan Hut food is excellent. Then I just went to the office for the night -- being happily homeless, after all. Saturday morning and "rushing" to the agency that supposedly sells tickets to Hanoi, almost certain in my mind that they wouldn't have any at such short notice. Rushing through Beijing is kind of funny, especially if you do it in public transport. It just takes hours and hours. I got there at lunchtime and to my utter surprise, they did have tickets! Brilliant, on my way to Vietnam! :D<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUwatxQ8WjV_c30-SHUj9VbGsJRzisRJNw2JUAkij5F2fimg1XIeozBrVaNw8fGZh6sJRMN9QTEJWiRDny3y7tEsKPheVTk_XZLryzF8IMISbjFSpJ4Wkan2gx5keBvPdbwhYwlwYGhDA/s1600-h/25102008277.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUwatxQ8WjV_c30-SHUj9VbGsJRzisRJNw2JUAkij5F2fimg1XIeozBrVaNw8fGZh6sJRMN9QTEJWiRDny3y7tEsKPheVTk_XZLryzF8IMISbjFSpJ4Wkan2gx5keBvPdbwhYwlwYGhDA/s200/25102008277.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5283012728179885266" border="0" /></a>For lunch I had to go to the new vegan restaurant north from Xizhimen since a Chinese author was to interview me for a vegan book. Don't really know what the book will be like, but the interview went nicely, she asked me all sorts of usual stuff like why did I go vegan etc and even more odd stuff like what's my view on life. Quite interesting actually. And the food was amazing, and so great to see more friends there as well.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifXGc3432muQvEennkjx4sBj0NxlEAQ0qqi5EFwTmgmZT9AGgLU5U-R-P_hH2A_7NpAKBtTljuaPU_Fnc4KlmzQ-y9IYdtUmCV0Q4aAyoJp9Qua62htZA-IZhiW0Fx1Zq5tKwXYvuirlY/s1600-h/26102008285.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifXGc3432muQvEennkjx4sBj0NxlEAQ0qqi5EFwTmgmZT9AGgLU5U-R-P_hH2A_7NpAKBtTljuaPU_Fnc4KlmzQ-y9IYdtUmCV0Q4aAyoJp9Qua62htZA-IZhiW0Fx1Zq5tKwXYvuirlY/s200/26102008285.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5283013523317705010" border="0" /></a>Later at night it would be a friend's birthday, so I ordered a birthday cake from the vegetarian shop, verifying once again that it really is vegan. Those just look so fancyful I always have my doubts. Anyway, they made the cake in time and I went to a third of my selection of four great restaurants for the weekend. That was 我行我素, because I happen to really like their "meat" pies and the "west lake vinegar fish". I got plenty of the "meat" pies to go too. But the birthday party didn't really happen in a large degree, went to a bar with a couple of friends and had the cake at her place.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUUdtBherWtTC8rVEKprypBkOGk_MDivm0UyQP9Z7ll0p56w6ftyIwZsiKYtaqvdZYyVefP1-FkHvSn79bQSGAjzivDj23-lNoTQ3BtnVIjXbl1ZVEWvgGfzzs7UcL8rwDHepOlq1JOiA/s1600-h/26102008287.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUUdtBherWtTC8rVEKprypBkOGk_MDivm0UyQP9Z7ll0p56w6ftyIwZsiKYtaqvdZYyVefP1-FkHvSn79bQSGAjzivDj23-lNoTQ3BtnVIjXbl1ZVEWvgGfzzs7UcL8rwDHepOlq1JOiA/s200/26102008287.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5283014811911507698" border="0" /></a>Next day and rushing to the office to pick up my stuff, lunch with the vegan family and their super cute vegan baby, and on to the train to Vietnam! The ride took two days and was pretty much ok. The train goes nonstop until Nanning, there everyone is ordered out of the train for half an hour to a nice waiting room, then taken back to the same train, so it's ok to leave the luggage there. At the border town of Dongdang on the Vietnamese side there are the formalities, in a confusing manner and for some reason in the middle of the night, but it works somehow. And then another Vietnamese train takes you the rest of the way to Hanoi. It's not quite as nice as the Chinese train but not too bad either.Jari (travelling-vegan)http://www.blogger.com/profile/03784215875655480912noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4094841068378580610.post-75615975126892498002008-10-29T20:54:00.030+08:002008-11-09T18:10:11.701+08:00Japanese food wonders<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw37wh0nXR7uSnFa2jntgUBzUf-hKqrXgapeMALVo4Bh543FMYnBHq7ayBPMDDCAimPhdUy_3Ac9r9x16dkWRfGczi_zN_4MXPGXJFV67I47Cdbcii64APNEU5prJqvlfqrVaIZA4vCx0/s1600-h/081020081511.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw37wh0nXR7uSnFa2jntgUBzUf-hKqrXgapeMALVo4Bh543FMYnBHq7ayBPMDDCAimPhdUy_3Ac9r9x16dkWRfGczi_zN_4MXPGXJFV67I47Cdbcii64APNEU5prJqvlfqrVaIZA4vCx0/s200/081020081511.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5265519824720133282" border="0" /></a>Arriving in Fukuoka I had a great start to a stay in Japan. The weather was wonderful, sunny and 25 degrees -- quite a difference to Beijing that had already started getting cold. And the country is spotlessly clean, which still doesn't seize to amaze me, partly because they have very few rubbish bins. So I guess people just carry their garbage with them for miles, or then they don't snack while walking like yours truly. Either way, I started up my walk and as soon as I ended up at the first shrine I got to witness a school children's sumo wrestling competition! It was fun, I've never seen sumo wrestling live nor such young and small wrestlers. But they still had cheerleaders!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifyWGX_14P8gLzpgm8m8H0baw2K3gNDqCJY6GKR9lPPgjnroi8wlWN1xeDTNhI1IOZSHX9ZZDE8hs6kMXM_cVyeZ9NJjw2fURL5OrVb4fxMXwzf3umpY-VRrtf7NoLvm7M4pxN9VOBtpA/s1600-h/081020081532.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifyWGX_14P8gLzpgm8m8H0baw2K3gNDqCJY6GKR9lPPgjnroi8wlWN1xeDTNhI1IOZSHX9ZZDE8hs6kMXM_cVyeZ9NJjw2fURL5OrVb4fxMXwzf3umpY-VRrtf7NoLvm7M4pxN9VOBtpA/s200/081020081532.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5265520321970761186" border="0" /></a>The destination of my walk was unsurprisingly a vegetarian restaurant. Or at least what was at the time listed as a vegetarian restaurant in <a href="http://www.happycow.net/asia/japan/fukuoka/index.html" target="_blank">happycow</a> (they've included my update by now), Ruru. I was served a very nice Chinese style vegan lunch, well, vegan by my request, but when I went back there the next day I was told they don't have vegetarian food at dinner time. But at the time I was happy about it, not knowing of their meaty dinners. Their service was fine though, and when I was told they didn't have dinner for me they did give me even a map to the other supposedly vegetarian place in town, the macrobiotic cafe. But it was closed at the time.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJmnclwDC87es5VMZm1px2bFfcadJ3Tc6PmrZcfg_toXIiTa5Z50e5p0mfab9OjS8BxW-51_HHn8bTq47l4v_Yb81czKikwtTxhrwryZ3guhA-fkw3WqFwY3I7QoJga5B8TWuCjqFbO6s/s1600-h/081020081531.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJmnclwDC87es5VMZm1px2bFfcadJ3Tc6PmrZcfg_toXIiTa5Z50e5p0mfab9OjS8BxW-51_HHn8bTq47l4v_Yb81czKikwtTxhrwryZ3guhA-fkw3WqFwY3I7QoJga5B8TWuCjqFbO6s/s200/081020081531.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5265521741044409058" border="0" /></a>The nicest thing about Fukuoka though, IMHO, was the park near the restaurant. It was so lovely to just sit there in the sunshine and watch the water birds and the joggers going by. I read later it was designed to resemble the West Lake in Hangzhou, China, and indeed there is a bit of a resemblance to a miniature West Lake. Wouldn't have minded just sitting there for a few days.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJT_8epWHC3IOgAxmRCQ8hF2JXBY37D8ypM83HPB4Nd89KxRHtYh9xi7cdgxLRh9jGCnWgkBlByeFGUF-W7-Gx7zPONoSyBHqiOg1wReqThZxH7qRI7O5io3GBE_4LrOX_4ETEKv5H7nI/s1600-h/17102008153.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJT_8epWHC3IOgAxmRCQ8hF2JXBY37D8ypM83HPB4Nd89KxRHtYh9xi7cdgxLRh9jGCnWgkBlByeFGUF-W7-Gx7zPONoSyBHqiOg1wReqThZxH7qRI7O5io3GBE_4LrOX_4ETEKv5H7nI/s200/17102008153.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5265537425503828354" border="0" /></a>And here's my favourite Japanese invention. Yes, it's a toilet seat, but notice the faucet at the top. Thing is, when you flush the toilet, the new water to fill the tank comes via this faucet, so you can wash your hands with it before it makes it to the tank. Saves water, and the water will be clean enough for flushing the toilet even after one has washed their hands in it. Brilliant!<br /><br />A night bus onwards to save a little money (transport costs a ton in Japan!) and I arrived in Hiroshima. I was quite happy to see everything was within in a walking distance from the bus station -- and no, I don't mean just my walking distance, things really were nearby! <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_pX0dy6TqEc-j_eBberdLlK-QiFm3rVoiCyO39fGQaN6x05UTE4BuVN0puFGJ_3u1R5_pFRmYpFLLeVOHF3H7ThAZa3zCpuLUys7R9yvcqEIYfId88OzRN-o_9xOTztPQ6jYyAiuEH4M/s1600-h/101020081591.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_pX0dy6TqEc-j_eBberdLlK-QiFm3rVoiCyO39fGQaN6x05UTE4BuVN0puFGJ_3u1R5_pFRmYpFLLeVOHF3H7ThAZa3zCpuLUys7R9yvcqEIYfId88OzRN-o_9xOTztPQ6jYyAiuEH4M/s200/101020081591.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5266581090704714802" border="0" /></a>The castle was ok, and the a-bomb dome... well, to truly get the meaning of the dome you have to visit the museum in Peace park. Even after all this time it really is moving. They have pictures before and after the bomb, as well as videos and artifacts and wax people who look so much like zombies from movies you'd think they had just made those up. But then you see the old pictures and realise that really is how the survivors were. It's scary, and may well make you cry. Much recommended visit though, especially to politicians and anyone in favour of nuclear weapons.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5LH7qmmbmbU0oy_WCT7lFp00IgdjpLot7rWgT3sI5zLdUgdpmh4j9rSMKBHtXD8Sa1erG9hwz9QqTFIRBfMpNWxekidhM1JI2IRaQJfvyP0fc5oFZiwafJlU63PmF-PasGxQn-fNzGt4/s1600-h/101020081618.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5LH7qmmbmbU0oy_WCT7lFp00IgdjpLot7rWgT3sI5zLdUgdpmh4j9rSMKBHtXD8Sa1erG9hwz9QqTFIRBfMpNWxekidhM1JI2IRaQJfvyP0fc5oFZiwafJlU63PmF-PasGxQn-fNzGt4/s200/101020081618.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5266582103956053986" border="0" /></a>However, despite desperately wanting a shower I didn't stay in Hiroshima, possibly because of another disappointing restaurant visit. I went to Shichida Life Cafe, which happycow also listed as vegetarian at the time. It's a buffet but most of their foods did contain meat or fish. Rice and tofu for lunch, not highly exciting and certainly not worth the price. Instead I took the afternoon bus to Kobe, night buses were full. It's kind of disturbing about the Japanese night buses anyway, they go slower so that they wouldn't arrive too early, but the way they go slow is by stopping somewhere in the middle and keeping their engines running! Goodness, why not just turn the engine off when the bus is going to stand there for an hour or two?!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOOS3w8xC7u8G2LTqzbGQgMo_ZYFdRH_CPeF2mfcawi0aNWr3sKr7DB88z_UbVy9UYbH0ZvTXJu9SGn5lYKXSyWgcEbtYk7RIKIuN_O85kare29KO9GwxUF6zjndg-1kcCHAHgYgXW1QU/s1600-h/101020081626.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOOS3w8xC7u8G2LTqzbGQgMo_ZYFdRH_CPeF2mfcawi0aNWr3sKr7DB88z_UbVy9UYbH0ZvTXJu9SGn5lYKXSyWgcEbtYk7RIKIuN_O85kare29KO9GwxUF6zjndg-1kcCHAHgYgXW1QU/s200/101020081626.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5266582471409650546" border="0" /></a>The bus arrived too late for the hostel, so I decided one should try the capsule hotels in Japan. I found one, got my capsule at a cost a bit higher than a Japanese hostel (which means the price of a fancy 4 star hotel in most of Asia) and was delighted to find that the capsule was actually relatively spaceous and comfortable. Besides, you get a spa for the same price, several hot and cold baths and a sauna. Pretty nice actually, but these places are usually for men only.<br /><br />I failed to find any food in Kobe either (and the Japanese put whey even in flippin' peanuts! Not all of them, but some brands list that in ingredients. Don't ask me why, I'm just happy they use Chinese characters so I can recognise it), so I just took up and went to Kyoto as I saw a large number of entries in happycow. Finding accommodation was a bit challenging though, apparently it was the start of a long weekend due to some public holiday and everything was full. I did find a place eventually though, and it was quite a nice Japanese style hostel too, called Roro or something of the kind.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF9TzHWjpuwLFqsJfFFFjtwzsa33rlXKrskp0VxaUGK8RoP8p3U0ph4TQOgwWG300PicMtM6K2vj5zAKvN1uddvXg5UG2CmtN39JwF7EZvsnvszWTLKdlQpwyxr3BK76xI_lMYiOM3sV8/s1600-h/12102008105.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF9TzHWjpuwLFqsJfFFFjtwzsa33rlXKrskp0VxaUGK8RoP8p3U0ph4TQOgwWG300PicMtM6K2vj5zAKvN1uddvXg5UG2CmtN39JwF7EZvsnvszWTLKdlQpwyxr3BK76xI_lMYiOM3sV8/s200/12102008105.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5266583272496812770" border="0" /></a>But the real find of Kyoto came a couple of hours later. I went on a search for the first vegan restaurant on the list, <a href="http://www.proverbs1517.com/" target="_blank">Café Proverbs 15:17</a>. It's located right at the crossroads at Hyakumanben, near Kyoto University. However, I didn't see it at first and decided to ask a group of students. University students surely speak English, no? I asked them, and the answer came immediately: no. So I went to a second group of about 10 students and asked if any of them speak English. "No" came back right away. But I decided to be persistant, showed them the address and asked if they'd know where it is. One girl got up and showed me the way, speaking perfectly good English. Japanese politeness, eh?<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIIYksFKI3oxJeRcthBPT7D7-NmXJ1pYYRVrRzL8gKLDj9-oK7sQUGh6uo66nRThJU362xI2MIhwbRZ5GaAAef7qCErsIlzxLgK_INwdCxjgb9qSE_ek66TMwD-1VWIoN7iV8GW8SdNqs/s1600-h/12102008107.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIIYksFKI3oxJeRcthBPT7D7-NmXJ1pYYRVrRzL8gKLDj9-oK7sQUGh6uo66nRThJU362xI2MIhwbRZ5GaAAef7qCErsIlzxLgK_INwdCxjgb9qSE_ek66TMwD-1VWIoN7iV8GW8SdNqs/s200/12102008107.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5266583504658160770" border="0" /></a>In any case, the café is absolutely amazing, one of the best restaurants I've ever been to anywhere! It's totally vegan, the food is so good the thought makes my mouth water right now despite eating tons just a moment ago, and they even have yummy cakes for dessert! At dinner time you get to choose from 3 alternative set meals of the day, I was really tempted by the tempeh sandwich but went for the soymilk ramen instead, in a decision to have something Japanese for once. I can't stress too much how good the food is, and the service is wonderful also. Wish I could eat there every day.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6JO1h2dQTbTi6q2KhrNvfGDrQCD8l6TOkwJ9WPg31qh4TOn6MiEWz3l0yRNGWuY-ZP11lMIN6mz4BpW6w8K9XFkQXbNaC2WBKH_Wi2k5oROYFwjRjZFroxb262CrVjJN3RaCJ9acEnhM/s1600-h/12102008099.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6JO1h2dQTbTi6q2KhrNvfGDrQCD8l6TOkwJ9WPg31qh4TOn6MiEWz3l0yRNGWuY-ZP11lMIN6mz4BpW6w8K9XFkQXbNaC2WBKH_Wi2k5oROYFwjRjZFroxb262CrVjJN3RaCJ9acEnhM/s200/12102008099.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5266585278335922290" border="0" /></a>Next day it was time for sightseeing in Kyoto. After a few temples and shrines I went to the old imperial palace, and only when arriving at the gardens it dawned to me much of it wasn't open to the public as there still is an emperor to be usign the place! Silly me. Oh, along the way I had lunch at <a href="http://www.mikoan.com/" target="_blank">Mikoan</a>, which was a perfectly fine vegetarian café but it's unlucky to be in the same city as Proverbs... that's way too hard to compete with! So dinner at Proverbs it was, and it didn't disappoint.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-wY8FgyMezAqM4LU2ZnTgWsnnuPlshMBNlMR9DeDHSkaqGHHP1beXzkkPkh71hjbKmK_AOknj23WLz36cHvyq0nr8KYjd2sMXU6UV763yinR5jlNogZDAPTMXZZpED-TS7iHf8HpnEPQ/s1600-h/13102008111.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-wY8FgyMezAqM4LU2ZnTgWsnnuPlshMBNlMR9DeDHSkaqGHHP1beXzkkPkh71hjbKmK_AOknj23WLz36cHvyq0nr8KYjd2sMXU6UV763yinR5jlNogZDAPTMXZZpED-TS7iHf8HpnEPQ/s200/13102008111.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5266586203430421330" border="0" /></a>However, I felt I should hurry to Tokyo to apply for the Vietnamese visa as I had read it might take up to 10 days to process, and took the night bus over. But arriving in Tokyo I realised this was that mysterious public holiday and the embassy would be closed. Never mind, on to the imperial gardens then. I was happy to see how clean the waters were even at the heart of possibly the biggest city in the world. However, they didn't let me in to have tea with the emperor, so I had to go on and find veggie restaurants again.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtyMC93AIgTQSGL71HVhroBHd4qmTMG_Bia4x83YF0M7IEHRXdeksjvNvT67qt8jYWIhm11O5hsL_0SdRs_Zd9JFjzHOyyvd3bPdVk1-BZf0ITjBg3QhKe-3rCuA5hxibWBDBHfhxk09I/s1600-h/13102008120.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtyMC93AIgTQSGL71HVhroBHd4qmTMG_Bia4x83YF0M7IEHRXdeksjvNvT67qt8jYWIhm11O5hsL_0SdRs_Zd9JFjzHOyyvd3bPdVk1-BZf0ITjBg3QhKe-3rCuA5hxibWBDBHfhxk09I/s200/13102008120.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5266586740242790898" border="0" /></a>I'm happy to say there really is a plenitude of choice in Tokyo. I decided to go try Pure Cafe, but instead I found Brown Rice café. It was fine, and had vegan things clearly marked, but ever since the thought of the tempeh sandwich at the Proverbs I really wanted a sandwich or a burger or something and I had read there'd be good ones at Pure Café. So despite having a perfectly fine lunch at Brown Rice I kept searching for Pure. And failed, but instead I found the vegan bakery, <a href="http://www.der-akkord.jp/" target="_blank">der Akkord</a>! It's a macrobiotic bakery actually, and I'm still a little unclear as to what exactly does <span style="font-style: italic;">macrobiotic</span> mean, but at least this place doesn't use any yeast, baking powder, or sugar, among other things, like animal products. Which effectively means it doesn't have that finger-licking yumminess of Sticky Fingers but strikes quite a different chord with a sturdy European flavour. Very nice bread, but the apricot pie didn't really win me over.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUUYSHer36cRD-NQ14n-iiBMGJtWjeH-bSAy7YEjVVOPKK3b6X0SX1gexhmEGBmzznTXbu4ThtgmCcbNX_aYk9XqQXzUKiGvXHVEdcmJBSZJHQxZCEhykeQQXF2726Clpqc5FQuW5_vss/s1600-h/15102008131.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUUYSHer36cRD-NQ14n-iiBMGJtWjeH-bSAy7YEjVVOPKK3b6X0SX1gexhmEGBmzznTXbu4ThtgmCcbNX_aYk9XqQXzUKiGvXHVEdcmJBSZJHQxZCEhykeQQXF2726Clpqc5FQuW5_vss/s200/15102008131.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5266587326830701778" border="0" /></a>Next day I went off to the embassy then, but got up late and only ended up there at lunchtime to find it closed for lunch. So I decided to take a lunchbreak too and walk over to <a href="http://www.vegancafe.jp/" target="_blank">Vegan Healing Café</a> since it didn't seem to be too far, despite the light rain. It's a cozy little place, seemingly quiet but as there's only one person working each day it apparently is busy work nonetheless. The food is vegan and fine, but resembles homecooking to me, nothing really fanciful. Oh, and if anyone working there ever reads this, do add some berries or something on top of the soycream cake, it'd make it so much more appealing!<br /><br />Back at the embassy I filled up a form, handed in my passport and was told to wait. Half an hour later they gave me back my passport, said here's the visa and it'll be 12000 yen! (Or something of the kind, not 100% on that price.) Yes, it's expensive, but a super fast service, forget the 10 days. And I can get that reimbursed, it was the kind I was looking for, so no problems. For dinner I was thinking of <a href="http://www.little-maman.jp/" target="_blank">Little Maman</a>, but I think I was there too late and it was closed, or then I just couldn't find it.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQuOs_b-ffhUoJChEjXm4gI5By57JGu-EmSovu-_COEDXACL0xHZeXnMe9hCsakXTFaqXkezq9ieulXeGKYwWLAcneTFqeRFDEcHQn2udvxaEjw9nxaSIXREnN8ruwoF0jsrmJoDhao4o/s1600-h/14102008130.