Incredible India

Incredib!e India is the logo mark for the country’s tourism bureau. It is very apt. This really is an incredible place, and we have had an incredible time trying to arrange our travels around it.

Our trip to India was my birthday present to Sally. She has always wanted to come here, and see the Taj Mahal. While I had heard wonderful accounts from many of our Indian friends, and others including Richard and Carol Henriquez and the Seeligs, I had reservations. I was particularly concerned about being exposed to the infamous levels of poverty and human suffering. I was also not looking forward to walking along streets covered in urine and excrement.

At the same time, I have always been fascinated by old Indian architecture and the photos of wonderful pink stone buildings with ornate carvings. And more recently, I have been intrigued by accounts of the country’s growing financial significance, as described by Thomas Friedman in ‘The World is Flat’ and daily articles in the business pages.

Throughout our trip, we have generally enjoyed organizing our travels one or two days in advance. This way, if we like a place we can stay longer, and if we don’t we can leave. We have also preferred booking hotels, planes and trains ourselves, rather than leaving it to an agent. We have avoided packaged tours, preferring less organized travel. As a result, I was on the verge of booking a couple of nights in the Ashoka Hotel, when I started to have second thoughts.

My cautiousness was in part due to warnings from other travelers, and the rising temperatures in Delhi as reported by BBC World News. We therefore decided to approach some travel agencies to see if we could join a packaged tour. I emailed companies that I found on the Internet, as well as the Seeligs’ travel agent, and the government’s own tourism department. We received a few responses, but the best came from the government’s Incredib!e India Travel. . I went onto their website which was very well presented, with tours all over the country, and other information about the government’s Tourism Department. They put together an 11 day tour of Delhi, Rajasthan, Chandagarh (the model town designed by Le Corbusier) and two places up in the Himalayas where it would be cooler. We were given two quotes, depending on the standard of accommodation. They seemed reasonable, and we chose one based on the higher standard of accommodation. Before leaving Hong Kong, we wrote back saying we were interested, and wanted to proceed.

Upon arriving in Kuala Lampur, we went to the lounge and checked the email. There was no response. We decided to try and phone the agent on Skype and got through right away. He chuckled at our last minute planning but assured us he could arrange everything. At Sally’s urging, I sought clarification on his relationship with the government. “We are the government” he replied, and this gave us some comfort. He arranged to have a driver at the airport, and proposed a 4 star hotel for the first two nights near Connaught Place, which Sally had determined was the best area to be in. I printed off the itinerary, including the hotels and other details. Prior to leaving KL, we received another email confirming that the hotels were all booked, a car would be waiting, and I should make arrangements to pay them in US cash on arrival. My antennae went up. For some reason, I started to think about the art students in Beijing!

Upon arrival at Delhi Airport, (which will never win ‘airport of the year’), we found a large Incredib!e India Tourism office. I noticed that their website was .org; but I was sure I was dealing with .com. I showed a lady behind the desk our proposal. “That’s nothing to do with us”, she said. “That’s someone pretending to be us.”

What to do? I decided to go outside and discuss the situation with the person who was here to greet us. Sure enough, a good looking young man was standing amidst the hundreds of other greeters holding up a card with our name. His sign read “Voyageur Travel”. “You’re not from the government tourism office, are you?” I asked. He didn’t reply.

Eventually he sheepishly confirmed that he was not with Tourism India, but thought it best that I speak by cell phone with his boss. “Good Evening Mr. Geller. Welcome to India” said the smooth voice at the other end of the line. I repeated my accusation. “I never said we were the government’s tourism department” he said. “I said we work with the government.” I told him that he knew that wasn’t the case, and I would not be leaving with his driver. At this point he urged me to let him drive us into the city, and stay at the hotel for one night, since it was paid for. I would reimburse them for the cost and that would be the end of our relationship. Given the chaos, the heat, and a desire to do the honourable thing, I agreed.

We got into a tiny Ambassador, the Indian car that has been manufactured since the 50’s without any body style change, and set off for the city. We immediately disliked the driver, a somewhat rough and crude individual. He told us how much he was looking forward to driving us around his incredible country for the next 10 days! We knew we had made the right decision not to proceed with this company, although we weren’t quite sure what would happen next.

The drive in seemed like a mélange of so many other rides we had taken. It was a bit of Hanoi, Beijing and Vientiane, Again there were cars, scooters, bicycles, and pedestrians going in different directions. But what really surprised me were the animals. Cows and water buffalo were everywhere. And I mean everywhere; wandering along the streets, through the traffic, along the sidewalks. And then I saw a CAMEL!