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQuOs_b-ffhUoJChEjXm4gI5By57JGu-EmSovu-_COEDXACL0xHZeXnMe9hCsakXTFaqXkezq9ieulXeGKYwWLAcneTFqeRFDEcHQn2udvxaEjw9nxaSIXREnN8ruwoF0jsrmJoDhao4o/s200/14102008130.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5266587807947228834" border="0" /></a>Next day it was the turn of <a href="http://www.cafe8.jp/" target="_blank">Café 8</a>. Now this is the place in Japan that can really compete with Proverbs, the food was heavenly and they too have things like New York style cheesecake for dessert! And it's completely vegan. It felt terribly expensive though, and I started noticing how fast my budget was running down. In retrospect, however, the food wasn't much more expensive than elsewhere in Japan, it was the optional extras that really cost. Like a pot of tea costing over 600 yen! So yes, go there, eat and be happy, and if your wallet allows have the dessert too, but go somewhere else for tea. Same for other drinks. Water is good and free.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyR96BGZzPrJLjGtV6XYswRzYtNy_xyPyaZZKgvDP8iH0YmEQzNqJhcJjPABPH2mikiRBM_8eA2eRohxPa-OjFeaft_Wq0_w9T7Q6H3GUfd35dnucLASRWoAGmwDE4blhPpEREjxY0CoU/s1600-h/161020081634.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyR96BGZzPrJLjGtV6XYswRzYtNy_xyPyaZZKgvDP8iH0YmEQzNqJhcJjPABPH2mikiRBM_8eA2eRohxPa-OjFeaft_Wq0_w9T7Q6H3GUfd35dnucLASRWoAGmwDE4blhPpEREjxY0CoU/s200/161020081634.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5266588809834565282" border="0" /></a>Following day I found myself back at Vegan Healing. Ok, I'll be honest with you, this had more to do with the nice girl working there than their food. Beside it being great to have someone to talk to, she was also the first Japanese vegan I ever met, so that's quite something. She recommended the nearby Meiji shrine for sight-seeing, so I headed there after lunch. It was ok, but when it comes to shrines I think the first one you see is really exciting, the 2nd also quite interesting to compare with, but after the third shrine the interest goes down. If there isn't for religious reasons of course. However, the surrounding park is lovely, so I quite enjoyed it.<br /><br />Then I went back to the hostel to do some work at last. This had after all turned into much more of a real vacation than planned. I also looked into the return options and realised there'd be no way to make it to the Beijing-Hanoi train leaving on Sunday afternoon with the ferry arriving in Tianjin at noon on Sunday, and the train would be the easy way to cross wherefore I felt I should use it since it would be work time rather than adventure time. <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguR05zIeCldS_x0WB700pJHIdzsmr9r3gQ-hkcc1u1R1dQ6XmjrB55npuwatzuR-QU1z4eMmNdWwtYiHo6MrQru2EWfJS377uXqeyq6VGu54FfcZIz01pPn5SThTrP2q5I-ae7zJPW2Os/s1600-h/161020081639.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguR05zIeCldS_x0WB700pJHIdzsmr9r3gQ-hkcc1u1R1dQ6XmjrB55npuwatzuR-QU1z4eMmNdWwtYiHo6MrQru2EWfJS377uXqeyq6VGu54FfcZIz01pPn5SThTrP2q5I-ae7zJPW2Os/s200/161020081639.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5266589298721816098" border="0" /></a>Besides, my shoes, bag, and computer were all breaking down, so a pit stop in Beijing and visiting all the friends for a weekend made sense. So I booked the ferry from Osaka to Shanghai leaving the following Tuesday. This was on Thursday, and I meant to go out of town for Friday and the weekend would have the Tokyo Vegetarian Festival, while I would have to leave Tokyo Sunday at the latest, so... That's how my excuses went, and silly as it was, I went back to Vegan Healing for dinner. I just wanted to see that girl there one more time before I leave, in case I wouldn't run into her at the vegetarian festival (which I indeed did not). Well, in any case, the fried soy meat thing is probably the best dish that café has.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYCprwqNvVTo7Xd3Qt_5_ZqR4pD-2Mns7hFRmuQLnEZY9EcL-w15C5Avb59pI53j2gvmGui7FZ47pAbQlTPBc3-aySOT8oLIE84JrGsaa39xUlOS94BFqswvE5XLSDT_r52LaxPteHl48/s1600-h/171020081641.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYCprwqNvVTo7Xd3Qt_5_ZqR4pD-2Mns7hFRmuQLnEZY9EcL-w15C5Avb59pI53j2gvmGui7FZ47pAbQlTPBc3-aySOT8oLIE84JrGsaa39xUlOS94BFqswvE5XLSDT_r52LaxPteHl48/s200/171020081641.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5266589966695437458" border="0" /></a>Friday and out of town in Tokyo, I went over to Kamakura which is a lovely little town totally littered with temples and shrines and has also a huge bronze Buddha. He has windows in his back. And you can go inside. Wee. Anyways, the temples are beautiful and the best thing is the hiking path around there, the place is totally worth a visit! Dinner time I was back in Tokyo, however, so I went over to <a href="http://www.nagishokudo.com/" target="_blank">Nagi Shokudo</a>. It's a cosy vegan café with pretty nice food, although I must say whatever they were having at the next table looked more exciting than mine. Oh well.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSQBdjLdxqGko3y1Ax5t_G3yRYs5ycOg0Y62sy25jhctWzfma7dE7cT0lYke9ehu9warmzW31lEc0dXKfgLBEnDMJ2oa6Vp6EBZ_5be2sDjfhuUkEbGBt492_JTW0myLtXc4UMGxFMOFw/s1600-h/181020081708.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSQBdjLdxqGko3y1Ax5t_G3yRYs5ycOg0Y62sy25jhctWzfma7dE7cT0lYke9ehu9warmzW31lEc0dXKfgLBEnDMJ2oa6Vp6EBZ_5be2sDjfhuUkEbGBt492_JTW0myLtXc4UMGxFMOFw/s200/181020081708.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5266591489448542482" border="0" /></a>Saturday was the exciting time of the Vegetarian Festival. I was happy to see lots of people and stands of various veggie restaurants, cosmetics companies, shops, and animal rights organizations there. Really good turn-out, and way way more than I would ever have expected in a country like Japan! There was so much yummy vegan foods and nice people to talk to that I spent pretty much the whole day there, and ate tons!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifDBdyjf6nEWqT7lsnEIhBIHuDadLqmaJktQ-ral3xrUTu6fK5oo2RcCz6jur6n2sRwa1YIZXEBDTVkcljUAtvNm5emKLZ5FBjx5OL9HfH0rWWXPGtlOsiegimU_iBbyjQ2Y2u6RABHwA/s1600-h/181020081731.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifDBdyjf6nEWqT7lsnEIhBIHuDadLqmaJktQ-ral3xrUTu6fK5oo2RcCz6jur6n2sRwa1YIZXEBDTVkcljUAtvNm5emKLZ5FBjx5OL9HfH0rWWXPGtlOsiegimU_iBbyjQ2Y2u6RABHwA/s200/181020081731.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5266591947109717666" border="0" /></a>In the evening, however, I just had to go find <a href="http://www.pure-cafe.com/" target="_blank">Pure Café</a>. I was on a mission to try many veggie places in Tokyo as a friend was asking for recommendations for another friend who'd be visiting Tokyo soon. And I was still craving for a sandwich. I found their website and they have a map there, making it rather easy to find. The place is nice, and I finally got my sandwich! It was almost worth the wait, and I only say almost because it had been a long time. The sandwich was good, really good.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq_lWVZvGxXE9aTGD5c_4BjlvDyMGytwY2FzJFS6dHTrojQFZE-2oU1gG6Di31jiHTjcZn3p0gvZZgxiCLkKOp69M7FMH80vjDBEKIYs7kjmp6L_oxhtif-1TumNDQvtqtGMiDw0A44dM/s1600-h/191020081736.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq_lWVZvGxXE9aTGD5c_4BjlvDyMGytwY2FzJFS6dHTrojQFZE-2oU1gG6Di31jiHTjcZn3p0gvZZgxiCLkKOp69M7FMH80vjDBEKIYs7kjmp6L_oxhtif-1TumNDQvtqtGMiDw0A44dM/s200/191020081736.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5266592854485283186" border="0" /></a>Sunday morning I went back to the festival to pick up some things for the road. Just a quick visit this time and on to the railway station. The thing I most crave for about Japan though was at the festival now: the Loving burger, made by the Loving Hut. Goodness, so juicy and tasty! Anyway, I figured I had to try the shinkansen, the Japanese bullet trains, at least once and this would be my last chance. However, had I realised how much it's going to cost overall before buying the first part of the ticket I probably would've changed my mind. Sure, they're fast trains, but way overpriced.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsh9EI9jsgw_hScYvE4KIVXvoThHz7cB-lG67MO7hExKBxOFqOiNIbRsBEDup9x0dqo0_kfDeBw_59bd2hn6LddZkMLmxCAWlMYozcWON_es3kTyCMOGM0j_7CzuVhgmLvehA5oCqSxvI/s1600-h/191020081768.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsh9EI9jsgw_hScYvE4KIVXvoThHz7cB-lG67MO7hExKBxOFqOiNIbRsBEDup9x0dqo0_kfDeBw_59bd2hn6LddZkMLmxCAWlMYozcWON_es3kTyCMOGM0j_7CzuVhgmLvehA5oCqSxvI/s200/191020081768.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5266593618978213298" border="0" /></a>Anyhow, I arrived in Kyoto and you don't have to be a genious to guess where I went then. I had a huge meal with desserts and everything, and after hearing Proverbs is closed on Mondays I also bought one of those sandwiches I had been craving so much for the road, or the ferry as it turned out to be.<br /><br />On Monday then I took a walk around Kyoto and realised it definitely is the nicest city in Japan. Or at least of those I visited. <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlTVw8Hh4h_saDr_cy5mkNk6RfIqfB4ifI7Tfzidul3afvTN8taU56WlMUMppziWmp0J4zJloCd4A55kPVszfeAlS9EZ6Kg6J9crY90jiZUdy7cHN-U3GsB7-0SypQ6IlC9Q4PKAdmmpE/s1600-h/201020081853.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlTVw8Hh4h_saDr_cy5mkNk6RfIqfB4ifI7Tfzidul3afvTN8taU56WlMUMppziWmp0J4zJloCd4A55kPVszfeAlS9EZ6Kg6J9crY90jiZUdy7cHN-U3GsB7-0SypQ6IlC9Q4PKAdmmpE/s200/201020081853.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5266594613106494386" border="0" /></a>Lots of temples, lovely rivers, nature, and yes, great food. Since my favourite place was closed I went to Kairas, with the notion of soya ice-cream. The food was nice, as was the ice-cream, just again, there's too good a competitor in the city for anything else to be taken very seriously. Oh, and I found out where to get money: in Japan the ATM's don't accept international credit cards, the only place where I could withdraw money had been the Visa office in Tokyo. But the hostel in Kyoto let me know the ATM's at 7-11 do take international cards, so I was saved, as my budget was long gone by this time and the ferry must be paid in cash also.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHBBiTOkutuQLXKQPZJ8YqZwIkXHLIiaUkmiNlt6sVxTmcXH_4zcNtOQx40po4Bmfe7vCkwX3BLJirJarkfgI1DVLoX-bc6S4mdyuivE-M3bWY_JnszEwapBg2iTaB-kjNnBbfA3vCIFE/s1600-h/21102008164.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHBBiTOkutuQLXKQPZJ8YqZwIkXHLIiaUkmiNlt6sVxTmcXH_4zcNtOQx40po4Bmfe7vCkwX3BLJirJarkfgI1DVLoX-bc6S4mdyuivE-M3bWY_JnszEwapBg2iTaB-kjNnBbfA3vCIFE/s200/21102008164.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5266595396838471826" border="0" /></a>So, for the last night I took a train to Kobe, because I wanted to try the soychicken pizza mentioned in the happycow site. And possibly the onsen as well. But after a couple of hours of searching and finding the right block, I just couldn't locate the restaurant! I'm pretty sure it was closed, at least for the day, maybe even for good, because at least the English name wasn't anywhere to be seen and there was only one (closed) café without an English name in the block. Of course they don't have house numbers so it's not easy to tell which is which. As for the onsen, I decided to go there but after buying a train ticket I changed my mind. It was after all late already and I should've been working, so I turned around and decided to try the fare adjustment machines. Don't do the same, they just steal your money. The fare adjustment is there only to pay more, if you've paid too much, they give you a ticket of zero yen to replace your money. Greedy bastards.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgt79aonluPFAHKLV82M8zyFY0iYaoUJh5V-7FSsexU1rZFY_1fv_MS_SxiKeP91FPEjjZC3HgYIPUxSm-jA8uyRWthjcPCa0wLBNrxVzCXK2PsfQU5oh-_ImZCU5SJTK3ApD2Fawuwuk/s1600-h/21102008182.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgt79aonluPFAHKLV82M8zyFY0iYaoUJh5V-7FSsexU1rZFY_1fv_MS_SxiKeP91FPEjjZC3HgYIPUxSm-jA8uyRWthjcPCa0wLBNrxVzCXK2PsfQU5oh-_ImZCU5SJTK3ApD2Fawuwuk/s200/21102008182.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5266595950548848530" border="0" /></a>Anyway, after a night of some working and more sleeping, I took a train to Osaka and got to the port in time. Two days on a ferry, I had bought some noodles from the vegetarian festival to take along but nonetheless I was happy to find it was a Chinese ship. For that means I can actually eat in the restaurant: one can talk to the staff and in any case, I don't have the same fear of everything having fish sauce when it comes to Chinese food. The ride to Shanghai was quite nice, mostly, apart from the few hours on the second day when the sea was quite stormy and to my surprise I found out I do, after all, get seasick under certain conditions. I think it was mostly due to the fact that I was stupid enough to go to the toilet, closed space doesn't do good. Whenever I could breathe the sea air my stomach would be calm. Anyways, China for the next entry.Jari (travelling-vegan)http://www.blogger.com/profile/03784215875655480912noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4094841068378580610.post-18195677052130965312008-10-15T20:52:00.016+08:002008-10-15T22:32:11.349+08:00Vegetarian Korea and Raw Vegan Village<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYsFfjAVoPU6u71S7VTQJ8O4ieQslsad1JFNqOn5N0_81qu-i9dw02BtNjps_PDGpjCgmijRIrp6UbogRfgaV-yNDL9Pet5HnBkMs6VH479ktUusEC8Fb91kcDqlNyg_vHtGqieqyfHFE/s1600-h/01102008040.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYsFfjAVoPU6u71S7VTQJ8O4ieQslsad1JFNqOn5N0_81qu-i9dw02BtNjps_PDGpjCgmijRIrp6UbogRfgaV-yNDL9Pet5HnBkMs6VH479ktUusEC8Fb91kcDqlNyg_vHtGqieqyfHFE/s200/01102008040.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5257381644865261954" border="0" /></a>Back to travel track, I and two friends took the ferry from Weihai (Shandong province, China) to Incheon, South Korea. The trip takes about 14 hours, plus a couple of hours of waiting at the harbour. The service is run by <a href="http://www.weidong.com/">Weidong Ferry</a>, check their site for details. It's not a super fancy boat like the ferries between Sweden and Finland, but it's decent enough. A little shop, a restaurant serving nothing vegan, a Karaoke bar, and coin lockers that for some weird reason only accept Japanese yen (on a boat between China and Korea!). We went economy class, but surprisingly didn't get the Japanese style thin mattresses on the floor but proper bunk beds, with curtains and everything. Pretty good, I would think.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhS98iDrBk0VPx_q6uEDUhWm6HnvOnBe27F9fKSc0G2Tj64W70WCJSOnfgPIfy7PVaYu0w8BBPExM1zU6PArpAjQB5lE7fwqG8gwfoFwZQifX3mm_7cifEJaKnSulMv1njKwPDe-uNJIBI/s1600-h/01102008052.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhS98iDrBk0VPx_q6uEDUhWm6HnvOnBe27F9fKSc0G2Tj64W70WCJSOnfgPIfy7PVaYu0w8BBPExM1zU6PArpAjQB5lE7fwqG8gwfoFwZQifX3mm_7cifEJaKnSulMv1njKwPDe-uNJIBI/s200/01102008052.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5257381807890316882" border="0" /></a>After a while of figuring out what's next and where to change money, we went to town for a first Korean meal. The Seoul metro runs all the way to Incheon, so it's rather convenient, although it doesn't go to the port but you need a few stops in a bus. We started with the Sosim vegetarian restaurant on Insadong, as it was closed the <a href="http://travelling-vegan.blogspot.com/2007/10/pilgrimage-to-vegan-bakery.html">last time I was in Korea</a>. The food was decent, but not very tasty really.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMeWC6yG2aeTWXhAi754tgNA3LErN6LeFscHPUcbD0djj0D5WRnlXLLJ6TzmdgEk55eyxFKojv2PwbTxfUN_cxXFHeWPYOn7eRtxMlwKMCDLqwsv87hAKDiXouS32M3-S1laXgbz7SB5c/s1600-h/01102008007.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMeWC6yG2aeTWXhAi754tgNA3LErN6LeFscHPUcbD0djj0D5WRnlXLLJ6TzmdgEk55eyxFKojv2PwbTxfUN_cxXFHeWPYOn7eRtxMlwKMCDLqwsv87hAKDiXouS32M3-S1laXgbz7SB5c/s200/01102008007.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5257382161863638914" border="0" /></a>The two travel companions were much into couchsurfing and considerable time was spent finding accommodation, but as nothing was found for the first night we checked in to a hostel. A pretty decent place actually, and later it turned out the Korean member of staff used to be vegetarian for a while and even grew her own food in her garden, but later gave up as it was just too difficult in Korea. Anyhow, our path led straight to Sticky Fingers, the vegan bakery. It was amazing, as always. Expensive, but so worth it!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjackZN_QA6YW98xLWjbWpUgqt3HLH4qhKFgl-6-AOAS-gv2z_VrtJaf3ae1Fa7HRE16F3Y80iZAA5eCriBpV0nZgIlcqf8c4wPnJ-ioVPgKHhnwxYTlov3O2WNtAOBOTdbC6dOv6VSQrk/s1600-h/02102008013.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjackZN_QA6YW98xLWjbWpUgqt3HLH4qhKFgl-6-AOAS-gv2z_VrtJaf3ae1Fa7HRE16F3Y80iZAA5eCriBpV0nZgIlcqf8c4wPnJ-ioVPgKHhnwxYTlov3O2WNtAOBOTdbC6dOv6VSQrk/s200/02102008013.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5257382581329661442" border="0" /></a>The next day we went walking in a park and as luck would have it, they were hosting the high-wire world championships at the time! People walking 1 km over the river on the wire. Cool stuff, and a nice drum concert to precede it. From there we went over for a second dinner at Insadong in another place I didn't visit last time, Han Gua Chae. It's a buffet place, Korean style, and by now my companions were saying they're not fond of Korean food. They did like the Korean pancakes though. I must agree that the food there wasn't all that great again, but thought it quite ok.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj97pLCFlzYN0Nc0mVH4OogpCgwOji5BCgSPAoxWVvBrb8cEG_6bP3Tjrc_I-IrZc2mq8HZa3kw5yYC1RwDIThu6lqX0EDAizaJ_Nf-YizJABG7ihgf3gwJfwu3jTeefVRvfj9FODiWKKc/s1600-h/03102008053.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj97pLCFlzYN0Nc0mVH4OogpCgwOji5BCgSPAoxWVvBrb8cEG_6bP3Tjrc_I-IrZc2mq8HZa3kw5yYC1RwDIThu6lqX0EDAizaJ_Nf-YizJABG7ihgf3gwJfwu3jTeefVRvfj9FODiWKKc/s200/03102008053.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5257382807056909570" border="0" /></a>That night we actually found couchsurfing hosts, and as there were two hosts with small places, we split up: I went to one and the duo to another. My host was a very nice Lithuanian guy who spoke fluent Korean and a long list of other languages also. His flat, however, was tiny (about 14 sq m) and had no furniture at all. We went to the top of a hill with one of his friends to try some Korean drinks.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8jFKezrtX7cQztcCwnezwan1oQvZ3_dEe-tIWsp4Zv6xEheQe_L2d_PuZU3IPbCaeWK7v3xs_RzD0xW-gQiRcM_3FyCS1n6UHMFwk8m-N3xcaKm-M3AYXF2OnwnYnx4zRzN9AW72cRA4/s1600-h/03102008064.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8jFKezrtX7cQztcCwnezwan1oQvZ3_dEe-tIWsp4Zv6xEheQe_L2d_PuZU3IPbCaeWK7v3xs_RzD0xW-gQiRcM_3FyCS1n6UHMFwk8m-N3xcaKm-M3AYXF2OnwnYnx4zRzN9AW72cRA4/s200/03102008064.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5257382957172546738" border="0" /></a>Next day it was time to hit the other branch of Sticky Fingers in Seoul, this one a proper café and as the weather was nice, we enjoyed the goodies outside at the table. There's even wireless net, it's absolutely perfect. From there we parted ways for some hours, I went to see traditional Korean houses and they went to a flea market. But bought no fleas. The house thing was rather small scale and not that special either.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6yfIqu43mHj60ay3qVeut137yNkxRGKcX0aWBSdbzreFVd2Bw2SDednC378iJZDG5AG7x7MLBTfmvkk72cul_vwpC_tEofthSqnKx8ObxNQM0nGm9J5uT7dGuaGYCyoBWcQBLns0GaCk/s1600-h/03102008066.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6yfIqu43mHj60ay3qVeut137yNkxRGKcX0aWBSdbzreFVd2Bw2SDednC378iJZDG5AG7x7MLBTfmvkk72cul_vwpC_tEofthSqnKx8ObxNQM0nGm9J5uT7dGuaGYCyoBWcQBLns0GaCk/s200/03102008066.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5257383420905595938" border="0" /></a>We met up for dinner at the SM vegetarian restaurant (these restaurants are listed at <a href="http://www.happycow.net/asia/south_korea/seoul/index.html">happycow</a>). The SM stands for Supreme Master, as in Ching Hai. They also had <a href="http://suprememastertelevision.com/">Supreme Master TV</a> on. In any case, the food was deemed a bit better than the previous ones, possibly due to being more Chinese in style. From there we went to meet a bunch of couchsurfers in a bar, and from there I had to rush back to the place of my host to let in a new couchsurfer as the host himself was away. It was the first time I tried being a couchsurfing guest and even then the hosting crept up on me!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeC10ibsxjiu70SwJ29sJkRWJfpRFu2jN4URkQsmUqcsMWBt1_ff9noQ42Q-D1TfmgCeedtfYhj8t06klgwcRopLR9xUWCDpGB_-U1ZPmM-fMskXrnSCIvNH3OUGZho-Lekzg4lPGQOwc/s1600-h/051020081414.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeC10ibsxjiu70SwJ29sJkRWJfpRFu2jN4URkQsmUqcsMWBt1_ff9noQ42Q-D1TfmgCeedtfYhj8t06klgwcRopLR9xUWCDpGB_-U1ZPmM-fMskXrnSCIvNH3OUGZho-Lekzg4lPGQOwc/s200/051020081414.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5257384201883633426" border="0" /></a>I figured it was time to move on though, and took the train to Gyeongju the next day. The others stayed behind. Gyeongju is the old capital from the Silla era, and has tons of old graves that just look like weird little hills. I bought a bagful of goodies from Sticky Fingers as I thought there'd be no food in Gyeongju, but I ended up eating almost all of them on the train. They were just too damn good. I checked into a hostel in Gyeongju, I'm not that crazy about the whole couchsurfing thing.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVfIBjo3te8MLadTEp6C9PBQFh9klth1FHQgK0-brN3gUBOasq7EIVqbGzEJ1c_fL28Ms_T4efuOiGUWiDz_2SDalwbHQv3gSHCg_2oxRpOtIuME0X7-hLXZ0zPD3IYMf_e-YBkUYnKuQ/s1600-h/051020081393.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVfIBjo3te8MLadTEp6C9PBQFh9klth1FHQgK0-brN3gUBOasq7EIVqbGzEJ1c_fL28Ms_T4efuOiGUWiDz_2SDalwbHQv3gSHCg_2oxRpOtIuME0X7-hLXZ0zPD3IYMf_e-YBkUYnKuQ/s200/051020081393.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5257384863551519938" border="0" /></a>Next day I went off to see a temple and a grotto, supposedly the finest around. It was pretty nice, I suppose, but behind a glass and not so large, so it was far less impressive than the <a href="http://travelling-vegan.blogspot.com/2007/12/henan.html">Longmen Grottoes</a> in China. Nice hike nonetheless. Afterwards I asked the tourist information about vegetarian options in town. They directed me to a vegetarian restaurant called Baru. They only wanted to serve me bibimbap, but it was good and at 6,000 won it was much more worthy of its price than the more expensive Seoul restaurants!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjW35h2b7j9NQwby9ZBXz5mlACVHciGX8jNS1JpbZlK7cMbfdS7ZrJzDF6dV2E4kEaRq25q9gQ0lgN50yyW818W-7AiOohekcKRd6oS9GUe1uvFgNJFlCRNNYLp1JUz9M9quOhrVx1Vs7w/s1600-h/061020081423.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjW35h2b7j9NQwby9ZBXz5mlACVHciGX8jNS1JpbZlK7cMbfdS7ZrJzDF6dV2E4kEaRq25q9gQ0lgN50yyW818W-7AiOohekcKRd6oS9GUe1uvFgNJFlCRNNYLp1JUz9M9quOhrVx1Vs7w/s200/061020081423.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5257385519174870050" border="0" /></a>Now comes the interesting bit though, the hostel map marked something it called "Ura, special vegetarian village". So I asked the tourist information what, and most importantly, where, was this. They told me it's a village of raw vegans (without using those words) not too far from town. To get there you have to take bus 350 at 7:30 in the morning all the way to the end station of Sannae, and there continue at 8:20 by bus 351 until its final stop at Ura village. From the bus stop it's about 1 km hike up to the village itself. So this I did.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKcHdEyExIVMaZdNe-LY8uiYh24UfHk9mhyphenhyphenPkMmegggUkZUOFQgRQ-jv_svZMgrsJoUYztjIcvslwdE_-6em4KJ7Mh_cufcR9GrzTYNVtHlt4n4ZTmldQSIewlaVx7FUcEdwgcDWsPgro/s1600-h/061020081455.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKcHdEyExIVMaZdNe-LY8uiYh24UfHk9mhyphenhyphenPkMmegggUkZUOFQgRQ-jv_svZMgrsJoUYztjIcvslwdE_-6em4KJ7Mh_cufcR9GrzTYNVtHlt4n4ZTmldQSIewlaVx7FUcEdwgcDWsPgro/s200/061020081455.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5257386191371548706" border="0" /></a>The village had approximately 20 houses. This was daytime during a weekday so that, probably, is why I didn't see many people, only a few old women busy collecting nuts of some kind. They only spoke Korean, and my Korean is very limited, so I mostly just walked around the village by myself. It's in a beautiful setting, and there was music coming from a loudspeaker as well. But the village seems to have no services, no restaurants, hotels, or even a shop, so a couple of hours was certainly enough with nothing to do. I then had a bit more of a chat with one of the women, she told me, I think (very poor Korean indeed), that there live around 50 or so raw vegans in the village. She offered me some juice and fruit, and then I went on my way. Unfortunately the bus back doesn't come until 15:30 or so, and hence I started walking back. Soon I realised what a long walk it was and decided to try hitchhiking, if there'd be any cars around. Eventually one came and gave me a ride a bit closer, and a small tractor gave me ride for the rest of the way to Sannae, from where the buses to Gyeongju run every 20 minutes or so.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH-HdT6dgf_x3_VRUq3SjBMnFOMwx0EvkR2CszXfWFxplg1SFFR8u4CFtkj2VXUQohVDdiFzjtVHYJQ0jxEkEGaa7-agFzXE77P5we9Mi9NwE35y-iRfLtW76KBakKunwubXkZ4qXenGc/s1600-h/071020081487.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH-HdT6dgf_x3_VRUq3SjBMnFOMwx0EvkR2CszXfWFxplg1SFFR8u4CFtkj2VXUQohVDdiFzjtVHYJQ0jxEkEGaa7-agFzXE77P5we9Mi9NwE35y-iRfLtW76KBakKunwubXkZ4qXenGc/s200/071020081487.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5257387789322455826" border="0" /></a>In Gyeongju I decided to continue to Busan, which is only a short and comfortable bus ride away. After checking into a hostel I went over to what might still be the only vegetarian restaurant in town, the <a href="http://www.happycow.net/asia/south_korea/busan/index.html">Namsadae buffet</a>. They actually have pretty good Korean food with nice fake meats, so if not counting for Sticky Fingers, this was probably the best meal of this Korea visit. However, I was more excited about Japan and the next day, after visiting a beautiful seaside temple, I boarded the ferry to Japan. I decided to save money by taking the slow overnight ferry rather than the fast three hour one. Not only is the fast one more expensive, it would also mean having to pay for a hostel night in Japan immediately.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGvckmuCOsTDlb1auBjaOmPPi2uIfbepsxt0w0TGEFSlZ27POBxcZ5ZTF_1vqgBGOWoYGVBlDTotIUej-CNmLjk024oR0Kkk2f4z9SxF5xTRSJB8mjWPvjIleM5H9RROnAOMhjA3fnLDc/s1600-h/07102008028.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGvckmuCOsTDlb1auBjaOmPPi2uIfbepsxt0w0TGEFSlZ27POBxcZ5ZTF_1vqgBGOWoYGVBlDTotIUej-CNmLjk024oR0Kkk2f4z9SxF5xTRSJB8mjWPvjIleM5H9RROnAOMhjA3fnLDc/s200/07102008028.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5257388302603098114" border="0" /></a>This time I did get the Japanese style of an economy class, but it wasn't bad in my mind. This ship had even less services than the other one, only a restaurant not serving anything for vegans, but strangely they wanted us to board hours before the boat left despite the restaurant onboard also being closed. There were vending machines, only accepting Japanese yen -- this time it was more understandable but I still didn't have any. When buying the ticket they told me one is supposed to have a return ticket from Japan booked when entering the country, but didn't seem too bothered about it when I told them I didn't, and the Japanese customs said nothing. They did, however, search me very thoroughly, went through all the bags and even my shoes. Haven't been so checked in a long time. Well, not since the US at least.<br /><br />But the rest belongs to the Japan article... Regarding vegetarian Korea, there used to be a nice site called vegetarian-korea.org but it seems gone now. Hope it comes back later, but if anyone needs info on restaurants not in happycow, send me an email, I have the archive of that site from Sept. 2007 and it contains a lot more than happycow does.Jari (travelling-vegan)http://www.blogger.com/profile/03784215875655480912noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4094841068378580610.post-69367980730758618842008-10-08T23:00:00.014+08:002008-10-09T00:06:12.098+08:00A month in BeijingRunning behind on the blog as usual... so as a quick wrap-up, there was a month in Beijing, and the company arranged me this huge luxury apartment to live in. Never lived in such a thing before and it doesn't feel comfortable, especially not in a country with as much poverty as China. Plus it does get lonely in a huge place, listening to the echo of your own footsteps. So I filled up the place with couchsurfers. And cats, four of them at best, former stray cats for temporary housing. And weekly milongas. Here's some pics.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzD4tk65hJ_hMerRn2QHKpxy6pXFZ0LsIfFnyykHi8DG6sl_EFVxxHZdsUqK6SPWhyOOVbWJ59n9BTcVR_3uwtkk0dVIRlV5z5zMBQ7LkAChMBvnPwLUXvX6xAoYYKFrNF1Nile8wXagM/s1600-h/27082008405.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzD4tk65hJ_hMerRn2QHKpxy6pXFZ0LsIfFnyykHi8DG6sl_EFVxxHZdsUqK6SPWhyOOVbWJ59n9BTcVR_3uwtkk0dVIRlV5z5zMBQ7LkAChMBvnPwLUXvX6xAoYYKFrNF1Nile8wXagM/s200/27082008405.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5254801422368869474" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZKcpcoJtJXGtHt812cbQ_xScDYzFdj2prWG6zj5AqI9NStJNS1MuQJvDvgOpOrtiKpumLmJw2om798WNmAT4j4dIxlWO0KtACxRpmQksOxRDfEWcJwaeqrao_YUpGsDrxQ75PZgcDNjw/s1600-h/260820081354.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZKcpcoJtJXGtHt812cbQ_xScDYzFdj2prWG6zj5AqI9NStJNS1MuQJvDvgOpOrtiKpumLmJw2om798WNmAT4j4dIxlWO0KtACxRpmQksOxRDfEWcJwaeqrao_YUpGsDrxQ75PZgcDNjw/s200/260820081354.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5254802581180042882" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhM-F_dwiBhRRNLrsgihyphenhyphensS0p7LSsIr0gSujF3YMGOSyP_5ZPS7IOg0LucbDmklydMRrhGLxLtQf_jJPwG96-zSDOOnkwKn_H0osvf-SvDjwsASg5ACeqG7Gz_04o8vAwvOgMDVAWnG7Hg/s1600-h/27082008406.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhM-F_dwiBhRRNLrsgihyphenhyphensS0p7LSsIr0gSujF3YMGOSyP_5ZPS7IOg0LucbDmklydMRrhGLxLtQf_jJPwG96-zSDOOnkwKn_H0osvf-SvDjwsASg5ACeqG7Gz_04o8vAwvOgMDVAWnG7Hg/s200/27082008406.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5254801630486755890" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA9NHArOT-dbLUq-D0ubP0ijvCvEG88TSPT1LdeE-r3Tp0OsoKVUOfFe4e1Hfb3GeDwxvKNQ-B160saql_iU6VIGOAL3thYwxc-81lnXQpmZxwMYBynHflr7A1CHf-aqCopiWemifAJ0I/s1600-h/290820081365.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA9NHArOT-dbLUq-D0ubP0ijvCvEG88TSPT1LdeE-r3Tp0OsoKVUOfFe4e1Hfb3GeDwxvKNQ-B160saql_iU6VIGOAL3thYwxc-81lnXQpmZxwMYBynHflr7A1CHf-aqCopiWemifAJ0I/s200/290820081365.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5254801954155210082" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJUk6J3ECJSvPJP6dzmf4_UkCxnvXXRoN4MpqIw_NAR-o_yvvE290B_9_J3EJeehJTGiMRFUmHTlBEhkQ_WOMVPlhF45eAH_xQZg0-PSpQZ5A9vnxYPkT2YQpkeL756qVFSXqSquqiIRQ/s1600-h/28092008017.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJUk6J3ECJSvPJP6dzmf4_UkCxnvXXRoN4MpqIw_NAR-o_yvvE290B_9_J3EJeehJTGiMRFUmHTlBEhkQ_WOMVPlhF45eAH_xQZg0-PSpQZ5A9vnxYPkT2YQpkeL756qVFSXqSquqiIRQ/s200/28092008017.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5254814235771078738" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKV_TDGYIfHQhzfFcIyLgqWDJXM04aRWDpdSF-mr63Zd7LokX_g7HFQkC2GczZSrlc_UZf0zAtalBm48_MMIySvgjM9VUjqNO54SzpbXD7n9hn9tJIcZp38iEjPc0K_HZw-M95NtH8FGQ/s1600-h/27092008015.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKV_TDGYIfHQhzfFcIyLgqWDJXM04aRWDpdSF-mr63Zd7LokX_g7HFQkC2GczZSrlc_UZf0zAtalBm48_MMIySvgjM9VUjqNO54SzpbXD7n9hn9tJIcZp38iEjPc0K_HZw-M95NtH8FGQ/s200/27092008015.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5254814837903220066" border="0" /></a><br />Then a few restaurants that need mention:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfra_KFKP1IbSfsEsQwJiyoYsK2ztnpTIqEnxawtjGezIssd6ixw10XUGprmfWpKnNgTOidDR6D4WZYQKAjS8i_1zhLaIVCwveHGzFYnHhP6-z7u4ryN1mg-09_RBhMBP5ocxNCWEoG6E/s1600-h/150920081384.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfra_KFKP1IbSfsEsQwJiyoYsK2ztnpTIqEnxawtjGezIssd6ixw10XUGprmfWpKnNgTOidDR6D4WZYQKAjS8i_1zhLaIVCwveHGzFYnHhP6-z7u4ryN1mg-09_RBhMBP5ocxNCWEoG6E/s200/150920081384.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5254810693904068034" border="0" /></a>1) The Vegan Hut -- a great vegan restaurant in Jianwai SOHO, right off the Guomao metro station. Probably the only place in China with vegan ice-cream. Excellent stuff. They're open also for breakfasts during the week. And have wireless internet. There's a take-away stand downstairs, the restaurant itself is on the 2nd floor (or 1st floor counting the British way). The Vietnamese dishes are particularly good. They also don't add MSG, although it might exist in premade sauces.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPI363C2AiaTRIA2rcKzxQl3dHJP7ldgn5PQbDC0yY0B1DM2XQJ0rL5geIAjiTOPm0OjC6caQwTR2vKKwD4hLHQ_WCQGsAUuD4hNLeWg54uk0XXUnMKBQB1htn7XN4__EXvQe8H8b75GI/s1600-h/24092008003.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPI363C2AiaTRIA2rcKzxQl3dHJP7ldgn5PQbDC0yY0B1DM2XQJ0rL5geIAjiTOPm0OjC6caQwTR2vKKwD4hLHQ_WCQGsAUuD4hNLeWg54uk0XXUnMKBQB1htn7XN4__EXvQe8H8b75GI/s200/24092008003.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5254810512744236434" border="0" /></a>2) The other side of love, another vegan place with a more extensive menu, and less fake meats than most Chinese vegetarian restaurants. It's north from Xizhimen, at Mingguangcun west stop of bus line 16 from Xizhimen. In Chinese: 彼岸爱心素,艺海大厦,明光村西站。<br /><br />And to the end, the first cake I've ever baked, at least if I'm not forgetting anything... it was pretty tasty, just should've had something nice for a topping.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3V0EZe4UTm941fzRR5kteGOGQ-g14PnNpBriQJ4xSpXSwpZ3fO4x1fMMC806yo0h6wwvhT3B2QB7EwiRtd5REblnjdwG7vw0ZEkJMoLtkbVrU-H69WOEerG_8iyVrwAvDIBhDmtxYdkk/s1600-h/29092008021.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3V0EZe4UTm941fzRR5kteGOGQ-g14PnNpBriQJ4xSpXSwpZ3fO4x1fMMC806yo0h6wwvhT3B2QB7EwiRtd5REblnjdwG7vw0ZEkJMoLtkbVrU-H69WOEerG_8iyVrwAvDIBhDmtxYdkk/s200/29092008021.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5254814570614222834" border="0" /></a>Jari (travelling-vegan)http://www.blogger.com/profile/03784215875655480912noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4094841068378580610.post-79338385789884123082008-09-11T14:00:00.002+08:002008-09-11T14:02:13.069+08:00“Don’t Lose Hope, My Little Fox” Anti-Fur Concert<a href="http://vegansocialclub.com/?p=176">“Don’t Lose Hope, My Little Fox” Anti-Fur Concert in Beijing</a><br /><br />Posted using <a href="http://sharethis.com/">ShareThis</a>Jari (travelling-vegan)http://www.blogger.com/profile/03784215875655480912noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4094841068378580610.post-36918259750492044302008-08-25T15:57:00.010+08:002008-09-08T16:07:57.021+08:00Kunming, Guiyang, Changsha, Hangzhou<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6aC3BYNncc7sxvwKW0QZka0YjEUKjKGtI4-PeGwOWparRGa8PDkamuQhshyLqC-ql4pNBqI5OA6oRkbeUqkGv9rQLPIIYuM8VJPWyQVXhZoQ6jUK4TJTSo6EhvtzFY9Kw1n-9bHkfYqk/s1600-h/09082008376.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6aC3BYNncc7sxvwKW0QZka0YjEUKjKGtI4-PeGwOWparRGa8PDkamuQhshyLqC-ql4pNBqI5OA6oRkbeUqkGv9rQLPIIYuM8VJPWyQVXhZoQ6jUK4TJTSo6EhvtzFY9Kw1n-9bHkfYqk/s200/09082008376.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5243549908984454066" border="0" /></a>Goodness, I've fallen way behind in keeping up the blog again. So just a quick wrap-up of the rest of the trip to get to more up-to-date things! From Dali I jumped to the train to Kunming, the capital of Yunnan province. There's a very nice vegetarian restaurant in Kunming, but unfortunately only one! So I ate there every day. There's a veggie shop next to it also, and there's no egg in foods, so save from anything that might contain dairy (can't remember if there was anything of that kind) it's probably vegan too.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ3JJeGTpj1EOvllYh2VAXT-FN0Qu8n-zGboJO7qsREvD60cGXv3cS6hTObZWDDcqgtVbaeZ5Y3JaUdYmckepmz6KuTuJaupkYlV95MXsjWnkVcN_BgwIhmbv9q2eGB1U5maSyXTybI2o/s1600-h/10082008388.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ3JJeGTpj1EOvllYh2VAXT-FN0Qu8n-zGboJO7qsREvD60cGXv3cS6hTObZWDDcqgtVbaeZ5Y3JaUdYmckepmz6KuTuJaupkYlV95MXsjWnkVcN_BgwIhmbv9q2eGB1U5maSyXTybI2o/s200/10082008388.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5243551487118639570" border="0" /></a>The restaurant is next to a temple and close to a lake, and these two are pretty much the only sights I went to in my few days in Kunming, which were spent pretty much only working. I meant to go to the Stone Forest also but got too confused of the million bus stations to actually get anywhere, and then decided the sooner I return to Beijing the sooner I can leave China. (So I thought at the time, but more on that later.) Oh, I did also run into a blood donation bus and on a sudden decision tested if they're the same as in Beijing. They pretty much were, similar form of which they let my bypass all the health questions marking them "no" without even asking me about that, and they did use new needles and everything seemed fine. They even gave me a nice thermos cup, I was thinking of refusing any gifts but that cup is just too useful in Chinese trains etc.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmvTFU3or-z2sxtc2Ndb9axW3PS4aE_xdBHDRdvmdxhHB5VZjHjNCR1PniUfz1b-dcSoC-TEsoJNHOsymy9yS39lhytUjaykhlzFRB8HOUcy1j5gsEHazFlJYDWICQyKsWf_5bgHG03Vc/s1600-h/140820081302.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmvTFU3or-z2sxtc2Ndb9axW3PS4aE_xdBHDRdvmdxhHB5VZjHjNCR1PniUfz1b-dcSoC-TEsoJNHOsymy9yS39lhytUjaykhlzFRB8HOUcy1j5gsEHazFlJYDWICQyKsWf_5bgHG03Vc/s200/140820081302.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5243553594090906290" border="0" /></a>Next up, Guiyang, in Guizhou province. I arrived in the morning, left my bag at the train station and jumped on the bus for the main sight of Guizhou province: the Huangguoshu waterfalls. One of the biggest in Asia, it is definitely well worth seeing. But be warned that if you take up and walk everywhere like I did, the taxi drivers can be really irritating claiming the 5km to the next place would be too far to walk and pestering you constantly. I have tons of pictures from this place, will upload them somewhere 'soon', whatever that means.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-OHrb0CkegY4VplqXLfuxpkEUjt4DkmVaMH_7vXm82VY2_TDmMsA1OKOqYMnaLor-dNkH5nLIEsTsrlqVVUVYXQBC3TKHDqvW0NP_hyjWcA4D0nUl7hBlU-flvjw3LaIsRZ8pr0g3F-I/s1600-h/150820081316.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-OHrb0CkegY4VplqXLfuxpkEUjt4DkmVaMH_7vXm82VY2_TDmMsA1OKOqYMnaLor-dNkH5nLIEsTsrlqVVUVYXQBC3TKHDqvW0NP_hyjWcA4D0nUl7hBlU-flvjw3LaIsRZ8pr0g3F-I/s200/150820081316.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5243556318816799634" border="0" /></a>Then back to Guiyang and to search for a place to stay. Now here's the thing; apparently there are no reasonable hostels in Guiyang. And what's worse, a young Chinese guy travelling around on a very small budget with 2 friends happened to sit next to me in the bus, and stupidly I decided to join them in the search for accommodation as they were to embark on the same task. But their priority was to find the cheapest place possible, and so we eventually ended up in a dirty hotel full of cockroaches, and of course no internet, which would've been one of my priorities given that I was supposedly working. Anyway, just one night then, and I went out to look for food and that wasn't too easy either in the evening. After being pestered on the streets by some locals for a while and deciding that I hate Guiyang, I did find something to eat, even if it wasn't anything to write home about. The next day the only vegetarian restaurant in town was open but it isn't worth much either. Don't go to Guiyang unless you really have to.