The Connaught Hotel is one of the best hotels in London. The same does not hold true for Delhi’s version. Although classified as 4 star, it was filthy and most unattractive. The only thing that was impressive was the mustachioed doorman in full military regalia. The caps on the bottles of soda water in the old fridge were rusting. None of our electrical converters would fit their outlets. There was an awful smell in the room. This was not a good start to Incredib!e India.

Back Home in Hong Kong.

It's amazing how quickly one can adapt to a place. After 10 days in China, we arrived back in Hong Kong and felt quite at home. This time we decided to stay in a very different neighbourhood on Hong Kong Island. North Point is a less touristy area than Nathan Road in Kowloon, but the Harbour Place Hotel, where we booked, offered a lot of amenities including the subway, the cross island tram, and a grocery store right outside the door. Like most major hotels in Hong Kong, it also offered almost non-stop buffets of Chinese and international food.

During our final days, we were determined to do a bit more sightseeing. On Friday we took a 1 hr ferry ride to Cheung Chau, one of the outlying islands. The central waterfront comprised a very charming, albeit somewhat run-down fishing village, where we had a good seafood lunch beside the fishing boats. (One day, we predict it will be a fashionable tourist destination and place to live, since automobiles are restricted in the village centre, and the air is definitely cleaner.) We took a fast ferry back to HK in half the time.

That evening, we met up with a special friend from my CMHC days who now lives in Shanghai, and just happened to be in Hong Kong. He has spent the past 5 years working on a variety of real estate projects in the middle-east and around Asia for Li Ka Shing's son Richard. He talked about the challenges and opportunities living and working in China. One key difference, he thought, was the attitude towards older people. At 64, he worried that it might be difficult to get work in Toronto in the real estate community, whereas in Asia he is highly respected for his experience and expertise, with lots of opportunity.

Leaving his hotel in Causeway Bay at midnight, we couldn't get over the amount of life and activity on the streets. Sally also remarked on how clean the area was, with a complete absence of graffiti.

While the streets are clean, the air isn’t. One of the problems with Hong Kong at this time of year is a continuous haze that blankets the city. The tourist literature refers to it as ‘mist’ but I’m not sure. It should improve by July 1, when HK celebrates the 10th anniversary of its handover to China. A lot of special activities are planned, and if you can arrange flights, I think it would be a wonderful time to be here.

Unfortunately, we'll be in Eastern Europe around that time. But we will definitely watch the celebrations on TV. Given the quality of the light show that takes place every evening in Victoria Harbour, I am sure the July 1 celebrations will be awesome. Just as Beijing is undertaking a major works program in advance of the Olympics, Hong Kong has a massive infrastructure program underway. It includes two new links to the mainland and a major new waterfront walkway system, which should dramatically improve access to the water.

On our final day we set off to another island to visit Tai O where some of the descendents of the original settlers lived in homes built on stilts over the water. It was very interesting, and unlike anywhere else we had ever been. That evening, we took the tram ride up to The Peak, the most popular HK tourist destination. As the lights were setting over the city the view was spectacular. We had dinner at the ‘Peak Lookout’ a charming stone building adorned with fairy lights. It was very beautiful, and the only thing that marred the experience was the thought that we had to get up very early the next morning to go to India!

But it’s still better than having to get up early to go to work!

Xi'an: Drink Together Historic City Water

We came to Xi'an to see the Terracotta Warriors since I fell asleep during Dennis Low's theatrical production of the same name at The Centre in Vancouver. For some reason, we had been led to believe that Xi'an was a charming historic walled town. But as soon as we arrived at the train station, we realized we were in a very large city; albeit one with a well preserved wall around a small portion of the centre. It also had some interesting English signs. My favourite: drink together historic city water. I knew what they were trying to say.

We stayed just outside the wall at the Xi'an Garden Hotel that had been recommended by the couple we met in Macau. It turned out to be a wonderful choice. The hotel was designed in the 'Tang style', with a number of low rise buildings surrounding a well landscaped pond and garden. It was located in a redeveloping area next to an amazing public plaza and fountain. It was also close to Tang Paradise, Xi'an's newest theme park, celebrating the Tang Dynasty. More about it later.

We were shown to our room, only to learn that it didn't have internet, so they moved us to another room. We then went down for breakfast. I'm ashamed to admit it, but we were delighted to see lots of Caucasians in the hotel. We were able to join up with a small group and set off after breakfast to see the terracotta warriors.

But first was a visit to the Big Goose Pagoda. (Don't ask how it got its name.) Then we were off to a terracotta warrior factory. (I'm not making this up.) Then it was time for lunch, that included one of Sally's favourite's, caramelized potatoes, a local dish. Finally we were off to see the real terracotta warriors.