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitaSN4qy99y4ENxBd2JzImVq2H0w1L9YC6oVLsgVNX7VlIB8w85XbUv7_Z8z7t9uQhcI4iiDV-ceHi-mXVX0X8n6xplVLlao6I6nNkz3tLbtDJHdm0UUMCBYskUJO43PQH52TQ0_NGdJE/s1600-h/170820081335.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitaSN4qy99y4ENxBd2JzImVq2H0w1L9YC6oVLsgVNX7VlIB8w85XbUv7_Z8z7t9uQhcI4iiDV-ceHi-mXVX0X8n6xplVLlao6I6nNkz3tLbtDJHdm0UUMCBYskUJO43PQH52TQ0_NGdJE/s200/170820081335.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5243557787561862114" border="0" /></a>The next day and on to Changsha, but in my hurry to leave town I accepted the hard seater on the train, figuring I'd arrive early in the morning. But at 11 pm the train stopped in the middle of nowhere and stood there until 4 am, with all lights on and of course there isn't anywhere to even lean on those trains so there's no hope of sleep. I didn't bring anything to eat either, and two cute kids decided I was the most fun person to play with throughout the day... I don't mind playing with kids at all, but given the tiredness it did get boring soon. We arrived at 7 pm the next day. Changsha isn't worth a mention really, what, a city of 6 million people without any vegetarian restaurants or even hostels! No real sights either, despite 3,000 years of history, at least no sights other than Maoist things, I guess anything old has been destroyed long ago. It did feel better than Guiyang but this is another city one should skip.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjObAiSNIPxMBOmNTwH8o5zq4KDG7xhPMfnWw7H4gjA6F55PEbTrHmiKMW1z8O4ynwD_Q1GKyfb34Z187Xm4hTMdHsiS_v__TvZsxANNev2vFoODf3yFtRGeccO9l5gxbcQH0uDTVtb6Gk/s1600-h/190820081349.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjObAiSNIPxMBOmNTwH8o5zq4KDG7xhPMfnWw7H4gjA6F55PEbTrHmiKMW1z8O4ynwD_Q1GKyfb34Z187Xm4hTMdHsiS_v__TvZsxANNev2vFoODf3yFtRGeccO9l5gxbcQH0uDTVtb6Gk/s200/190820081349.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5243558918403016546" border="0" /></a>Finally then, Hangzhou. I wasn't meaning to go to Hangzhou actually but as the above mentioned two cities weren't worth stopping and I needed to stop somewhere to work a few days before getting back to Beijing, Hangzhou seemed perfect for the task. And it was quite a contrast to the previous two, it's green and luscious, has several nice veggie places and excellent value hostels right near the gorgeous and rightly famous West Lake. Even so, I had been to Hangzhou before so didn't do much sight-seeing, just ate and worked and met up with an old friend. It is one of the actually nice cities in China though, well worth a stop.Jari (travelling-vegan)http://www.blogger.com/profile/03784215875655480912noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4094841068378580610.post-3342845388890977322008-08-10T10:56:00.007+08:002008-08-22T17:09:06.561+08:00Dali and drugdealing housewifes<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqFwS6b0DBoA4DOCt0Rq0xrG2kOT216ATWB0-Wr7wkEGWB4cCxbXqrv0zAM5IqJyMxgbqykrHABQ1vfe5RQPABMZ8zIzLo3OC8PUNlblao3TiPuFImOFk4NSJfcnDn7PDbEHedrCgrvQU/s1600-h/06082008296.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqFwS6b0DBoA4DOCt0Rq0xrG2kOT216ATWB0-Wr7wkEGWB4cCxbXqrv0zAM5IqJyMxgbqykrHABQ1vfe5RQPABMZ8zIzLo3OC8PUNlblao3TiPuFImOFk4NSJfcnDn7PDbEHedrCgrvQU/s200/06082008296.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5237264649333328530" border="0" /></a>Dali lies 3 hours (by bus) south from Lijiang, and also has a relatively nice old town. Although not car free and less defined. The buses and trains usually go to Xiaguan, which is confusingly also known as Dali City, but the Dali old town (gucheng) is what tourists would look for. It's something of a backpacker central, which brings about some interesting phenomena. Like lots of signs in English, western food advertised all over, and middle-aged or older women selling drugs all over the streets. They really don't look like drug dealers and seem to only target foreigners. But if you're non-Asian and walk the streets of the old town for five minutes, several will probably have approached you already.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhH6OWKWaWb9nPetHF_o6VAAqxI9UKvSxZEslw9xpVwPhXfMoWWapYNfDZAitCFM8kXvwBX_MWGYMTrMpREairl-wcf2FeIi31pxoAmJJ4JCZYqye8pGb57wieUVVCewn5wn40_nN45f40/s1600-h/07082008304.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhH6OWKWaWb9nPetHF_o6VAAqxI9UKvSxZEslw9xpVwPhXfMoWWapYNfDZAitCFM8kXvwBX_MWGYMTrMpREairl-wcf2FeIi31pxoAmJJ4JCZYqye8pGb57wieUVVCewn5wn40_nN45f40/s200/07082008304.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5237264907299055506" border="0" /></a>Lonely Planet (2005 edition) also talks of a restaurant claiming to be the first vegetarian restaurant in town, and another one nearby laying the same claim. Neither seems to exist nowadays. But there is a vegetarian café called Seeds, pretty close to where LP said the restaurant was, across the street from Bamboo Café. Their menus feature the Vegan Society logo, but don't be confused: dishes marked with the vegan logo aren't necessarily vegan, they only mean they will make it vegan by request! The menu isn't huge but some of the dishes are very nice, I'd recommend the potato curry at least if you don't mind some spices. The sandwiches are ok too, although they put a considerable amount of oil in my tofu sandwich that I had at the premises, those taken to go didn't seem to feature the oiliness. There's also a bunch of magazines and books (in English, French, and Chinese) to read and very friendly service. And when leaving, get some sandwiches to go.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnG0KCIbJhEtMNJmmwXgQWb2hD9wslA9HgMuvxkYf4u74fCH_bxF9T0NSI4FooMn_-GBShpBkKpDQhfw5w6tPhedDfm6seqiSqbJF2T4Nu7KVPYuikogSFpxUHR5Mzh0_kk_r6sAcBmV0/s1600-h/080820081142.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnG0KCIbJhEtMNJmmwXgQWb2hD9wslA9HgMuvxkYf4u74fCH_bxF9T0NSI4FooMn_-GBShpBkKpDQhfw5w6tPhedDfm6seqiSqbJF2T4Nu7KVPYuikogSFpxUHR5Mzh0_kk_r6sAcBmV0/s200/080820081142.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5237265902350959538" border="0" /></a>Otherwise in Dali it was just work and some hiking in the nearby mountains. And a look at the lake. But at the railway station I was quite surprised when the countdown for the Beijing Olympics came on TV and everyone at the station started counting down also. What's more, soon they played the national anthem and almost everyone (myself excluded of course) jumped up and sang along! Goodness, patriotism is weird. Afterwards about a dozen kids surrounded me and each of them wanted a picture with me. That doesn't tend to happen in northern China anymore so it was a little surprising also, even though it was a common occurrence when I came to this country. Speaking of photos, I'm just setting up a new photosharing thing and pictures will be there later, so very few of them here this time.Jari (travelling-vegan)http://www.blogger.com/profile/03784215875655480912noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4094841068378580610.post-4014433917028657912008-08-06T13:15:00.049+08:002008-08-06T23:47:26.673+08:00Lijiang and Leaping Tigers<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7QlYKfldTKqPbt8AnsgpE0cZvnzeHwN6CDlwy_3SERznMfNbM6h9crAuWkkdz07N5NNeNZtP4juLrM3ay-36DNgnkmlooczVrf4wdqrFoGYdrXuGxP-Ddx4qxSj8n8QNusuY1Mhc9iO4/s1600-h/010820081080.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7QlYKfldTKqPbt8AnsgpE0cZvnzeHwN6CDlwy_3SERznMfNbM6h9crAuWkkdz07N5NNeNZtP4juLrM3ay-36DNgnkmlooczVrf4wdqrFoGYdrXuGxP-Ddx4qxSj8n8QNusuY1Mhc9iO4/s200/010820081080.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5231402948051604370" border="0" /></a>Lijiang is a nice city in nort-western Yunnan. The place to be over there is the old town, it has several features to add to its charm: traditional style houses of Naxi people, nice cobble-stone alleys, no cars allowed, lots of little waterways, and the location in a valley with mountains surrounding. It's also a Unesco World Heritage site, and full of tourists and shops selling crap to the tourists. The shops seemed to just sell all sorts of tourist crap mixed in with local handicrafts. Also the car ban didn't seem to be as strict as on Gulang Yu island in Xiamen because there was a garbage truck driving through at least once a day and the police had electric cars there. Still, far better than nothing.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjALe_n93y_LXCHW3bMZvkq9-KdYmMnvtFKHRcO1ofBuyFnB96-Yiz9OAINQgv8t4s-TiwtSRiciheexDR-W2gntJ2cYINsyNK0iiTA4LlewLw_d1t_lS_Kwl87f9qJxx-IYAc-XGWvRwc/s1600-h/020820081107.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjALe_n93y_LXCHW3bMZvkq9-KdYmMnvtFKHRcO1ofBuyFnB96-Yiz9OAINQgv8t4s-TiwtSRiciheexDR-W2gntJ2cYINsyNK0iiTA4LlewLw_d1t_lS_Kwl87f9qJxx-IYAc-XGWvRwc/s200/020820081107.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5231404369897153538" border="0" /></a>A rather interesting visit in Lijiang was the centre of the Nature Conservancy, a US based organization trying to, well, figure it out from the name. They had quite a display of stunning photographs from the area, with the most interesting being the comparison pictures. They were showing pictures taken in the 1910s and 1920s and next to them modern pictures of the same places. It was really easy to see the effects of global warming, the snowlines going higher up, as well as the treelines.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpAKOaO2q-IRyfrFXbC5_s3KRz2MC1ETXJ-ZsybIZjxa9BhpjwFzcQilM4rqHxUjLUjsMzZ9hB-XnYDHdzhaKnFujeo9KghQfIlj7eGuzvPaGfPS3siPfhZnL3Gbqrvnp3HXx8HsuSHHQ/s1600-h/020820081089.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpAKOaO2q-IRyfrFXbC5_s3KRz2MC1ETXJ-ZsybIZjxa9BhpjwFzcQilM4rqHxUjLUjsMzZ9hB-XnYDHdzhaKnFujeo9KghQfIlj7eGuzvPaGfPS3siPfhZnL3Gbqrvnp3HXx8HsuSHHQ/s200/020820081089.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5231404878123704738" border="0" /></a>An actual sight in Lijiang is the Black Dragon Pool and the park around it, including Elephant Hill. The pond and the park are quite nice, and it wasn't a bad hike up the hill, but I really don't see how it would be worth the entrance ticket of a whopping 80 yuan. Well, have to spend the money on something, as accommodation in Lijiang was pretty cheap. I paid 50 yuan per night of a single room in a really nice and comfortable traditional style guest house, which had wireless net access that made working from there excellent in the quiet settings and a cute puppy interrupting occasionally.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsAU9gEgj-7xnL1QI3A9vyjaoEychKT0yBy830z0FttROD4412CvsXKyEdUqvl9Y0MO3fPM8g-S6GRZsHqsuCRPOgP4H4Hvq17XseoE2_nVOchHkPmbqlKg7uaadf4RHWs88UXNMyqldA/s1600-h/020820081109.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsAU9gEgj-7xnL1QI3A9vyjaoEychKT0yBy830z0FttROD4412CvsXKyEdUqvl9Y0MO3fPM8g-S6GRZsHqsuCRPOgP4H4Hvq17XseoE2_nVOchHkPmbqlKg7uaadf4RHWs88UXNMyqldA/s200/020820081109.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5231405798290924066" border="0" /></a>Oh, there's also an interesting writing system of the Dongba in this area. A little museum-like thing is set up near the Black Dragon Pool where they present things and an old man there writes people short things in Dongba script by request. It's like Egyptian hieroglyphs meet Chinese characters. Here's a picture as a sample.<br /><br />Not far from Lijiang is the Tiger Leaping Gorge, and of course I have to go anywhere that mentions tigers. Besides, it's supposedly <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBKUPs9CkrMssf3J4lLxEKkffgjRGmb6hPNuKPvWH-WDZ64I05rPE164k8yc7QmHS-ZIaOUdmtWUMOvidB8BFMDJVa5us9g7r6U52GLTHUnkuOulKcQiDpohrvLfu7k7QPeNco_m4nao8/s1600-h/03082008032.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBKUPs9CkrMssf3J4lLxEKkffgjRGmb6hPNuKPvWH-WDZ64I05rPE164k8yc7QmHS-ZIaOUdmtWUMOvidB8BFMDJVa5us9g7r6U52GLTHUnkuOulKcQiDpohrvLfu7k7QPeNco_m4nao8/s200/03082008032.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5231406704466119234" border="0" /></a>the deepest gorge in the world, or at least among the three deepest gorges, there's always conflicting information running about. Closer to 4 km from the river surface to the mountain peaks. It's a good two-day hike through the gorge, but how to get there was a bit of a question. My outdated Lonely Planet guide from 2005 knows of three bus stations in Lijiang, and it seems none of them exist nowadays. There is a brand new bus station to which I arrived, but they have no buses to Daju where I wanted to start and only one per day to Qiaotou which is at the other end, and that one leaves at 2 pm which would be too late. Naturally I wasn't the only one looking for buses so I teamed up with some other travellers and together we hired a minivan to drive us to Qiaotou for 50 yuan each.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAcxCE7l1gSt3zUWPEs9hzeYobUeaY9mnAOcp12kVMuj5Q5t4VygJdRnkV17XEPBnyZ-AEosNAmDgSu0d0T1u4tce9fOJ26UKN_Rt48LLTSCzIyR_U0hVVGysJDa5UbFk2mPY8xZREeOE/s1600-h/03082008031.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAcxCE7l1gSt3zUWPEs9hzeYobUeaY9mnAOcp12kVMuj5Q5t4VygJdRnkV17XEPBnyZ-AEosNAmDgSu0d0T1u4tce9fOJ26UKN_Rt48LLTSCzIyR_U0hVVGysJDa5UbFk2mPY8xZREeOE/s200/03082008031.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5231406988401694306" border="0" /></a>At Qiaotou I almost got a second job as a Chinese - English interpreter, but since I don't accept any jobs that don't let me travel around freely it didn't last long. So we headed to the mountains beside the gorge, me and Mr Fan, one of the people who shared the ride over. The early part of the hike is all uphill, so sweat poured despite the weather not being too hot. Actually the weather reports had said it should be raining constantly, but there was only the occasional drops of water and I even managed to get sunburnt during the hike. Well, rather than telling you how beautiful it was I'll just post some photos. They're all phone photos, so no optical zoom, unfortunately. Should suggest making phones with that functionality. I guess N93 has something of an optical zoom but anyway, I digress.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtGWTq9qGbI5b3m2LyowEMqKslZzuKcFDTpTk_LGbJx_tt-Zvu278bnkNWywYF7HyO4ypNbAIVPwBme5YDNVxHNLYyp-u90P5J5biOHTRy-QQFu9P5lkl3VhqiMgwT8a0FWlZgzjNSm_c/s1600-h/03082008043.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtGWTq9qGbI5b3m2LyowEMqKslZzuKcFDTpTk_LGbJx_tt-Zvu278bnkNWywYF7HyO4ypNbAIVPwBme5YDNVxHNLYyp-u90P5J5biOHTRy-QQFu9P5lkl3VhqiMgwT8a0FWlZgzjNSm_c/s200/03082008043.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5231409393076144034" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwazlWwbxA9vcRu9lfl2CLNbDEYwCDfYTg_qtgXb8VyZgj7lN0ES_1lD-mRI9-IuoHVJp1dkdl7Dz4jNeJvVE8G6stvCO-CNXZ62jvzvi_TJS5nhoMODqmibqqO7hWNZokvA-vyC9LEU8/s1600-h/03082008045.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwazlWwbxA9vcRu9lfl2CLNbDEYwCDfYTg_qtgXb8VyZgj7lN0ES_1lD-mRI9-IuoHVJp1dkdl7Dz4jNeJvVE8G6stvCO-CNXZ62jvzvi_TJS5nhoMODqmibqqO7hWNZokvA-vyC9LEU8/s200/03082008045.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5231409659406035026" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhn4U69DCE5kIGIj4PsHLa0YQ6rs9wdNYyyEpdht5JjOTi_6nZroaG5K_ekxdNVX9RTSe0DbbTg1T23MV5f_EEzM_j3qLE4AysgC5hJDMDo0_mGRxV0tf2a-SOAV5Swf3DMl3qGOq_VGH0/s1600-h/03082008092.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhn4U69DCE5kIGIj4PsHLa0YQ6rs9wdNYyyEpdht5JjOTi_6nZroaG5K_ekxdNVX9RTSe0DbbTg1T23MV5f_EEzM_j3qLE4AysgC5hJDMDo0_mGRxV0tf2a-SOAV5Swf3DMl3qGOq_VGH0/s200/03082008092.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5231410133640691842" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-Bf7sC9PzFO9XYg-MhuB34CktKZKHja6RUfmCyL84vMZ7E1wTQ0pI6BbvzXv_XNhpuy-3Wosz-TtAZS0Th5YhYBmp7klMvzhl3d9gREw9sSyhazKoWcJAOwo_hQ1MxTxvfkrho89lzGo/s1600-h/03082008111.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-Bf7sC9PzFO9XYg-MhuB34CktKZKHja6RUfmCyL84vMZ7E1wTQ0pI6BbvzXv_XNhpuy-3Wosz-TtAZS0Th5YhYBmp7klMvzhl3d9gREw9sSyhazKoWcJAOwo_hQ1MxTxvfkrho89lzGo/s200/03082008111.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5231410558659873010" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" 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src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihuZjDbEdGOivYTQwTkz3yCuEd37xB7QP4-x4aWmQ6kStDQCC7sfT9sMdU1FrIdnpr-F_sYJoAnO5Y8ygdUM7iNCHw1W8fl-0UpFSbSkXbPUMQ1VdeQA_TR5B6oVIOK-3LEUbBvSrcSSM/s200/03082008122.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5231411168037754034" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJXQjtx86j0W-4PIDIr7Kc56T_1MRWkIih8CNVs0F4d41Zw9B6DWPZcOKqk7NyoXqyIHMfcsUJ-AK4RPjMS8gKLhAcIdg28D5nqYG9mg6xuC2NLKd2b5QaM-85LZadJhhpC5qxErX_KmA/s1600-h/03082008126.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJXQjtx86j0W-4PIDIr7Kc56T_1MRWkIih8CNVs0F4d41Zw9B6DWPZcOKqk7NyoXqyIHMfcsUJ-AK4RPjMS8gKLhAcIdg28D5nqYG9mg6xuC2NLKd2b5QaM-85LZadJhhpC5qxErX_KmA/s200/03082008126.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5231411357611313282" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyCvXLdn-APgO0B7HAHfPi5I2hXNHDh8iXk_4WQRAAvdaMs471TUICbwYdIKrX5Vls2qYVSHD9c3oJ63Cpp03zSHN49vd0Vy5Crcif0mnx3karqlOmzacWy12AkKVXwZbpVk7w4ard-lY/s1600-h/03082008136.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyCvXLdn-APgO0B7HAHfPi5I2hXNHDh8iXk_4WQRAAvdaMs471TUICbwYdIKrX5Vls2qYVSHD9c3oJ63Cpp03zSHN49vd0Vy5Crcif0mnx3karqlOmzacWy12AkKVXwZbpVk7w4ard-lY/s200/03082008136.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5231412267894459682" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwG6pDvKwYcXeNFUaTLPQmPmKfQ_M81LaR-ELzvKP6F71MwyrlGcs0BB5Dy9euvUQrbyrNqfwn7MMk9WCpdIL5aAjl2UYIaYBx4d5u_BJ41EET-nRsovIBxiFMTPouoU26WrSaB8cEf4c/s1600-h/03082008132.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwG6pDvKwYcXeNFUaTLPQmPmKfQ_M81LaR-ELzvKP6F71MwyrlGcs0BB5Dy9euvUQrbyrNqfwn7MMk9WCpdIL5aAjl2UYIaYBx4d5u_BJ41EET-nRsovIBxiFMTPouoU26WrSaB8cEf4c/s200/03082008132.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5231411731709492690" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1ZVR9aA3DBhWkWsHH9dyjVAEjbyrj9s0VW7iALd3IYXV9vYfLXiOSaUARbt7GvDm84T_15wAA0PS58qobO_YvIbFDJGo-8BCpM7As_iQ3fKzKaIUsrSSXlgTMc1nJZnBAr9MYb7oxhvE/s1600-h/03082008133.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1ZVR9aA3DBhWkWsHH9dyjVAEjbyrj9s0VW7iALd3IYXV9vYfLXiOSaUARbt7GvDm84T_15wAA0PS58qobO_YvIbFDJGo-8BCpM7As_iQ3fKzKaIUsrSSXlgTMc1nJZnBAr9MYb7oxhvE/s200/03082008133.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5231411989167534914" border="0" /></a><br />I stayed overnight at Tina's Guest House, Mr Fan stopped an hour and a half earlier. One of the nice things about such hikes in China is that there are these places where to stop for the night and you don't have to carry tents along. These guest houses come up every 2 hours or less during the hike and they do have decent restaurants as well. Tina's is a regular youth hostel, fine and cheap but nothing to write home about really, so I'll stop writing.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibxVnrPPv4SzLID80eeYjGcKoVShd4GcyoKA_XAVTHLiW-g-CNktHBBlUm6xdMptIkcVphgOiHlCR5h0g0IW4QBH1zhvommQxDPphow6uxr7mvOrCWVTxL8OEv4L2-iUtACM4Zbfgjgfo/s1600-h/03082008141.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibxVnrPPv4SzLID80eeYjGcKoVShd4GcyoKA_XAVTHLiW-g-CNktHBBlUm6xdMptIkcVphgOiHlCR5h0g0IW4QBH1zhvommQxDPphow6uxr7mvOrCWVTxL8OEv4L2-iUtACM4Zbfgjgfo/s200/03082008141.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5231412618459884706" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDslITiENEoSL2X8P0JxbiI2ofqDQQ1HQjTcpvMRKYR-O3jJTs38zHqSDIL_WaKuSTYame-mChyphenhyphenqyjdUQy5vlYj8UZD6BS2hAKyyGo4EuoXQt4HeENxYqnI_V6un1pW9BEFSp-qIGEPAs/s1600-h/03082008171.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDslITiENEoSL2X8P0JxbiI2ofqDQQ1HQjTcpvMRKYR-O3jJTs38zHqSDIL_WaKuSTYame-mChyphenhyphenqyjdUQy5vlYj8UZD6BS2hAKyyGo4EuoXQt4HeENxYqnI_V6un1pW9BEFSp-qIGEPAs/s200/03082008171.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5231414807234514226" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidqHpuLI8yQDxML8PyvUdAYcIc3iYr0roCuJn6luGO3QiC1wRTNKNhWhL1aiARCd9BaR_dTbwYjKpnB4AHeJS8CVRJ2lIo67HY5nfFBw8XCd2ggUHpNeIPn54beJBifYlrk7Wo4swQ-NA/s1600-h/03082008155.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidqHpuLI8yQDxML8PyvUdAYcIc3iYr0roCuJn6luGO3QiC1wRTNKNhWhL1aiARCd9BaR_dTbwYjKpnB4AHeJS8CVRJ2lIo67HY5nfFBw8XCd2ggUHpNeIPn54beJBifYlrk7Wo4swQ-NA/s200/03082008155.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5231412862911876386" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgozvWMUk_iAWiZeDPxGWlIdAhILCwQasKjPPLckbxRUXtlALlyQM2xHQ8GJxp00WW523DMSTvHRq0jVypbmWgSXDalX-QYdySx2J3l-rF1WNm5nbrrSOe7oy4U1tAFx6CRqEP_eOek5l8/s1600-h/03082008154.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgozvWMUk_iAWiZeDPxGWlIdAhILCwQasKjPPLckbxRUXtlALlyQM2xHQ8GJxp00WW523DMSTvHRq0jVypbmWgSXDalX-QYdySx2J3l-rF1WNm5nbrrSOe7oy4U1tAFx6CRqEP_eOek5l8/s200/03082008154.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5231415373020554610" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzg_EZwfYmnFKwkPheRH6I1lGuVoK4bFkn-VOHQkQW9Q3hNgmxh8PSEJ9S8p-OiuY7Retagwl-hpT8IK5WP0bolhLaBJf9C__CHE0Y8yhzVQDrvhR5sy40mkdCngTAhSUxV6Tb9T8mdGc/s1600-h/03082008158.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzg_EZwfYmnFKwkPheRH6I1lGuVoK4bFkn-VOHQkQW9Q3hNgmxh8PSEJ9S8p-OiuY7Retagwl-hpT8IK5WP0bolhLaBJf9C__CHE0Y8yhzVQDrvhR5sy40mkdCngTAhSUxV6Tb9T8mdGc/s200/03082008158.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5231413070657987266" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjSiQn0Fw37NffrA6x82ZUddq6edYkNXvrNnmT_jXikxmgcalFu3kJDGFp-nhyzXRYU9NTT1gTmffoMYr3rPPWEzANKAfDLuqtU7sGX-FtFCNHGtTgmZ07pAS0tilDFYs3_037tOqlB9A/s1600-h/03082008162.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjSiQn0Fw37NffrA6x82ZUddq6edYkNXvrNnmT_jXikxmgcalFu3kJDGFp-nhyzXRYU9NTT1gTmffoMYr3rPPWEzANKAfDLuqtU7sGX-FtFCNHGtTgmZ07pAS0tilDFYs3_037tOqlB9A/s200/03082008162.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5231413385088934034" border="0" /></a><br />In the morning I went down to the river and climbed on the thing the gorge got its name after, the Tiger Leaping Stone. Legend has it that once upon a time a tiger leaped over the river from the stone. Either the river was smaller back then or then it was one heck of a leap!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihRrNxPejJpJ6k_1ak9-D_aDvwO_voyyPFnEbGCNMk1CHutge90EgrbjiqIRrZHpPruZZdV57_KfW8iQydUQIp0_rUpHEC5VPolfmHEtUozQWUmfM8_hvSQuzNmXVP6A2BvQNAYd7s0KU/s1600-h/04082008178.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihRrNxPejJpJ6k_1ak9-D_aDvwO_voyyPFnEbGCNMk1CHutge90EgrbjiqIRrZHpPruZZdV57_KfW8iQydUQIp0_rUpHEC5VPolfmHEtUozQWUmfM8_hvSQuzNmXVP6A2BvQNAYd7s0KU/s200/04082008178.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5231415887730900034" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmJNt6FQMwvcWmBlSXDniaapgrk_iDcs4rO_fKJKZcSp2d-nIgVOZEHa8iC-aNKo2nVeNDac9GljmR8nDyxpdPmn1UyoxubFlmlu3BMCjrqNyL2blmC3lqLb08OLxXw8L6Yeno2ZOxS4g/s1600-h/04082008180.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmJNt6FQMwvcWmBlSXDniaapgrk_iDcs4rO_fKJKZcSp2d-nIgVOZEHa8iC-aNKo2nVeNDac9GljmR8nDyxpdPmn1UyoxubFlmlu3BMCjrqNyL2blmC3lqLb08OLxXw8L6Yeno2ZOxS4g/s200/04082008180.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5231416347178884386" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj82fKiHhk4vl7bfKHSFTY9hTk_b_sXwv4fBsgbnLn6L2bDqzaQdXlZkQkMIbtV18K8t-1uxnCbsHXF2CR01F-Gvg0GM6YLN9roNOf9Gr34fpBMVkjZcc2tAN3EUs7WBXu_9AcXC68Axls/s1600-h/04082008184.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj82fKiHhk4vl7bfKHSFTY9hTk_b_sXwv4fBsgbnLn6L2bDqzaQdXlZkQkMIbtV18K8t-1uxnCbsHXF2CR01F-Gvg0GM6YLN9roNOf9Gr34fpBMVkjZcc2tAN3EUs7WBXu_9AcXC68Axls/s200/04082008184.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5231416747270083266" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlpfCvhiGEphM4pFELKvpiluMcI1qPJqiihWV_e0B9Z48BR-i1qbvzh-mSQXEyEv4skfeLxHrohGDxF2JkyrevWb70ZCxK3AMGYpfo2SIYn9tAaIGBjx3N9Ibml9wmvWRcDqUYaQY9A6o/s1600-h/04082008185.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlpfCvhiGEphM4pFELKvpiluMcI1qPJqiihWV_e0B9Z48BR-i1qbvzh-mSQXEyEv4skfeLxHrohGDxF2JkyrevWb70ZCxK3AMGYpfo2SIYn9tAaIGBjx3N9Ibml9wmvWRcDqUYaQY9A6o/s200/04082008185.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5231416980496959314" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjznPE6RlPUnjMJtRd4FhYOdHoEq4s6XNwF52oViQgtHj05o2wTq_u4drjK5-_A1DUd9-N1tryzFIje7X692bK_YVSyBy-m5K44dpe_rJiyvR-RHMxJTon7lRGqhXhluRyr1vECIeqOC3Y/s1600-h/04082008188.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjznPE6RlPUnjMJtRd4FhYOdHoEq4s6XNwF52oViQgtHj05o2wTq_u4drjK5-_A1DUd9-N1tryzFIje7X692bK_YVSyBy-m5K44dpe_rJiyvR-RHMxJTon7lRGqhXhluRyr1vECIeqOC3Y/s200/04082008188.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5231417280277263010" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjd1ZuqyAz71AwU_yEqakxtMMyURPSA3Jq5UNg_rZow9vci3Hkiu-k1AZu4NpyVgf9Y2WugIJvc5PAzJyBcKn6VPXOEBD4jlVdfun3264LUHsKUGB8YsREEZkC3p57gBEp8moGDHm6qAL4/s1600-h/04082008193.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjd1ZuqyAz71AwU_yEqakxtMMyURPSA3Jq5UNg_rZow9vci3Hkiu-k1AZu4NpyVgf9Y2WugIJvc5PAzJyBcKn6VPXOEBD4jlVdfun3264LUHsKUGB8YsREEZkC3p57gBEp8moGDHm6qAL4/s200/04082008193.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5231417567283537778" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhyarAKxkzONCw-ZaWarEYNgwqAeNCi8ZdNnU-s8GUWHq78m2VMxT5dgGOA68xgLd08l7tdcAISGNrCsX1GMVKKS-tPmmm_7_RVntRv1U4dCD1aYA-G-hjIDlgfusE3Etf1cIfWP8LI2c/s1600-h/04082008197.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhyarAKxkzONCw-ZaWarEYNgwqAeNCi8ZdNnU-s8GUWHq78m2VMxT5dgGOA68xgLd08l7tdcAISGNrCsX1GMVKKS-tPmmm_7_RVntRv1U4dCD1aYA-G-hjIDlgfusE3Etf1cIfWP8LI2c/s200/04082008197.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5231418199143581698" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNNM7rXJWWAGiETl-49n9L3JPwIe0u-1Dk9EarAgRMSnsrxNgg7UIqyKY7oZ0AND67qyvMPJiqCYas_pw5S75f5XqpV1g4IHYN59mMNaKUIK-kT4_CYqaiN87D_aZeOBaiPBqLZkhVSD8/s1600-h/04082008199.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNNM7rXJWWAGiETl-49n9L3JPwIe0u-1Dk9EarAgRMSnsrxNgg7UIqyKY7oZ0AND67qyvMPJiqCYas_pw5S75f5XqpV1g4IHYN59mMNaKUIK-kT4_CYqaiN87D_aZeOBaiPBqLZkhVSD8/s200/04082008199.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5231418425339369042" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHLsTNqO3K9I3_6BJtdTU7vJH9e8aUablROry4CkqTlEXbkbkj3CufbcSZUF7jAQmVCA-zuHHDgpx8ZkV7SI1YWhaa26Olo7kuRi7cXBzX3DJl8KUrI_-KogQtDqNCgCIKmFuehtAk-X8/s1600-h/04082008202.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHLsTNqO3K9I3_6BJtdTU7vJH9e8aUablROry4CkqTlEXbkbkj3CufbcSZUF7jAQmVCA-zuHHDgpx8ZkV7SI1YWhaa26Olo7kuRi7cXBzX3DJl8KUrI_-KogQtDqNCgCIKmFuehtAk-X8/s200/04082008202.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5231418633464865778" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_HTpZ0HYxJ94PxkvN0MdmMfPfFCPYNxhyphenhyphenQwgkttHQdMzn-2CA5Rc3-7QeYv2SyWzTZPA_bJjFGyiFB2zMoNkcLxxOAPP5bW-0MVQjgOlY-6-dLD_UoCLdeS_CRSFKZK_io3T0aG2F2Go/s1600-h/04082008207.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_HTpZ0HYxJ94PxkvN0MdmMfPfFCPYNxhyphenhyphenQwgkttHQdMzn-2CA5Rc3-7QeYv2SyWzTZPA_bJjFGyiFB2zMoNkcLxxOAPP5bW-0MVQjgOlY-6-dLD_UoCLdeS_CRSFKZK_io3T0aG2F2Go/s200/04082008207.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5231418930778316770" border="0" /></a><br />There are two ways up from the rock, one is the little path they call the "safe" way which I came down on, and the other includes a long ladder and a very shaky bridge. So I took that option, never too concerned with safety.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdgwxToRWijF2auVOaraS9M5tVYEXEIx_tWSWpDq-yzVNLQYH63qFvr6taqpS9yBuKibd4I5qXJvs0XWfdZ4fSt4vk9Gi60QiZBBF-TcH-aY3iERKwspObpvqazNmOES5BpJ4jUJPFyqE/s1600-h/04082008215.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdgwxToRWijF2auVOaraS9M5tVYEXEIx_tWSWpDq-yzVNLQYH63qFvr6taqpS9yBuKibd4I5qXJvs0XWfdZ4fSt4vk9Gi60QiZBBF-TcH-aY3iERKwspObpvqazNmOES5BpJ4jUJPFyqE/s200/04082008215.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5231419581299749746" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGwLaFgXaSukT2fRIpRdPgWQgISJ7AA7tTHTk2S6hjEe7sVvfo3c9UnRYb7RJMDYVnQ7ENGxvQ7PItDBL9KgO7rNk4fvBWBwn9t-rG9PuPp6H8KtFf6A66IdEi5imRqtl5H7rT1TnBAm4/s1600-h/04082008217.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGwLaFgXaSukT2fRIpRdPgWQgISJ7AA7tTHTk2S6hjEe7sVvfo3c9UnRYb7RJMDYVnQ7ENGxvQ7PItDBL9KgO7rNk4fvBWBwn9t-rG9PuPp6H8KtFf6A66IdEi5imRqtl5H7rT1TnBAm4/s200/04082008217.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5231420028471246978" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7rexnGMcxdBl31922QCZjPOLrsFO2pyn6qoNemfa6_rio-FUc5GzkPSwnpP7WH2OMS8mSYbL0eXtLF3vYm33QFOhz0uoINs-pOSKUNpljMt-BgeRyEPsdHiMxbR4LBM-B1lGWSHTJ8jk/s1600-h/04082008222.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7rexnGMcxdBl31922QCZjPOLrsFO2pyn6qoNemfa6_rio-FUc5GzkPSwnpP7WH2OMS8mSYbL0eXtLF3vYm33QFOhz0uoINs-pOSKUNpljMt-BgeRyEPsdHiMxbR4LBM-B1lGWSHTJ8jk/s200/04082008222.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5231420344959069634" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSnn3txO2riw3ILBEStTMXtBuNBdNCGouJPNWlCyzdsSTfIJwIfW9ndlfCdPWlBoXx4PsFS-lh-5On3iY3prl8w2Hf2LP8lQV5OYwEc8fKvba519SEXZe-yo6nnvkBZ-LlKJQcisGxrNE/s1600-h/04082008228.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSnn3txO2riw3ILBEStTMXtBuNBdNCGouJPNWlCyzdsSTfIJwIfW9ndlfCdPWlBoXx4PsFS-lh-5On3iY3prl8w2Hf2LP8lQV5OYwEc8fKvba519SEXZe-yo6nnvkBZ-LlKJQcisGxrNE/s200/04082008228.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5231420699558476082" border="0" /></a><br />The hike onwards was less interesting, mostly on a proper road, albeit with practically no traffic. There was a difficulty finding the way to Daju though, the maps and guidebooks speak of a new ferry rather close to Walnut Garden, but when I got there I saw a couple of French guys climbing up who said there was no ferry. Later I also caught up with a German guy who had gone up and down only to see that there is, in fact, no ferry, despite the signs. Later I've noticed Lonely Planet calls it winter ferry, so maybe it runs in the winter only. Then the walk onwards was a bit confusing, asking all the people I saw for the way and got just pointed onwards. I got a lift for a few hundred metres from the aforementioned French people who had hitchhiked with a local guy. He left all four of us to a post where a small road took off and a sign pointed to a ferry. A woman holding a shop around the corner told me it's about 6 km to go, and perhaps it indeed was, a fair bit to walk across the corn and sunflower fields, and a totally broken down path down to the river. There was also no pier at that side of the river, but on the other side there was and indeed there was an old ferry also! They took us across the river for 20 yuan each, and on the other side two minivans were waiting, one for Daju and the other for Lijiang. We all took the Lijiang one and got the price down to 50 yuan per head.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxTXLOH2YQLDelnoWj0oZE7A8CWivqf4kE0oEppCoQGvSZoOMpTrQxQ5xVWbkZV6c48TM7K0KJH71iffPY7xDqoWfaHv0Nd6UuSq7lcvJ6wm0mjgECw694RBHP-upapEkNEdy6e8kJhr4/s1600-h/04082008232.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxTXLOH2YQLDelnoWj0oZE7A8CWivqf4kE0oEppCoQGvSZoOMpTrQxQ5xVWbkZV6c48TM7K0KJH71iffPY7xDqoWfaHv0Nd6UuSq7lcvJ6wm0mjgECw694RBHP-upapEkNEdy6e8kJhr4/s200/04082008232.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5231421361036389986" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUO0IZweVaHEslOHTq2UHBIpifmMleo3ll4Vp6-zdLH6rBhmPXzx-T8IFlfVjzyrFUTedJ6G4l5OfbqVv0xeWdUmIByrxDtqbUqGJ4PvDYEYGrog-rLNMXElVqnqyD5zRankrKC9Aam3U/s1600-h/04082008248.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUO0IZweVaHEslOHTq2UHBIpifmMleo3ll4Vp6-zdLH6rBhmPXzx-T8IFlfVjzyrFUTedJ6G4l5OfbqVv0xeWdUmIByrxDtqbUqGJ4PvDYEYGrog-rLNMXElVqnqyD5zRankrKC9Aam3U/s200/04082008248.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5231421670805909554" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTBmVuupdceWIsmt6feErBmLpAhwLjUHjnNkWPykjE3W-7q9fJtCDEsG-VJMxiNVWtGycUDjTWGuMayxZ3hrHg6Iusdiq5iGsv_A17UaWwBN_9jDqjEDadNBOE59JJwm_tPhNf152N1fY/s1600-h/04082008250.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTBmVuupdceWIsmt6feErBmLpAhwLjUHjnNkWPykjE3W-7q9fJtCDEsG-VJMxiNVWtGycUDjTWGuMayxZ3hrHg6Iusdiq5iGsv_A17UaWwBN_9jDqjEDadNBOE59JJwm_tPhNf152N1fY/s200/04082008250.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5231422148239445778" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibt89t4CQ9c1CbrHyGCjR3SqE5WN6ZchCSFYuoofWFXZUHd_UNgE_mBgdC2ZWAGaFlb7_j-11FEH4xChOt8QCgmy3QyYUfQ03ZLHksl5lHSbfioOJ6dk-iID0JwueismRZGnYasmVezuc/s1600-h/04082008256.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibt89t4CQ9c1CbrHyGCjR3SqE5WN6ZchCSFYuoofWFXZUHd_UNgE_mBgdC2ZWAGaFlb7_j-11FEH4xChOt8QCgmy3QyYUfQ03ZLHksl5lHSbfioOJ6dk-iID0JwueismRZGnYasmVezuc/s200/04082008256.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5231422643219731922" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEPLQeR5YVsl3iuWvzTpSDEQg8WdRakFk-Td2MyeRGmMYPO-H-g3hidiuFP3jtOqhe_qIw5P9LvVgdI2bJJF8nSIo_XulZ5zBltjoT32QJDseGcxrYwuFcszI9TsLXZ4Y3lnFGMEFN-48/s1600-h/04082008268.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEPLQeR5YVsl3iuWvzTpSDEQg8WdRakFk-Td2MyeRGmMYPO-H-g3hidiuFP3jtOqhe_qIw5P9LvVgdI2bJJF8nSIo_XulZ5zBltjoT32QJDseGcxrYwuFcszI9TsLXZ4Y3lnFGMEFN-48/s200/04082008268.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5231423015987244290" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1jYmeTuYrm6zp-mD0DdmeT75wpflK3Oq6XtUOt1s74xU40ysGqKXfp-lmWEkSzoJ0N6Nu2miziK7j0XG7CFADRiuRnGbcVxHvLpohAvKkyQrQinVFIC4XLLu_qbpbOF926mJeAGtMsNc/s1600-h/04082008270.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1jYmeTuYrm6zp-mD0DdmeT75wpflK3Oq6XtUOt1s74xU40ysGqKXfp-lmWEkSzoJ0N6Nu2miziK7j0XG7CFADRiuRnGbcVxHvLpohAvKkyQrQinVFIC4XLLu_qbpbOF926mJeAGtMsNc/s200/04082008270.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5231423344086430946" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQJLVUOLPxHN9iyXjY3kDX_pKv8TFCdT32XC_hIzHHi0NPBt2GliCeI1vL6adJWb_iJ5CBz5DDkAPXfrDT__AM7zZvxlv77BLL8rQkxOhKqiMgXHVORCaF3IanMEGtFg8xipS9uBzWF48/s1600-h/04082008271.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQJLVUOLPxHN9iyXjY3kDX_pKv8TFCdT32XC_hIzHHi0NPBt2GliCeI1vL6adJWb_iJ5CBz5DDkAPXfrDT__AM7zZvxlv77BLL8rQkxOhKqiMgXHVORCaF3IanMEGtFg8xipS9uBzWF48/s200/04082008271.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5231423896432130962" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvzpo9OHiRPRjklhllhhJ8QADzxp30WkwACRFYFKw4YBGgkhXv0uAikiTTxIpfyOJ8FX1PyOmHwnXb5zvLsWyNmqBo8RaYsk28JscZVOZCI3d8Ur-QtL4T18jQevSGIJhOmQBWp4O4S9Q/s1600-h/04082008274.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvzpo9OHiRPRjklhllhhJ8QADzxp30WkwACRFYFKw4YBGgkhXv0uAikiTTxIpfyOJ8FX1PyOmHwnXb5zvLsWyNmqBo8RaYsk28JscZVOZCI3d8Ur-QtL4T18jQevSGIJhOmQBWp4O4S9Q/s200/04082008274.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5231424151254119554" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg4lc70fWkIOTg_CiY_rn1FKzswu5tz12zHKn25E7Zpou7716q4b_L1eJgCtUAdXF-op8rXebulglB2B1hvzE-zlZRPqG4_7-UQwARdslecP7DuJrcDLwL26ISekhGJ-JnLQ4mDyGqijo/s1600-h/04082008284.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg4lc70fWkIOTg_CiY_rn1FKzswu5tz12zHKn25E7Zpou7716q4b_L1eJgCtUAdXF-op8rXebulglB2B1hvzE-zlZRPqG4_7-UQwARdslecP7DuJrcDLwL26ISekhGJ-JnLQ4mDyGqijo/s200/04082008284.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5231424487678063570" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjECuDu9g0VjC3mxDQ0jhTF8eJy0BYFGycrblQNxQCGAPvO53ujWZBpAyyIqhYx-yX9lNdcoVrIyCdBmfTjbLyAcFXJUrYCNzT8xitR1GFFvxwwyXt-HnZh9FPbCol7tPxqUIBv0HNt8mE/s1600-h/04082008286.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjECuDu9g0VjC3mxDQ0jhTF8eJy0BYFGycrblQNxQCGAPvO53ujWZBpAyyIqhYx-yX9lNdcoVrIyCdBmfTjbLyAcFXJUrYCNzT8xitR1GFFvxwwyXt-HnZh9FPbCol7tPxqUIBv0HNt8mE/s200/04082008286.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5231424855487996978" border="0" /></a><br />Here's also a video at the rock to get more of the atmosphere and an idea of how far the tiger supposedly leaped...<br /><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dwWOPHE5b260F0BFX7ek-G-MEj9F1HAgpLE-Fxwa_FuanDcHnLz-Llf0BfVoDXmmatrKxk_MsmXwOs8MOpdbQ' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe>Jari (travelling-vegan)http://www.blogger.com/profile/03784215875655480912noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4094841068378580610.post-1751488872769824352008-08-02T16:13:00.017+08:002008-08-02T17:12:24.634+08:00A temple, pandas and bus rides<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-P5w40puX0KQHxh8l5NToQuug9gysuPx46Swfg9-4YOmpdbEMUU_RsaDO0_76wFPFhXuoRcsGOqczSvyb1pPrMr79rpsJIy0x3E5MRuJc_MNCEwnrt_pVElsoHY4xo41mUxQi6mJSH0k/s1600-h/27072008998.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-P5w40puX0KQHxh8l5NToQuug9gysuPx46Swfg9-4YOmpdbEMUU_RsaDO0_76wFPFhXuoRcsGOqczSvyb1pPrMr79rpsJIy0x3E5MRuJc_MNCEwnrt_pVElsoHY4xo41mUxQi6mJSH0k/s200/27072008998.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5229838115769185698" border="0" /></a>Beside the bears, Chengdu also has a pretty nice temple right in the city centre, the Wenshu temple. It has a fully reasonable entrance fee too, 5 yuan, unlike the 40 or so you'd expect in Beijing. The nicest thing about this temple was the garden, well, maybe I'm biased towards gardens but to me anyway. It's not very large compared to lots of other temples in China but still has a relaxing feel to it, despite the large number of people going about. This is one of the main temples of Zen or rather Chang Buddhism, and it's completely self-financing, running a vegetarian restaurant and a guest house.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQhc_Pobhzb2PEsdWwcJFLG0BA9T3dtklIyAE22IUIeYIrSy4zcI1SlxSgTr5ZFXLIktcLgq-CPzQ3LzPd-wTCiZZkCC8QiR-OVYtRNP8MVg_0fSlCpgNI8hoq1Qh6WQamyEse0QMGoNg/s1600-h/270720081009.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQhc_Pobhzb2PEsdWwcJFLG0BA9T3dtklIyAE22IUIeYIrSy4zcI1SlxSgTr5ZFXLIktcLgq-CPzQ3LzPd-wTCiZZkCC8QiR-OVYtRNP8MVg_0fSlCpgNI8hoq1Qh6WQamyEse0QMGoNg/s200/270720081009.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5229840715687277234" border="0" /></a>Right, so I saw a vegetarian restaurant and I started thinking that since Sichuan food is rather famous it wouldn't be quite right if I had none while there, would it? So I gave my fruitarianism a miss for the day and had an oversized lunch at the restaurant. Sichuan food is supposed to be spicy, I picked one dish that they marked with one chili pepper on the menu, meaning slightly spicy, and another with three, for very spicy. But to my surprise even the spicier one wasn't all that spicy. They also bring rice with all orders, which I didn't expect as that is not the norm in China, so I really shouldn't have ordered dumplings... although those were possibly the best part of the meal. Feeling stuffed after my first warm meal since leaving Beijing and I was more convinced on the goodness of fruitarianism than before.<br /><br />One more thing about the temple actually, they had quite interesting cartoons on the wall, in English to my surprise. It was quite easy for me to associate with these.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-6iH1RQCUg58QfxSR-OOukEHO_b_6QU1QP1y9M35XruvEGkecqBA2tjjLDqxkRgsvnV5C5CfZkgslq6LcSFtzn3ERoMk2m82ZToosNPeMAdZ9vpFWdqO6Ot9ebBp7WcZtprVdpnuVj1Y/s1600-h/270720081004.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-6iH1RQCUg58QfxSR-OOukEHO_b_6QU1QP1y9M35XruvEGkecqBA2tjjLDqxkRgsvnV5C5CfZkgslq6LcSFtzn3ERoMk2m82ZToosNPeMAdZ9vpFWdqO6Ot9ebBp7WcZtprVdpnuVj1Y/s200/270720081004.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5229841461808264450" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjC6wOjKWkpXzB82y54rfnSx9DKLsly50oelxDKED0KABjls9E3vHVM0IhWL95-UQB-FMACS9CU_2HcdTxfv3bHhcWky0paYJt-tuEhqgkixtPEypxaAl_vX1PmNg-5dPdl5NT2-fZIUzM/s1600-h/270720081005.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjC6wOjKWkpXzB82y54rfnSx9DKLsly50oelxDKED0KABjls9E3vHVM0IhWL95-UQB-FMACS9CU_2HcdTxfv3bHhcWky0paYJt-tuEhqgkixtPEypxaAl_vX1PmNg-5dPdl5NT2-fZIUzM/s200/270720081005.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5229841688382332834" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtS9sw9ue18OfspsKMWkam6IRqRQMTFuDkl4f0qxVxeMeFzB-AjAgrDkXTZXTg0g0r-bEydmJEMcFpBvJ_crj-awvtinp635ouN38_jI2zhnOnimKhuwyCQ10jjwGeBd-PrVVovXTH4gA/s1600-h/280720081018.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtS9sw9ue18OfspsKMWkam6IRqRQMTFuDkl4f0qxVxeMeFzB-AjAgrDkXTZXTg0g0r-bEydmJEMcFpBvJ_crj-awvtinp635ouN38_jI2zhnOnimKhuwyCQ10jjwGeBd-PrVVovXTH4gA/s200/280720081018.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5229835754581617282" border="0" /></a><br />On to the pandas then. At an animal welfare dinner in Beijing a few weeks ago I happened to meet someone working at the Giant Panda Breeding Research Base in Chengdu and she promised a tour of the place. But unfortunately she missed her train to the city and wasn't in town to give me the tour, she called her colleagues to do that though. Panda breeding centre really doesn't sound nice in my ears, breeding another species kept in captivity, but I came to the place with an open mind. It's a large area about 10 km from central Chengdu, to get there take bus number 1 all the way to the terminal in the north, then change to 532 and don't jump off the bus as soon as you see the words "panda base" and notice you have turned to Panda Road! I did that and had to walk for about 4 km along the Panda Road to reach the centre.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP_rC1PmIkVJrBcbkXrxwnNOQbp2lTJo0tc72uGOqLmMd2EjeXUa_Gx5akglqLZvTHOr6gIf9m91NIrxTIgxiobqROxfBa_PZSw8u1mhBatFHUqzz_rLxlgdhBG2jupC54PzmKgQ2qe8k/s1600-h/280720081024.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP_rC1PmIkVJrBcbkXrxwnNOQbp2lTJo0tc72uGOqLmMd2EjeXUa_Gx5akglqLZvTHOr6gIf9m91NIrxTIgxiobqROxfBa_PZSw8u1mhBatFHUqzz_rLxlgdhBG2jupC54PzmKgQ2qe8k/s200/280720081024.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5229836260497524578" border="0" /></a>The panda base has a large garden-style area with a lake and waterbirds, as well as lots of bamboo of course. But actually they don't feed the pandas with the bamboo grown there as the pandas are very picky about food and want certain types of bamboo that grow in an altitude of 2 - 2.5 km. Chengdu is only around 500 m from the sealevel. That also means it's often too hot for the pandas, and that's why they tend to be inside in the hot summer days... and inside they don't have a lot of space to stay in. It's not absolute abuse like the moon bears and the staff clearly care about them, but it still feels so wrong to me to see innocent animals in cages.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPjZyEOthFBnxokPiSH566Gx9GmfkWy66vEcs5ivTQZncyFGK4s0fP5Hu3P8b3VHfQSXOG-_g190aTEjhvreS6-W1EInwvaFyhQNhOdUlKuMvvXLzhVgdoipMkonaD61k92_4iyMXiAEA/s1600-h/280720081015.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPjZyEOthFBnxokPiSH566Gx9GmfkWy66vEcs5ivTQZncyFGK4s0fP5Hu3P8b3VHfQSXOG-_g190aTEjhvreS6-W1EInwvaFyhQNhOdUlKuMvvXLzhVgdoipMkonaD61k92_4iyMXiAEA/s200/280720081015.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5229836969692510450" border="0" /></a>I was lucky as I often am and there were pandas born just the day before! Now I'd love to put here some pictures but there was a sign saying no pictures, and as a Finn I tend to bide by the rules... although the others didn't. However, I can tell you that newborn pandas look much like rats. Some white hair but none of that distinctive black and white stuff, that comes at 20 days of age, I was told. I was also told that the official number of pandas in the wild is 1,600, but the reality is something much fewer as local officials are given incentives of having large numbers of pandas in their area so if they see panda droppings in two places it must mean two pandas, not one panda going around.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQABdNtAllovXBarm4oHnJidfDH3v3N4iaW-w62PfJsq5EFhYm9amZBPxMf9Z6j-LuYCvCQnb9XJbKMBkD-gm-p-vTocmCXqjk7R584peJTqk37xZ1oR68F3WfSXmPaJYOVGrDdNrF4wA/s1600-h/280720081021.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQABdNtAllovXBarm4oHnJidfDH3v3N4iaW-w62PfJsq5EFhYm9amZBPxMf9Z6j-LuYCvCQnb9XJbKMBkD-gm-p-vTocmCXqjk7R584peJTqk37xZ1oR68F3WfSXmPaJYOVGrDdNrF4wA/s200/280720081021.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5229837493128319986" border="0" /></a>The panda base hosts 71 giant pandas at the moment, and they're all offspring of 6 pandas taken there in the 1980s. Beside giant pandas, they also host 30 or so red pandas, who actually don't look much at all like giant pandas but more like foxes. The big idea of the base is indeed to breed pandas, and they also hope to eventually release the pandas in the wild, which makes it more of a reasonable conservation effort and less like a zoo. They released one panda a couple of years ago, but she got into a fight with a wild panda, fell off a cliff and died.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjufB8zl0-LpHeoMCAfKEn-ftWLCz6L2SRuFc7ezJ2DIXcZcr6Hko7ou3MhcuCT-juf7T9v5Di8teEZtsBh3TVOaG46O8cZb8puTybqDX1HDgzJEibiN-BoojdDjjRVbmDKLxK9tCH8sUU/s1600-h/300720081035.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjufB8zl0-LpHeoMCAfKEn-ftWLCz6L2SRuFc7ezJ2DIXcZcr6Hko7ou3MhcuCT-juf7T9v5Di8teEZtsBh3TVOaG46O8cZb8puTybqDX1HDgzJEibiN-BoojdDjjRVbmDKLxK9tCH8sUU/s200/300720081035.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5229843067059940098" border="0" /></a>Otherwise the time in Chengdu went with work. I was planning on continuing to Emei mountain, but you know how I am with plans, so that didn't actually happen. Instead I took a bus to Lijiang, in Yunnan province. The only thing was that the bus ride would take 24 hours, which was a bit off-putting. Never mind though. The bus was one of those Chinese sleeper buses that have three rows of bunk beds, 5 in each row, making up 30 beds. But make that 30 beds made for Chinese people. For me they are too low for sitting, too short for lying, and so narrow they squeeze the shoulders in a nasty way once you do manage to settle there somehow. And of course Chinese people always smoke on the long distance buses, drivers included, despite that being forbidden. So make sure you have an openable window next to you for fresh air.<br /><br />But the scenes were awesome. The mountains of Sichuan and of Yunnan made the trip almost worth the pain. If you're 175cm or shorter I think I could even recommend that to some degree, but for us taller than that... not sure. Maybe bicycles.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpuPTyJJ_yTCNNXVVBCtKkWsF2G0wxWk-lHenCsCk5zMH1QFp0ZqnJbE-Ub45uYt08qXnDQc2IwN7IGZqFQ_v1qj8KDojb-jn2vuv0czyNJ02CNABjPdwv5yvJdafQQLEAKKXaiFD9IAk/s1600-h/300720081027.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpuPTyJJ_yTCNNXVVBCtKkWsF2G0wxWk-lHenCsCk5zMH1QFp0ZqnJbE-Ub45uYt08qXnDQc2IwN7IGZqFQ_v1qj8KDojb-jn2vuv0czyNJ02CNABjPdwv5yvJdafQQLEAKKXaiFD9IAk/s200/300720081027.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5229844050755234258" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_nQO_2XVjIUdlRQAQmDCzVCaiQMFm5PmuxMuSFA5BSGryhQBDuZCAGaP2lUts9v2xSE7waKbcwCKM-Pe1iceztaQ2xZkOgLTZPoMr5ohDwpY831MEkHaCLUr9SbdaB1LN24z5AmauFfI/s1600-h/300720081033.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_nQO_2XVjIUdlRQAQmDCzVCaiQMFm5PmuxMuSFA5BSGryhQBDuZCAGaP2lUts9v2xSE7waKbcwCKM-Pe1iceztaQ2xZkOgLTZPoMr5ohDwpY831MEkHaCLUr9SbdaB1LN24z5AmauFfI/s200/300720081033.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5229844442516689858" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh8sHD5_-Rg0tvec48Tzhme9PfR7jpqzNdo58SvRjBmrg3YqZNGhE9uzmpISpV_P-MAlOGrUdpI3Ordip6mA0DdXjn5gNb8cBZiIUhSgdRXnz2MuveeRqFCWp1s90bHjZcmq8Ot5ghz8I/s1600-h/310720081041.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh8sHD5_-Rg0tvec48Tzhme9PfR7jpqzNdo58SvRjBmrg3YqZNGhE9uzmpISpV_P-MAlOGrUdpI3Ordip6mA0DdXjn5gNb8cBZiIUhSgdRXnz2MuveeRqFCWp1s90bHjZcmq8Ot5ghz8I/s200/310720081041.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5229844812149515458" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwbYxobk8Va55SsmUnII-9CC132yeNNwL1EK_VqJgjItkV7tPfE1tWBmFzyilhwuMVsfm0FPyMmLAZvLjc1XXYsqThGNmYLM8FR2ojVX2JyGsUJcOOFY_4ZtgJwgeIw_QNoUzW0pLcPZc/s1600-h/310720081045.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwbYxobk8Va55SsmUnII-9CC132yeNNwL1EK_VqJgjItkV7tPfE1tWBmFzyilhwuMVsfm0FPyMmLAZvLjc1XXYsqThGNmYLM8FR2ojVX2JyGsUJcOOFY_4ZtgJwgeIw_QNoUzW0pLcPZc/s200/310720081045.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5229845228127556610" border="0" /></a>Jari (travelling-vegan)http://www.blogger.com/profile/03784215875655480912noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4094841068378580610.post-83342802027379526602008-07-26T11:50:00.010+08:002008-07-26T12:40:22.967+08:00The torment of bears... no-one could bear it!This morning I was fortunate enough to get a tour of the Moon Bear Rescue Centre in Chengdu. The moon bears are Asiatic black bears with a distinctive golden crescent on their chests. But now comes the terrible part: Thousands of them are kept in tiny little cages, barely larger than the bear him/herself, in bear farms to extract their bile with rusting catherers implanted in their gallbladders or open and infected holes injected in their abdomens for the bile to weep. Subjected to absolute torture for all their lives for the sake of "medicine" -- the bile is used in traditional Chinese medicine, but it could easily be replaced by herbs.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfYznZwW-ZT5IwHLnW8u3nhyphenhyphenZFgXIfn9un0U9cf4tjVihHgM45LsRQHupH9y6gC35JzZSeCvRfQ0iA5mrpemF1g-664Myj2C3RIIp5rcv7JkAoXk2eHsFgXP9LCqfBy4Uo1l7PyWHSPbw/s1600-h/26072008952.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfYznZwW-ZT5IwHLnW8u3nhyphenhyphenZFgXIfn9un0U9cf4tjVihHgM45LsRQHupH9y6gC35JzZSeCvRfQ0iA5mrpemF1g-664Myj2C3RIIp5rcv7JkAoXk2eHsFgXP9LCqfBy4Uo1l7PyWHSPbw/s200/26072008952.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5227171742370515602" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgO5c8PUYSxQW6WqTs5IEJjTJeGPQI6RnPyX1mHbJZworjBqCY_QnxVUyDo1a311k01M-_hlCrlOUVDbuXQBFGG0Ja3Fj9xdQnllE1L1Z4dG6MG0ttTz7Z17DSdz6Nflvo82G423AUgkuc/s1600-h/26072008950.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgO5c8PUYSxQW6WqTs5IEJjTJeGPQI6RnPyX1mHbJZworjBqCY_QnxVUyDo1a311k01M-_hlCrlOUVDbuXQBFGG0Ja3Fj9xdQnllE1L1Z4dG6MG0ttTz7Z17DSdz6Nflvo82G423AUgkuc/s200/26072008950.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5227171537243676082" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWDXWF3zAZi0kq24P5Jb6yELGI06l28r2RWEXn4CE3-obJudrde2HuLpQxSfxqJecBd1kXUT_51qhXJeOdjBKUHikcTvb8JFA9M24OzZw6l9iXetOevRzNy9LO9D3IFk8G_-GZ4ludc34/s1600-h/26072008958.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWDXWF3zAZi0kq24P5Jb6yELGI06l28r2RWEXn4CE3-obJudrde2HuLpQxSfxqJecBd1kXUT_51qhXJeOdjBKUHikcTvb8JFA9M24OzZw6l9iXetOevRzNy9LO9D3IFk8G_-GZ4ludc34/s200/26072008958.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5227172518478691906" border="0" /></a>The moon bear rescue centre was established in the late 1990s. It's funded by <a href="http://www.animalsasia.org/">AnimalsAsia</a>, and the rescue centre in Sichuan has so far rescued over 200 bears from the farms. Bear farming is incredibly still legal in China, hence getting the bears out of them and getting the farms to close requires great negotiation skills. The licenses of the closed farms are passed to AnimalsAsia and the policy doesn't allow any new licenses issued in China. The bears are brought to the centre together with their cages and other equipment so the farmers wouldn't just immediately replace them with other bears. Then they go through massive surgery to med the damage inflicted in the extraction techniques. The gall bladders are often removed as they are damaged beyond repair. Afterwards the bears recover, in cages but considerably bigger ones, as they need time to adjust and also mustn't scratch their wounds. Unfortunately for a large number of bears help comes too late, approximately 15% of rescued bears do not survive.<br /><br />After recovery they are rehabilitated in the bear sanctuary, where the bears usually for the first time in years get to walk and play and interact with other bears. It's truly delightful to see how they have recovered from their terrible pasts and seem to be enjoying their lives lying in the sun or playing in the water.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0LMXS221Qd3dJA0mXVFSqu8cUnEQCqBzszbQOzP9MvcgtjNbTrS7GRGwmdzrMaz668IMcZOpi9GyRwSgA_rXiGJAoXiIUFMWGSS9GAyIgy5M8kWe7Cq9QRIaa8lgY9a5DTA-lYBmKT5w/s1600-h/26072008961.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0LMXS221Qd3dJA0mXVFSqu8cUnEQCqBzszbQOzP9MvcgtjNbTrS7GRGwmdzrMaz668IMcZOpi9GyRwSgA_rXiGJAoXiIUFMWGSS9GAyIgy5M8kWe7Cq9QRIaa8lgY9a5DTA-lYBmKT5w/s200/26072008961.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5227172988095225858" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggKXkDOa27JerEI-M-4ahNdJK2MvPYEWiindnRY1I1E-hVjL66HB_Hih-1uq0KjKwTxK_UT9fR5tx63uReNIX8-cdP7-QU0mVit6xunSFdkS6vl99SL7WOTWNbdcoD8xnD3xYSWkaUiRQ/s1600-h/26072008973.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggKXkDOa27JerEI-M-4ahNdJK2MvPYEWiindnRY1I1E-hVjL66HB_Hih-1uq0KjKwTxK_UT9fR5tx63uReNIX8-cdP7-QU0mVit6xunSFdkS6vl99SL7WOTWNbdcoD8xnD3xYSWkaUiRQ/s200/26072008973.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5227173510171459458" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnhkQy7rXeO1Id1FoAEFl446zXd7yHMRH5QdH28XVS4-7y_5FLAvzv6v4KxqMhdaw6r8UhFAgKMgtfYygj3c_jrNOHxZcP-hBZOABZc6WhtX5WNGG9_FwliSTPw0TxhOkeDaDjry1c55Q/s1600-h/26072008967.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnhkQy7rXeO1Id1FoAEFl446zXd7yHMRH5QdH28XVS4-7y_5FLAvzv6v4KxqMhdaw6r8UhFAgKMgtfYygj3c_jrNOHxZcP-hBZOABZc6WhtX5WNGG9_FwliSTPw0TxhOkeDaDjry1c55Q/s200/26072008967.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5227175778173041666" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmJgc8uWZyspXeErAT1_QiGdnQfereA0BEBhC1fvrbikVY4NeuAK1qXmV4eIFBhpeHLhSRmubjejoxcPLVs6JT-9_FFx1bm9LeNNXE7oSDg1NhjjmR9k4MmkUlIdBqr4Cu9J0F1OwXP_o/s1600-h/26072008986.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmJgc8uWZyspXeErAT1_QiGdnQfereA0BEBhC1fvrbikVY4NeuAK1qXmV4eIFBhpeHLhSRmubjejoxcPLVs6JT-9_FFx1bm9LeNNXE7oSDg1NhjjmR9k4MmkUlIdBqr4Cu9J0F1OwXP_o/s200/26072008986.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5227176301836032610" border="0" /></a><br /><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dy2BNZoso4PBTfjXItBAVqui8vhsm8wPTMn2n2IdxyUbCkSEUQBmjIwDnoW4y-9TxjciHFiWfu_JkaMkjw61g' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe><br />Another sanctuary has recently been opened in Vietnam. Please donate whatever you can afford to support this important work. Donations can be made online through <a href="http://www.animalsasia.org/">AnimalsAsia</a>.Jari (travelling-vegan)http://www.blogger.com/profile/03784215875655480912noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4094841068378580610.post-14528838709689752902008-07-24T11:26:00.014+08:002008-07-25T20:57:42.230+08:00The biggest tomb in the worldThe second day in Xi'an I joined a tour ran by the hostel visiting the main sights in the area for 245 yuan, which is not an awful lot more than the sum of the entrance fees. And unlike many Chinese tours they didn't make us spend dreadfully long times in tourist shops.<br /><br />We visited a village from 6,000 years ago, and their house-building techniques and burial rites were explained by the guides. That was pretty interesting, certainly more so than the terracotta factory, although they did explain how the warriors were made this did seem like one of those "sell crap to tourists" stops. Then there was a place where they showed an interesting movie of Qin Shihuangdi, the "first emperor" of China, and his tomb and terracotta army.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7CLqMOYkV4Bl7-ic0D3da-gMVjz6urMsSBp4GxJd41wD2C3gWsStLfS95SFvYzm2dcYbBh-j2zIeyIj4rJKF_-j_IUAhAxVkSqLp49xun9WUfglTpk4aBY8KopTBgcaMlRh5Q2sxuYf8/s1600-h/23072008860.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7CLqMOYkV4Bl7-ic0D3da-gMVjz6urMsSBp4GxJd41wD2C3gWsStLfS95SFvYzm2dcYbBh-j2zIeyIj4rJKF_-j_IUAhAxVkSqLp49xun9WUfglTpk4aBY8KopTBgcaMlRh5Q2sxuYf8/s200/23072008860.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5226927239958387586" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6p-pt-JCuFF9TJlKXZMoLyVCo269nMcNSXnSGR5NyxBgJWtGjyhyphenhyphen3WrzprZeBJkkWpF47v-ibsATJUiV4IPh0uqu5rnp-iQ1SQ2rKm5qln98W6TqWwvt1dwsYi1hIASPedW_VhH5fSKc/s1600-h/23072008866.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6p-pt-JCuFF9TJlKXZMoLyVCo269nMcNSXnSGR5NyxBgJWtGjyhyphenhyphen3WrzprZeBJkkWpF47v-ibsATJUiV4IPh0uqu5rnp-iQ1SQ2rKm5qln98W6TqWwvt1dwsYi1hIASPedW_VhH5fSKc/s200/23072008866.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5226927807682952482" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqJ3ZoyZUzxAw6_qc_oOAp_eDBMwdym_Dh_bIJzIS61ZLjmlozbFJO-Xj8M6dbN9zySjQ7-8csZDTySWRGcZDsXl2Nh3IbjrlzwackuwFDZqpIX96QkaRk0nbgRL7KLs5Hhg1U5cVAWB4/s1600-h/23072008870.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqJ3ZoyZUzxAw6_qc_oOAp_eDBMwdym_Dh_bIJzIS61ZLjmlozbFJO-Xj8M6dbN9zySjQ7-8csZDTySWRGcZDsXl2Nh3IbjrlzwackuwFDZqpIX96QkaRk0nbgRL7KLs5Hhg1U5cVAWB4/s200/23072008870.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5226929186490025010" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgN_rMNp_5a0l2N5HxkcJiSHAMn6Nq7lR7mVUfpZmNoROCTcz2DD_GFd_BwJeIsi7PfmflkCVx-y-0S4g_Csg-58LzOFvoJOLKILt7O-hJVjrYg6hyphenhyphen5F9bmmuT7SyFslt1-LOjrJcSkzcg/s1600-h/23072008872.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgN_rMNp_5a0l2N5HxkcJiSHAMn6Nq7lR7mVUfpZmNoROCTcz2DD_GFd_BwJeIsi7PfmflkCVx-y-0S4g_Csg-58LzOFvoJOLKILt7O-hJVjrYg6hyphenhyphen5F9bmmuT7SyFslt1-LOjrJcSkzcg/s200/23072008872.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5226929538265792530" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSln7DDyIwzQeN0CKPL2NDGUTJ-e8g06_GJJwOo_7MWQiY_Pe9XOonhvTMpjksu5lAGqqegdcu4bzQMkQ_hNMw62S9zSvvZgh3xX_oPbfk2CmM5Fq3dgvKQaiZ_Y2Q4YIcquHqqsXzaVw/s1600-h/23072008882.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSln7DDyIwzQeN0CKPL2NDGUTJ-e8g06_GJJwOo_7MWQiY_Pe9XOonhvTMpjksu5lAGqqegdcu4bzQMkQ_hNMw62S9zSvvZgh3xX_oPbfk2CmM5Fq3dgvKQaiZ_Y2Q4YIcquHqqsXzaVw/s200/23072008882.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5226929955097288930" border="0" /></a>For lunch I had two peaches, going strong with the fruitarian diet. It's not only cheap and easy, but also really good for travelling as you easily avoid any lies about fake meats or hidden chicken broths. The only downside is that I can't review vegetarian restaurants for you now. But here's the list of <a href="http://www.ivu.org/ivcb/gb/restaurants/xian.html">Xi'an vegetarian restaurants</a> anyway. The only thing I've noticed with the fruit diet is that now I really have to eat at least twice a day while I commonly only had one meal a day with the regular vegan eating. But that's ok, closer to the norms of society anyway. I'm more convinced than ever that people just eat too much. And eating only fruits feels so much more natural than all the processed crap. I think I shall keep avoiding processed foods even though I probably won't stay fruitarian too long. Probably also no more root vegetables, but I think beans and mushrooms will lure me out of fruitarianism pretty soon.<br /><br />After lunch we went to the main place, the actual terracotta army. It's mighty impressive, thousands of life-size statues of warriors built 2000 years ago. The place is simply huge. Absolute madness, for the sheer sake of the vanity of one idiot they buried alive over 10,000 workmen who built the tomb, as well as the 6,000 of his concubines who hadn't borne children. One of his sons then killed all his siblings to get to rule, but was fortunately overtaken almost immediately in a peasant uprising.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaLkrq9EMKMBfc_FidWvGBSTeuEtAke1ctoF_vSadaxzENPlPCeNpilkK8Lzznj0DuRMkXQD12tQ9k1KK6UT8aCBdj9dxaegNcevZUASnMISF16XOq6Gq3W3vcnjGqSdC4W95yOCOPVoQ/s1600-h/23072008885.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaLkrq9EMKMBfc_FidWvGBSTeuEtAke1ctoF_vSadaxzENPlPCeNpilkK8Lzznj0DuRMkXQD12tQ9k1KK6UT8aCBdj9dxaegNcevZUASnMISF16XOq6Gq3W3vcnjGqSdC4W95yOCOPVoQ/s200/23072008885.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5226930522267917858" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiu8eZTG7FWh49w5dTnG5soN38BJebtqXw08bcZbPNNMvHViGUlUgxJ8ytQoL6MU4Cd-osW1hK_TWkyradtFt7f5LS8l-F990AnidtJzajjOXjqzIgfrpiRBfXh3z5kLdyQgku_zx-EiY4/s1600-h/23072008887.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiu8eZTG7FWh49w5dTnG5soN38BJebtqXw08bcZbPNNMvHViGUlUgxJ8ytQoL6MU4Cd-osW1hK_TWkyradtFt7f5LS8l-F990AnidtJzajjOXjqzIgfrpiRBfXh3z5kLdyQgku_zx-EiY4/s200/23072008887.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5226930944204202098" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgzn6LHttSLWNBbhhyh8y0i4_KS0ujtrEm2jD4zPQ9nZgcBNfjkH0fxzNM_ZPqrQBNCIHJob_e26pVejbDqPDbdzipJsY5pIL3k-ptGyaocFmP7z-5ba_YohbhSPJy1WYcjYw4kaip_uA/s1600-h/23072008906.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgzn6LHttSLWNBbhhyh8y0i4_KS0ujtrEm2jD4zPQ9nZgcBNfjkH0fxzNM_ZPqrQBNCIHJob_e26pVejbDqPDbdzipJsY5pIL3k-ptGyaocFmP7z-5ba_YohbhSPJy1WYcjYw4kaip_uA/s200/23072008906.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5226931864920231154" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKMnffV-vgrVBuTiUsU2PRyQ_l-SCL3z43GlMOip06Vtq8vkMR5M0FzQP3n-lyx4zFwms8Jg4iYF_fukU4C9DRJKxUoHg7phRrv0LRGoY5qMWQKowp4N0b_oDOjFkBTIrrzLkklg9kcIk/s1600-h/23072008910.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKMnffV-vgrVBuTiUsU2PRyQ_l-SCL3z43GlMOip06Vtq8vkMR5M0FzQP3n-lyx4zFwms8Jg4iYF_fukU4C9DRJKxUoHg7phRrv0LRGoY5qMWQKowp4N0b_oDOjFkBTIrrzLkklg9kcIk/s200/23072008910.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5226932381967112098" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmxy1Be9MTbSg4I5Gyl5rnFMbgSVl1RZkf4DnTtTep0fPpKa5UrLyu99gVGer59eoG5VTKKS1Ppv6Exho7KoxvTgIkg6_5GVFSG7Vm-VoregI2cI9rcJ4lmmz_0M8NcrBVbjAiS1ifl4s/s1600-h/23072008913.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmxy1Be9MTbSg4I5Gyl5rnFMbgSVl1RZkf4DnTtTep0fPpKa5UrLyu99gVGer59eoG5VTKKS1Ppv6Exho7KoxvTgIkg6_5GVFSG7Vm-VoregI2cI9rcJ4lmmz_0M8NcrBVbjAiS1ifl4s/s200/23072008913.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5226932771532786514" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLtzv2ohsI7KA8S6SvsU9kArp1Oy7XMhmCzRqA4GIdGiX8AbmU4r_P8WAaSRAjHF3U3HZhS0NDJ8OhdfbwBEl2u9rF3XEXblNXXbQi1mBAc88Te8LEbk-chy7V6QwmCRzjoF-ZLwvJgHc/s1600-h/23072008918.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLtzv2ohsI7KA8S6SvsU9kArp1Oy7XMhmCzRqA4GIdGiX8AbmU4r_P8WAaSRAjHF3U3HZhS0NDJ8OhdfbwBEl2u9rF3XEXblNXXbQi1mBAc88Te8LEbk-chy7V6QwmCRzjoF-ZLwvJgHc/s200/23072008918.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5226933142904170994" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlWuOCMdlj4uTKaNSl6TYvwqjPDMh0pwHMuhfzxT4lM7Z2IqTiPEKnAOGF4XNvIu6zn1WkY-ejSF9TGagTChxox7ij-eQwT7zY8TUSFNc-BvLDUSicIwcn9FlxRp3rtB70THXldgCH5sg/s1600-h/24072008937.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlWuOCMdlj4uTKaNSl6TYvwqjPDMh0pwHMuhfzxT4lM7Z2IqTiPEKnAOGF4XNvIu6zn1WkY-ejSF9TGagTChxox7ij-eQwT7zY8TUSFNc-BvLDUSicIwcn9FlxRp3rtB70THXldgCH5sg/s200/24072008937.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5226933870265488658" border="0" /></a>Third day, and back in the city of Xi'an they have several interesting things, including the Muslim quarters. The way to notice you're in the Muslim quarter is that occasionally (but extremely rarely actually) you see some writings in Arabic of Uighur or whatever it is on the Chinese-looking buildings, there are some (very few) women with head scarfs and a few men with the caps. But more noticeably, there's meat everywhere! The street sides are filled with baskets of raw meat, sellers have stands full of raw and prepared meat all over, and the stink is terrible. But eventually I found some fruits there too! It was also very crowded with the narrow alleys, making a Finn almost run to the nearest park despite the heat.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxGXAbwLtrlnr-mwpAn-dKuNfinm7pIwcAKIn8UQfpf_XNciKhhdITGlMvd8vqxN1Dakilh8pf0Est9Ldfk0m5Je4RoAvRgOAtRhSiZp0ur-VEIWZjvEfeuO7shZV93G97pUJ7Rq3QWZ0/s1600-h/22072008853.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxGXAbwLtrlnr-mwpAn-dKuNfinm7pIwcAKIn8UQfpf_XNciKhhdITGlMvd8vqxN1Dakilh8pf0Est9Ldfk0m5Je4RoAvRgOAtRhSiZp0ur-VEIWZjvEfeuO7shZV93G97pUJ7Rq3QWZ0/s200/22072008853.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5226934428062035314" border="0" /></a>Xi'an is one of the few Chinese cities that still has the city walls, mostly reconstructed later but nonetheless. One interesting thing about these walls is that they're sloping... I noticed the same thing in Pingyao earlier, don't really know why they did them that way, the slope ought to make climbing easier. Anyhow, surrounding the wall there is nowadays a small park, which is quite fun. And as usual in China, parks have these exercise grounds for the elderly, or anyone really but they're especially used by the elderly.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9zlyus82dTM0qXqrc96TtWbObHg37RvtoTCLZyKRcUF3At5cb4PJB0LPlBSRIlvrGmvDd2FHtHL9VXrdoiXrOFDYcjXD6ZXB8DNMap_rs_pkQ3fR-A-ju_C0rWYCWwMmMjSsmVuaSG7c/s1600-h/24072008942.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9zlyus82dTM0qXqrc96TtWbObHg37RvtoTCLZyKRcUF3At5cb4PJB0LPlBSRIlvrGmvDd2FHtHL9VXrdoiXrOFDYcjXD6ZXB8DNMap_rs_pkQ3fR-A-ju_C0rWYCWwMmMjSsmVuaSG7c/s200/24072008942.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5226934917318775906" border="0" /></a>So, having found the pull-up bar I had to make my birthday test. Long long time ago, when I was about 5 years old, my father told me one has to be able to do as many pull-ups as his age in years. When I approached 15 that felt too easy and I decided one has to go to straight arms in the pull-ups, even though that wasn't what my dad showed me when I was 5. So every year on my birthday I verify that I can still do it. Now I went a day early since I don't know if I'll run into a pull-up bar tomorrow, and since it was easy I also verified the next decade while I was at it. Things should run smoothly if I don't get any fatter or in worse shape.<br /><br />But quite importantly I've noticed I must pay more attention to working. These past few days I haven't done much work to speak of, so I have to consider them days off. Fortunately I had a couple of those coming, but I really must change that and prove that this travelling+working thing really can work!<br /><br />Next up, Chengdu, which lies a 16-hour train ride away.Jari (travelling-vegan)http://www.blogger.com/profile/03784215875655480912noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4094841068378580610.post-30117687736712672722008-07-22T21:50:00.011+08:002008-07-22T22:33:58.393+08:00FarewellsUnfortunately the last few weeks in Beijing were too busy for blogs, and unfortunately I haven't been taking many photos either to enable writing later on. Well, what went on was the longest series of farewells in history. (In my history, that is, I'm sure you can find someone being farewelled for 34 years, 5 months and 6 days if you check the Guinness book of records.) So this is dedicated to the amazing vegan community in Beijing, their great hospitality and amazing cooking and baking skills! Thank you all, you're so lovely! :-)<br /><br />Oh, I do have a few photos, some of Laura's creations:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4q0dthwHcCRKU29u4TV-YqdNIGa6ZxCTP4_NC6nBMHGBti0L6XRsAtPGY9P_sYzpJtasqYaOCzVn1cSPZxR2bQ_JHXeiry-bFC6WKaDbIhvc2tDny-Nu968z5nHy06hkPCX11k3pWcRo/s1600-h/13072008831.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4q0dthwHcCRKU29u4TV-YqdNIGa6ZxCTP4_NC6nBMHGBti0L6XRsAtPGY9P_sYzpJtasqYaOCzVn1cSPZxR2bQ_JHXeiry-bFC6WKaDbIhvc2tDny-Nu968z5nHy06hkPCX11k3pWcRo/s200/13072008831.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5225838042780774450" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiid7JRZtYh9E2aNkKHUmmycHZsWS_hMcsELTqRB8Yh-ssG6iRet1HM6h57uW-FIF_b32zxc8tNtuiik_CW2_ySgFhQFzlD-wFNgvlubsZtK72h1vuQUU1N7w6S94rUfklrTvqYxlC81Yg/s1600-h/13072008832.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiid7JRZtYh9E2aNkKHUmmycHZsWS_hMcsELTqRB8Yh-ssG6iRet1HM6h57uW-FIF_b32zxc8tNtuiik_CW2_ySgFhQFzlD-wFNgvlubsZtK72h1vuQUU1N7w6S94rUfklrTvqYxlC81Yg/s200/13072008832.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5225838200611755778" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibToBBOpQY_e4vtBYFrf5ZGrwsF2h2zZb0F8-Qld2mOQLEumM9QYFCYAWt_rFTxf3-BDhn2MsxaOwLMPqGf39nVImNsrDHfDsCmk1lfUj5GV1Lgp81XGecJwBUA1OUpl7kShfkkDThed0/s1600-h/13072008833.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibToBBOpQY_e4vtBYFrf5ZGrwsF2h2zZb0F8-Qld2mOQLEumM9QYFCYAWt_rFTxf3-BDhn2MsxaOwLMPqGf39nVImNsrDHfDsCmk1lfUj5GV1Lgp81XGecJwBUA1OUpl7kShfkkDThed0/s200/13072008833.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5225838344927773122" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnguEAr5E-mDQ_xlO-ARXs8HB0N6Lnpo8pTZItXQxbA0LaCiqOWpTUUS4a_TRPdplN0ZBb3D4bT2ZWJn-e-E_xXhqdEEBrn0kBXClB7s73F1E2huBF6sBiAHOcK-cm2DHd95P3eoUP7_I/s1600-h/21072008841.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnguEAr5E-mDQ_xlO-ARXs8HB0N6Lnpo8pTZItXQxbA0LaCiqOWpTUUS4a_TRPdplN0ZBb3D4bT2ZWJn-e-E_xXhqdEEBrn0kBXClB7s73F1E2huBF6sBiAHOcK-cm2DHd95P3eoUP7_I/s200/21072008841.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5225839144533740674" border="0" /></a>So, stuffed enough to decide to turn fruitarian, I finally left Beijing. Unfortunately donating all my material possessions didn't come through in quite that level, I have a closet-full of stuff in the office, including all these books. These are pretty much all dictionaries and course books of the languages I want to learn, so how could I give them up? In any case, after more than 3 years it was high time to say goodbye to the smoggy city, funnily enough right at the time when it's due to become non-smoggy for a couple of weeks due to the stupid Olympics that everyone hates. Well, maybe not everyone hates them, but it's hard not to having lived in Beijing recently.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwU7ieSzPFxbLVIU7qnY94DYt12Y2qpL2akwNRSwSQpENKh5ow1eL711t_Ctb85T-b5OmES2licMugC-_heQtf54HfMcbZI92aNcr3Y6cP6y7Gv6QLA5ZVkot7mmFy3CZuMgeVkuvratw/s1600-h/22072008849.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwU7ieSzPFxbLVIU7qnY94DYt12Y2qpL2akwNRSwSQpENKh5ow1eL711t_Ctb85T-b5OmES2licMugC-_heQtf54HfMcbZI92aNcr3Y6cP6y7Gv6QLA5ZVkot7mmFy3CZuMgeVkuvratw/s200/22072008849.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5225841279547392402" border="0" /></a>Right now I'm writing this in Xi'an, the ancient capital famous for the terracotta warriors, but I'll only go see them tomorrow and the drum and bell towers didn't seem too extraordinary. Maybe I'm just tired of China right now, they are pretty nice. So I'll just post pictures rather than judgements without any basis. Or at least one picture of a huge drum. They used to beat the drums at night and the bells during the day, so people who were too lazy to wear their digital watches or look at the sun could tell the passage of time.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkubnDLZyvcpK9qqSqJxdrx1JO3YUw_sgUd1Otq8DPlDGIHBc86c0grLem5moTaeWk6Axj6pjKPZ4VPIueF04MjAwx9OSR9Zq60SXu2ga9Illv1qtH0f-5NUdpep92r5941itKIckPQkY/s1600-h/22072008852.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkubnDLZyvcpK9qqSqJxdrx1JO3YUw_sgUd1Otq8DPlDGIHBc86c0grLem5moTaeWk6Axj6pjKPZ4VPIueF04MjAwx9OSR9Zq60SXu2ga9Illv1qtH0f-5NUdpep92r5941itKIckPQkY/s200/22072008852.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5225842238573368466" border="0" /></a>I also saw this interesting cross-walk. Yes, it is a circle, or a roundabout if you will, over the streets. I kind of like it. Nice green colour too. And I must mention the housing thing too! I booked a hostel room online, but arriving in the hostel they said the room isn't ready. So I took a long walk. Coming back in the afternoon they told me they would have to put me in a hotel instead because the previous folks didn't leave. So I got a nice standard hotel room instead for the price of the hostel. Lucky me, eh?<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEie-Tflcxc8VN51-Lo81SUDvfovAqIKkn5Hh4EGqf5_8pxySRO6KigdJhX_Qf443Q3FFNlF4Dztqm9j7rXWk2DLn8azvFnlhtRJGiXocBUqSrmnrHJ6sw9peZOia_PXawCA8IfZzH_cRis/s1600-h/22072008855.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEie-Tflcxc8VN51-Lo81SUDvfovAqIKkn5Hh4EGqf5_8pxySRO6KigdJhX_Qf443Q3FFNlF4Dztqm9j7rXWk2DLn8azvFnlhtRJGiXocBUqSrmnrHJ6sw9peZOia_PXawCA8IfZzH_cRis/s200/22072008855.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5225845696794720882" border="0" /></a>There also seems to be many more beggars in Xi'an than Beijing. It may be partly that they've been moved out of Beijing for the thing that "everyone" hates, but even a few years ago I don't think they were that many. Well, everyone, help and love each other!Jari (travelling-vegan)http://www.blogger.com/profile/03784215875655480912noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4094841068378580610.post-42035270015061191672008-07-04T18:34:00.024+08:002008-07-04T19:12:24.716+08:00June in ChinaRight, so I didn't write anything during the whole month of June. I was working mostly, but there have been other things, let me just wrap things up quickly and put up some pictures. This was a month spent completely in China. The first thing I would note when getting off the plane was the smog of course, it hangs over the city of Beijing almost constantly. Very depressing.<br /><br />There was a brief escape from that though as I took a trip to Chengde with some friends for a weekend. Chengde is a city about 250 km away from Beijing, built largely as an imperial recreation place. There's a large amount of temples, especially of the Lama Buddhist style, and an imperial palace and large grounds with all sorts of "beauty spots", mainly pavilions or houses in great scenery, built during the Qing dynasty (1644 - 1911). There's a couple of interesting-looking rocks too, and nice hiking in the mountains. I don't think there are any vegetarian restaurants, but you can get veggies from the regular restaurants as usual in China.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_bUsj_fc_Q_-wBQkCGMkE8pBV1qbHKcqO132a_yLxvyXEIANbenAaDSqMqRQMety6W5c3fXeUQ-2kkpV4iOgcngM-6Vkm84klhG16XSDLGIt_3LobCoefkBHtszSJrq4RXQf-_6W5d7c/s1600-h/08062008624.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_bUsj_fc_Q_-wBQkCGMkE8pBV1qbHKcqO132a_yLxvyXEIANbenAaDSqMqRQMety6W5c3fXeUQ-2kkpV4iOgcngM-6Vkm84klhG16XSDLGIt_3LobCoefkBHtszSJrq4RXQf-_6W5d7c/s200/08062008624.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5219108656270583714" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" 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{parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8j0YYF7rGVyTKINsYgSbRjdGo0zhVtYgsFzDkOuSuftL2ihV3bSIw8VkPqwzRLQoFCbIkRYZdEBfsSgyURZW_FGpuRSSNKaHtqhoduNvAzoa_bYMD9d_Ybsdid52bd7VR5rwcNDD51iI/s1600-h/09062008759.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8j0YYF7rGVyTKINsYgSbRjdGo0zhVtYgsFzDkOuSuftL2ihV3bSIw8VkPqwzRLQoFCbIkRYZdEBfsSgyURZW_FGpuRSSNKaHtqhoduNvAzoa_bYMD9d_Ybsdid52bd7VR5rwcNDD51iI/s200/09062008759.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5219111160513464658" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFrrJ_DP4YvLHL9GxtyasyOs9YMwRuakqMJ-MLoqIdW-KpayY_I5eQJJdu4E4ZYcPHzAO0PjdqaIf89_QaH5-lsMVnYDAFC2C_W9MTYEQQ_-R_ztODYosmplNcDLZYU-MMMcZEPKHPa0U/s1600-h/09062008763.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFrrJ_DP4YvLHL9GxtyasyOs9YMwRuakqMJ-MLoqIdW-KpayY_I5eQJJdu4E4ZYcPHzAO0PjdqaIf89_QaH5-lsMVnYDAFC2C_W9MTYEQQ_-R_ztODYosmplNcDLZYU-MMMcZEPKHPa0U/s200/09062008763.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5219111448021755058" border="0" /></a><br />You get to Chengde from Beijing by various buses or a train. The buses leave from Sihui long distance bus station, or there might be buses from elsewhere too but at least from there. The ticket price is from Y50 up. The slow and crowded train that runs once a day during the night is only Y20.<br /><br />In Beijing it's been a working and exercising mainly, and of course vegan club meetings. There have been a couple of team building events from work, going hiking to waterfalls and boating around. Some pics from those then:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhx9Jo6sQMBWnm6XvsEkO9nCqPFAPMLSgIT_4Ai6FBAR14ICFo6PIqOil307I9GgbrW5XMnjhXl6AUqipEkPFYFXafzk12uZjw92Rtbp9NkTbhP6scpMo0F3UCOTdBHWBT40wj_YE_5hCA/s1600-h/19062008789.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhx9Jo6sQMBWnm6XvsEkO9nCqPFAPMLSgIT_4Ai6FBAR14ICFo6PIqOil307I9GgbrW5XMnjhXl6AUqipEkPFYFXafzk12uZjw92Rtbp9NkTbhP6scpMo0F3UCOTdBHWBT40wj_YE_5hCA/s200/19062008789.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5219112725260835490" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhVhXvaSGwQuQGdvkJcZ2bX_1NpPR7Ro4wfVGxcDNIMGMK7DXvC8S1zh_sfLWrAIlbbtyFBEHKwRo-FEBeFmz3EIdOp1-hHgFiPR_WdNl6qjhVGL4YY7zZ0gOL20kd0AW_QLhb2GxnZOc/s1600-h/19062008792.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhVhXvaSGwQuQGdvkJcZ2bX_1NpPR7Ro4wfVGxcDNIMGMK7DXvC8S1zh_sfLWrAIlbbtyFBEHKwRo-FEBeFmz3EIdOp1-hHgFiPR_WdNl6qjhVGL4YY7zZ0gOL20kd0AW_QLhb2GxnZOc/s200/19062008792.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5219113009342379890" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRui19887IsWGrgc3ReV1hwrhxFztuMSiTAt0M8a1oSllZf-9KYtlHaaB8RUR8cL69k_ST091L2PlZvBtLvvrY1wzj_SGHFqUeByfapiJU1CG8hG8tioWkQrqWEkwbWtn6g_0-C_3mCBs/s1600-h/DSC00965.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRui19887IsWGrgc3ReV1hwrhxFztuMSiTAt0M8a1oSllZf-9KYtlHaaB8RUR8cL69k_ST091L2PlZvBtLvvrY1wzj_SGHFqUeByfapiJU1CG8hG8tioWkQrqWEkwbWtn6g_0-C_3mCBs/s200/DSC00965.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5219113541823013586" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiE-aYDJcTAULwYgofXOFVhmYPE9lxonLQ8Pgbo-3pKGJc5xuwexqdOWngMQ6ddYqTG3sVuUxVaoQx7o02plsDnQC7Sji4dvJ0LJGwPhU3ccLLXVtxkKPrGW4IGI1meJzHwWIJOWRJKBC8/s1600-h/19062008800.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiE-aYDJcTAULwYgofXOFVhmYPE9lxonLQ8Pgbo-3pKGJc5xuwexqdOWngMQ6ddYqTG3sVuUxVaoQx7o02plsDnQC7Sji4dvJ0LJGwPhU3ccLLXVtxkKPrGW4IGI1meJzHwWIJOWRJKBC8/s200/19062008800.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5219113174068817650" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhx7bThmgoOcuNbWXtwzswMkksX0K3fXeeOEeld3B5ScX4RPwzp0rCzsZVkUZWObKtsXnKd5_wn6CHPTr1Gm1oMSreCnfgOS4_g3eFUyguow-UwkTw85_gV7JqNJr22Nu8LQ3ERbs_WuZo/s1600-h/30062008810.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhx7bThmgoOcuNbWXtwzswMkksX0K3fXeeOEeld3B5ScX4RPwzp0rCzsZVkUZWObKtsXnKd5_wn6CHPTr1Gm1oMSreCnfgOS4_g3eFUyguow-UwkTw85_gV7JqNJr22Nu8LQ3ERbs_WuZo/s200/30062008810.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5219113376389013538" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFwU0wRWQo85YgHKPBR5vySwHcxLh3ziqhsc2-9J4aNgioSFci05l9_TG-xx9lIHPVSxZ47kAv55GXwVTceO8fMcTJNEyypovcSuhOPGq6nqH-pbhM51Ui07SlTYyxdS-2KyqOCBfQqAM/s1600-h/01072008813.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFwU0wRWQo85YgHKPBR5vySwHcxLh3ziqhsc2-9J4aNgioSFci05l9_TG-xx9lIHPVSxZ47kAv55GXwVTceO8fMcTJNEyypovcSuhOPGq6nqH-pbhM51Ui07SlTYyxdS-2KyqOCBfQqAM/s200/01072008813.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5219113708152675362" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijiUuyZ1AEmKg22yYbYMfRHGmmz7AbD1PjRatJZpITOFORInl4DwOoU4QAwaks9J-UsRVfrF4lKgMXabFiM5f6wuiPU_P4r2TYlLlKEdWe29S0I0UgBBZOT3OQSQb99PksAIwShB3ay-Y/s1600-h/01072008821.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijiUuyZ1AEmKg22yYbYMfRHGmmz7AbD1PjRatJZpITOFORInl4DwOoU4QAwaks9J-UsRVfrF4lKgMXabFiM5f6wuiPU_P4r2TYlLlKEdWe29S0I0UgBBZOT3OQSQb99PksAIwShB3ay-Y/s200/01072008821.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5219113834115334962" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjW79DVMg27Cj3wGgDEemhhd2Nw-1VWbkjfY-zq4rWw_pGpKF1eNBtMec7lr2swv36wPP5Rd2BSXNM64U4hxnoUAai8ovKR_N1s4c2oxeohyA-cJcNQBCChMNCot-F3EKkWB9FMcjRd5LI/s1600-h/01072008823.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjW79DVMg27Cj3wGgDEemhhd2Nw-1VWbkjfY-zq4rWw_pGpKF1eNBtMec7lr2swv36wPP5Rd2BSXNM64U4hxnoUAai8ovKR_N1s4c2oxeohyA-cJcNQBCChMNCot-F3EKkWB9FMcjRd5LI/s200/01072008823.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5219114266923664578" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2K6HcAXHSz5mh3uQ83qH8beAVQZ5rX7shv5dRiuDZ1WwdpX4BaOype4J4UmDN_drdtdvgeg15sXM299RYo1ZHjGcM9kcUKdemWsq4IIRf6MEXn8-DOdQ1XbGWahQiZCNfB-e1Ft9uLLo/s1600-h/18062008786.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2K6HcAXHSz5mh3uQ83qH8beAVQZ5rX7shv5dRiuDZ1WwdpX4BaOype4J4UmDN_drdtdvgeg15sXM299RYo1ZHjGcM9kcUKdemWsq4IIRf6MEXn8-DOdQ1XbGWahQiZCNfB-e1Ft9uLLo/s200/18062008786.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5219114612945673810" border="0" /></a>Oh, and also a new vegan restaurant has now been opened in town, the Vegan Hut, but I'll write a proper review of that later. Finally, I have talked to the bosses and have got my distance work idea approved, so I shall be leaving Beijing soon. First, though, I'll be spending a couple of weeks in Shaanxi countryside, then returning to Beijing briefly although I won't have an apartment here anymore, and then off somewhere else. Haven't decided where to yet. Exciting, isn't it? :-)Jari (travelling-vegan)http://www.blogger.com/profile/03784215875655480912noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4094841068378580610.post-62558088938871806322008-05-26T16:44:00.007+08:002008-07-04T18:33:16.620+08:00Back to São Paulo<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZtasw5aOs8H0ZBEEJEn9yJJE_7jo0q7Jia3PWkxNWuMImi7PMJKEc28ADPhHzHkovmzvqWUXnk6H3RmLg5BPhKlkbcfEUkDoS6wl5x97vdk35PnQj12Bxeg6W7w1cOnUhGz4anPf5m-E/s1600-h/17052008565.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZtasw5aOs8H0ZBEEJEn9yJJE_7jo0q7Jia3PWkxNWuMImi7PMJKEc28ADPhHzHkovmzvqWUXnk6H3RmLg5BPhKlkbcfEUkDoS6wl5x97vdk35PnQj12Bxeg6W7w1cOnUhGz4anPf5m-E/s200/17052008565.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5219102333549176354" border="0" /></a>Goodness, I'm writing this very late indeed. But I headed back to São Paulo from Rio, and over there went for a picnic with the SP vegans. And made some pastries for the road since the hostel had an oven. The picnic was excellent, a beautiful park / forest very near the city. There were all kinds of trees identified by a biologist who was along, but please don't assume I'd remember any of them. And even some monkeys, yay! :-)<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDk-aA0a2f1_duoAIEQmvIqm0WxUz5ZHQedvfV6Fqm_P1SQ5MwVY_W9FneZWzmUX030GnzSmdoFuILElrgqk4Lc5Ljh3iMiWwEiP9ljlIjUWTtdN1IC3N31byId0PmvXTo8iQ5ge68IEQ/s1600-h/16052008558.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDk-aA0a2f1_duoAIEQmvIqm0WxUz5ZHQedvfV6Fqm_P1SQ5MwVY_W9FneZWzmUX030GnzSmdoFuILElrgqk4Lc5Ljh3iMiWwEiP9ljlIjUWTtdN1IC3N31byId0PmvXTo8iQ5ge68IEQ/s200/16052008558.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5219102929321194034" border="0" /></a>And there was indeed more and more awesome vegan foods to be found. It seems there are quite a lot of vegan and vegetarian restaurants in SP, not the kind of numbers there would be in India of course, but relatively many, and of high quality. The picture on the left is from Fulo, which is supposedly the best veg restaurant in town. I don't really know about that, it was fine and more expensive than most, but didn't seem that amazing.<br /><br />Then on my last day in Brazil we went to walk around in a number of parks and I took pictures of Brazilian wildlife. And of course more food... Anyway, I don't have the time to write much now but it was great fun, the people amazing, and I'm eternally grateful to them for making the trip to Brazil so special! :D<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfKXgdzaHkWYO0w0lcgzPgyfhOuW5ic9e0DwIdcwquRPPkbzAXy1EGK2Qkvc73lrmlKL5zXeRBKn6VeNLu1PuMvuSj5sUrAaTmPq_BOg-oO8z_tD0-kaSo9euCJD8ShYcX0yznnXAAI-Y/s1600-h/18052008577.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfKXgdzaHkWYO0w0lcgzPgyfhOuW5ic9e0DwIdcwquRPPkbzAXy1EGK2Qkvc73lrmlKL5zXeRBKn6VeNLu1PuMvuSj5sUrAaTmPq_BOg-oO8z_tD0-kaSo9euCJD8ShYcX0yznnXAAI-Y/s200/18052008577.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5219104183723286354" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-0DgMY0Iifg2sr1ynezfHBYca3GETQRK_2Wb987JdMvNrI-6TCMt7QHUYFdONfoiTJSP6V2AFLsydcUkuV8n_h8i86McHrtFxSNF3_wUKjDxuvfIVbve2-y5IzLmZZeSBaaurUCbftzs/s1600-h/18052008587.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-0DgMY0Iifg2sr1ynezfHBYca3GETQRK_2Wb987JdMvNrI-6TCMt7QHUYFdONfoiTJSP6V2AFLsydcUkuV8n_h8i86McHrtFxSNF3_wUKjDxuvfIVbve2-y5IzLmZZeSBaaurUCbftzs/s200/18052008587.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5219104303277758210" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVEkrY-EO8AJxum4uODonlA7cmdbMNSWaLqS7a3DQqF9Kutwu_r8wN1lXGE8hMtoPs0oS_K1mepHTUwN4Wck7IbYEogXWPyPl8s3ugY_XxPst2m0aB9EATtCjEqkZfrXHFpSCBEAd8B70/s1600-h/18052008605.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVEkrY-EO8AJxum4uODonlA7cmdbMNSWaLqS7a3DQqF9Kutwu_r8wN1lXGE8hMtoPs0oS_K1mepHTUwN4Wck7IbYEogXWPyPl8s3ugY_XxPst2m0aB9EATtCjEqkZfrXHFpSCBEAd8B70/s200/18052008605.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5219104634523955602" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxEyZIs45Tdhevq-cTvCY0kFZ5T29pz2rBKldicwOhbxhFR8uye91j9gZp-Zy4Fw3Uxcg0qJ4BnWFKoKOmnBeqe4NaPUM5TEv_l88XIAktsMhBDo9GoAIa2GDbBHkxkdrTEgscm5P_6og/s1600-h/18052008601.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxEyZIs45Tdhevq-cTvCY0kFZ5T29pz2rBKldicwOhbxhFR8uye91j9gZp-Zy4Fw3Uxcg0qJ4BnWFKoKOmnBeqe4NaPUM5TEv_l88XIAktsMhBDo9GoAIa2GDbBHkxkdrTEgscm5P_6og/s200/18052008601.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5219104859657996114" border="0" /></a>Jari (travelling-vegan)http://www.blogger.com/profile/03784215875655480912noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4094841068378580610.post-54287789755253019882008-05-17T09:18:00.007+08:002008-05-27T08:58:29.851+08:00Rio de Janeiro<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/jaript/SC4xPldKb5I/AAAAAAAABSs/Sc2Mf7fvt-g/s144/10052008423.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 200px;" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/jaript/SC4xPldKb5I/AAAAAAAABSs/Sc2Mf7fvt-g/s144/10052008423.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>The bus ride from Campinas to Rio takes about 7 hours, including a half hour stop which happened to be in a place that had lots of beans in a buffet, and well, I love beans! So it was a happy arrival in Rio, where I booked a hostel bed during the bus ride. At Botafogo beach, from where it is easy enough to go anywhere. I was quite surprised really to see that Rio really does look like the pictures, those little hills and beaches and forest are right there in the city, and of course the Christ statue watches over everything in its quiet magnificence.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/jaript/SC4xYldKcII/AAAAAAAABUk/LEhbWsKezR0/s144/11052008441.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px;" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/jaript/SC4xYldKcII/AAAAAAAABUk/LEhbWsKezR0/s144/11052008441.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>The weather wasn't the greatest to begin with, but I still wanted to see the beaches even if they were empty and walked up to Copacabana and eventually Ipanema. The odd thing to me about these beaches was that they don't have any breakwaters so the waves are humongous! Great for surfing, but not so for swimming. At Ipanema I thought I was imagining it when I heard someone call my name, but no, there were the Swedes from the conference! So I hung out with them the rest of the day, pretty nice.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/jaript/SC41B1dKczI/AAAAAAAABaQ/bfPpCM70i6Q/s144/12052008484.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 200px;" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/jaript/SC41B1dKczI/AAAAAAAABaQ/bfPpCM70i6Q/s144/12052008484.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>The next day I decided it was time to go up and meet Jesus, since he had been watching over for a while already. It's quite impressive, the statue, especially when it's lit up at night. There is a train that goes up the mountain, leaving from Cosme Velho (which can be easily reached by bus from Largo do Machado metro station). Built in 1884, this was the first electric railway in Brazil and with even live music included, it is quite a nice ride. At the top of the Corcovado mountain stands Cristo Redentor or Christ the Redeemer, a statue of about the size of a 13-storey building. It's also a good place for taking pictures of the city in general.<br /><br />The idea was to then leave for somewhere else, possibly the national park they decided to <a href="http://www.wwf.org.br/informacoes/noticias_meio_ambiente_e_natureza/index.cfm?uNewsID=12940">protect in my name</a>(!) to honour my visit to the country, but after considering the short time left, the long distance to anywhere north and the cooler weather in the south I decided to just stay in Rio. So I spent the day at the beach, and discovered that they sell smoked tofu in the health food shops... it's quite expensive, even more so than the similar stuff in Europe, but tasty and useful when the vegetarian restaurants are either closed or just too difficult to find without a map. Another easy option is to go to the pizza places, pick the vegetarian pizza and ask for it without cheese (sem queijo).<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/jaript/SC41TFdKdNI/AAAAAAAABdk/biK54KZztTM/s144/14052008518.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px;" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/jaript/SC41TFdKdNI/AAAAAAAABdk/biK54KZztTM/s144/14052008518.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>The following day I headed up to the Sugar Loaf mountain (Pão de Açucar), which provided quite nice views again. And then on to a restaurant in Botafogo called Vegan Vegan, I had seen it before but as usual it was closed whenever I was ready to go there, it's only open from 11:30 to 15:30. But everything they serve is vegan, and this was feijoada day! It was really tasty, the lemon pie I had for dessert wasn't as good as the coconut custard I tried the following day.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/jaript/SC41jldKdgI/AAAAAAAABf8/E5hIK7esdaU/s144/14052008540.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 200px;" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/jaript/SC41jldKdgI/AAAAAAAABf8/E5hIK7esdaU/s144/14052008540.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>I went to the Ipanema beach from there, rather nice but on the way back there was a negative experience as I walked through a tunnel and around the mid-way point saw a greoup of three guys coming the other way. I smelled trouble but knew I had nothing valuable so I went on. When I was passing them, one of them, a teenage boy put his hands in my pockets and said "money, gringo", while another one, a grown man, was taking my bag. Despite the pockets being empty I was much more keen on keeping the kid out of my pants than on anything in the bag so the guy got away with it and ran to the other side of the street. I wasn't nearly bothered enough to run over the traffic to get a bag with just 35 reais (13 euros) in it, so I just waited annoyed and after taking the plastic bag with 20 reais in it the guy brought the bag back to me. Unfortunately my postcards were in the same plastic bag, losing them bothered me a lot more than the money.<br /><br />The incident gave me a puzzling question though, although it was just one man and two teenage boys, having nothing valuable made it an easy decision to do nothing. But I started wondering what would I have done if the same situation would have occurred when I had my wallet and phone etc on me. Would I be willing to hurt anyone for the sake of stupid material things? I still don't have a definite answer to that. I guess I would've tried running away, despite only wearing flip-flops.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/jaript/SC41p1dKdlI/AAAAAAAABgk/OtxCiBZGdAc/s144/15052008545.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px;" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/jaript/SC41p1dKdlI/AAAAAAAABgk/OtxCiBZGdAc/s144/15052008545.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>The day left a bad image in my mind of Rio, and so I was even more determined to head back to São Paulo the following evening. I checked out of the hostel, took my bags to the left luggage counter at the bus station and went to see the Botanical Gardens. This was autumn and definitely the wrong time of the year for that. Hardly any flowers at all, and the trees didn't seem so exciting. Afterwards I walked over to Ipanema, seeing all passers-by in a much more suspicious way than I ever had before.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/jaript/SC411VdKdwI/AAAAAAAABjc/bU0nC8-aM-k/s144/15052008557.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 200px;" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/jaript/SC411VdKdwI/AAAAAAAABjc/bU0nC8-aM-k/s144/15052008557.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>It was already getting dark after 5 pm so I just sat at a beach bar watching the sea and people playing volleyball until I figured it was late enough for dinner. I had read that one vegetarian restaurant, Vegetariano Social Clube, would be open until midnight so I searched and found it. I ordered the tempeh à portuguesa and it was really tasty! I never had tried tempeh with seaweed before but they seemed to go together quite well. Afterwards I just headed to the bus station, waited for an hour or two and then took the overnight bus to São Paulo. It seems there are more people in the overnight than daytime services, but it was still comfortable enough. Seven hours, but I couldn't really sleep on the bus. The picture collection of the Brazil trip overall is <a href="http://picasaweb.google.ca/jaript/Brazil">here</a>.Jari (travelling-vegan)http://www.blogger.com/profile/03784215875655480912noreply@blogger.com23tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4094841068378580610.post-65634035522071115462008-05-15T09:19:00.005+08:002008-05-15T10:15:15.123+08:00Campinas, Brazil<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVqEvrx8rN2mQ_S8_N_8z0XF0894jDqO-F9RswIjvWm3zNkv-0GDEJM3fmdvxnyHF-FMMFwriovQd38F4k-y7J3qoLMI-Hsn9K5N5s65L1B8AkTZI0pbbqhqM_vvoMnik1pNNG5jty4Zg/s1600-h/05052008397.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVqEvrx8rN2mQ_S8_N_8z0XF0894jDqO-F9RswIjvWm3zNkv-0GDEJM3fmdvxnyHF-FMMFwriovQd38F4k-y7J3qoLMI-Hsn9K5N5s65L1B8AkTZI0pbbqhqM_vvoMnik1pNNG5jty4Zg/s200/05052008397.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5200420590431399602" border="0" /></a>Next city in Brazil to make it sound less like a vegan heaven since really, it's not. Campinas is the second largest city in the state of São Paulo, with approx. 1 million inhabitants. However, the conference was arranged in a fancy resort-style hotel (Royal Palm Plaza), where I also stayed, and it's badly isolated from the city with just motorways on every side. Even the nearby shopping mall is hard to reach on foot. The hotel had a really nice pool though, and that's where I spent all my lunch breaks. I guess swimming instead of eating can't be too bad for the health if not done for too long, can it?<br /><br />The hotel breakfast was nice with lots of bread and jam and heaps of fruits. And of course the stuff I didn't touch. Oh, and cereals, which are quite tasty with fruit salad. Lunch, well, they had a lunch buffet and it did have all sorts of beans and salads, but I figured that I wouldn't be able to eat the price's worth of veggies and hence would be paying for the meat too. The nearby shopping centre also didn't have any veg food other than the supermarket. For dinners, we went to town a couple of times, but it seems vegetarian restaurants in Brazil are generally only open at lunchtime. The regular restaurants would first say they have nothing vegetarian, but after asking about some specific things would generally find or make something vegan.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8RnVnKK5_gLPiboCSv7LzOHdLyyhZjOmbej85xpnodqiYGENB4XxDoPlBGkqb0f2dyjDAeuDRnxABX8L3286_afiza90U0RHaTF0BfJRGmdQuikac6sa7WOQyNDuREEvwbMaAD8FLgc0/s1600-h/08052008411.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8RnVnKK5_gLPiboCSv7LzOHdLyyhZjOmbej85xpnodqiYGENB4XxDoPlBGkqb0f2dyjDAeuDRnxABX8L3286_afiza90U0RHaTF0BfJRGmdQuikac6sa7WOQyNDuREEvwbMaAD8FLgc0/s200/08052008411.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5200421226086559426" border="0" /></a>And then there was the banquet. The other thing about Campinas is that it's the place where Brazilian coffee got started, and the conference banquet was held on the very first Brazilian coffee farm. Which sounds way cooler than it was. There isn't really a trace of coffee-growing left now, just a touristy place that does use some coffee beans for decorations. And it seems I just don't like coffee, even the Brazilian kind. I can stand a cup per day but don't enjoy it and more would be torture. Sorry. Anyway, the only vegan thing at the super expensive banquet that I hope to be reimbursed of was the starter salad. I thought the veggies were too until I tasted them, a buttery taste. Should've asked.<br /><br />Well, I didn't see much anything of Campinas other than the hotel, so that about concludes this one. At the end of it I went to the bus station and the queue for tickets to São Paulo, but then noticed there was a counter for Rio de Janeiro also, and given that my new friend in SP would be busy, I decided to go where I haven't been before and sat 7 hours on the bus to Rio. But that's the next post.Jari (travelling-vegan)http://www.blogger.com/profile/03784215875655480912noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4094841068378580610.post-68453202395526912942008-05-05T09:24:00.004+08:002008-05-05T10:27:11.101+08:00São Paulo<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/jaript/SB5bBSarEnI/AAAAAAAABM0/BKWSxEAKcQo/s144/02052008374.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 200px;" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/jaript/SB5bBSarEnI/AAAAAAAABM0/BKWSxEAKcQo/s144/02052008374.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>Finally in South America! My initial view of São Paulo, the slums seen through the bus window on the way from the airport in pouring rain weren't so exciting, but it has definitely picked up since. The metro system is quite alright too, even if they don't have full maps on all stations. Tired status and rain made sure there was nothing much on the day of arrival, but I did have a walk and got my shoes wet.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/jaript/SB5bLSarEvI/AAAAAAAABN0/TUBB-fwVTyA/s144/03052008382.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px;" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/jaript/SB5bLSarEvI/AAAAAAAABN0/TUBB-fwVTyA/s144/03052008382.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>On the second day I was almost ready to pack up and go to Rio when I got a reply from a São Paulo vegan on VeggieConnection and changed my plans to meet her in the afternoon. Then, walking on Avenida Paulista, someone suddenly pulled my sleeve and after a second of wondering if he wanted money or directions I realised it was my former tango teacher Giggio! He stopped here on his way back home to Argentina. Then I found a great vegetarian buffet restaurant (Apfel) for lunch, with vegan things clearly marked, and very tasty.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/jaript/SB5bMiarEwI/AAAAAAAABN8/4cIIA-5a0TM/s144/03052008383.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 200px;" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/jaript/SB5bMiarEwI/AAAAAAAABN8/4cIIA-5a0TM/s144/03052008383.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>Good things only improve sometimes. After lunch I met this local vegan who turned out to be a really nice girl. She and her friends took me to an organic food fair with a section for vegetarian stalls. They even had vegan white chocolate! Incredible, I've never seen such a thing before, and it was so yummy! In the evening we went to a vegan pizza place where they bring slices of pizza around and you can pick as many different kinds as you want, and some BBQ soya sticks and soy-shakes to go with it. Their vegan "cheese" was really well done too, it melted much like the real stuff. No idea where to get that stuff yet.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/jaript/SB5bfCarE8I/AAAAAAAABPk/nrj2YXsbScI/s144/04052008396.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px;" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/jaript/SB5bfCarE8I/AAAAAAAABPk/nrj2YXsbScI/s144/04052008396.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>The next day (well, today) they invited me to a vegan birthday party, lucky me. So not only did I get to spend more time in their amazing company but also got some more great vegan foods and even birthday cake! This time the food was East Asian style and that's a tad less exciting for me, having had heaps of great cooking of that style on the other side of the planet. Afterwards we went off to a place that serves 10 different flavours of vegan ice-cream. Not that it'd be ice-cream weather, it's only about 20 degrees, but just for the sake of trying out this amazing stuff. Really good it was too, and of special interest was the açaí ice-cream, since I didn't know of the fruit before.<br /><br />Off to Campinas for the conference in the morning, but very happy indeed about São Paulo now. :-) And the pictures can be found <a href="http://picasaweb.google.ca/jaript/Brazil">here</a>, although I must apologise for the lack of good photos this time.Jari (travelling-vegan)http://www.blogger.com/profile/03784215875655480912noreply@blogger.com10