It was a very impressive presentation with large new structures having been built around the archeological sites. Sitting at a table by the entry to one of the buildings was a small man in dark sunglasses. In front of him was a sign saying 'no pictures please'. It turned out that he was the farmer who discovered the artifacts while digging a well. He often comes by since he can no longer farm his land, and he doesn't have to pay to get in!

We spent the afternoon looking at the various portions of the site, and managed to get back to our hotel without any more tea ceremonies or gift shops. That evening we set off for a walk and made a discovery of our own. About 500 m from the hotel was a large, well equipped tourist centre. We were given some elaborate publications containing all kinds of information about the city and surrounding areas. There was a lot to see, including a water fountain show scheduled for later that evening. It was breathtaking! In some respects I found the performance featuring acres of illuminated fountains, synchronized to classical music, as awe inspiring as the archeological sites. But I would never admit this publicly.

The following morning, we rose early to plan our next few days. We needed to book a flight to India and figure out how best to get back to Hong Kong. We also needed to find out where to rent bicycles for a cycling trip around the city wall; something that had been recommended by our Macau friends.

After two successful train trips in China we were willing to try a third. But when we realized that the train would require two nights on board, the decision was made. We were flying. But I was surprised at the cost of the flights. We had been told it was cheap to fly within China, and yet the flight to Shenzhen, was still $233 US (The flight to Hong Kong was about $450). After some searching, I found a website offering a flight for $169, including a booking fee. But it had to be paid for through Paypal, which meant another 3.5 %. That was fine, but I couldn't get through to the Paypal website. After an hour of trying, I decided this was ridiculous and we should get out and see the city. As we were leaving the hotel, we saw a small travel office in the lobby. Out of interest I went in and asked about flights to Shenzhen. "When do you want to go?" asked the girl behind the desk. "Tomorrow noon," I replied. "$105 cash", she said, and a couple of moments later we had our tickets!

That afternoon we did make it around the wall on bikes. We also found HSBC next door to Maison Mode, an exclusive shopping mall in Xi'an (We also saw one in Beijing). Many of the top international names were there: Mont Blanc, Versace, Burberry's, Gucci, Paul Shark, Hush Puppies (yes, Hush Puppies is a very fashionable clothing line over here!) But there wasn't a customer in the entire complex. We tried to find a directory, and a washroom, but no one spoke English. I saw a nice shirt at Paul Shark’s, but it was 2350 RMB. ($335 US) For the life of me, I couldn’t figure out why this project had been built, and for whom it was intended.

Later that afternoon we went to Tang Paradise. I don't know where to start! We arrived at the entry gate but it was closed. However a young girl was selling tickets. "Where do we go in?" Sally gestured. But all the girl did was flash more tickets and repeat the price. We left and eventually found another entrance and some real tickets.

Tang Paradise is a 2 year old theme park. It was built at a cost of over $200 US million. It felt like a cross between an extravagant resort and a partially finished Disneyland.

It included a large theatre where a Vegas style extravaganza plays daily. However, we gave it a pass since the management had given us an orientation package that included an elaborate brochure and a DVD of the production. We also suspected that we wouldn't understand much since we were the only Caucasians in the park.

Dinner was served in a grand banquet hall, and included dishes that a Tang emperor would have been served. But we can't tell you what they were since although each item was identified, the English translation always said "welcome to Tang Paradise". I can tell you about the music, however. It was primarily Andrew Lloyd Weber and Whitney Houston.

What was impressive was the security. Before being allowed to enter the marketplace area, we had to stand before a counter and have our photos taken. Then, when we left, our tickets were swiped and our photos appeared on a monitor. Goodness knows why.

At 8:30, everyone in the park gathered at a large man-made lake for what was billed as the largest and most elaborate water cinema production in the world. And it probably is. It featured animated films projected on screens of water, combined with laser beams, fireworks, and other pyrotechnics. It was quite impressive. After the show, as we left the grounds, we marveled at the magnificent night lighting of the buildings and landscaping. But I couldn't help but think about all the coal fired plants generating the electricity required to keep the place alit.

While i would have liked to have stayed a bit longer in Xi'an and seen some of the sights outside the town, we left the next morning. We were surprised to discover the airport was an hour's drive away. The drive to the airport was like watching a futuristic movie; whole new industrial areas opening up; major new residential complexes with 16 large identical buildings when we might have two. But there were also hundreds of thousands of new trees, some looking quite strange since all the branches had been pruned. En route, I enjoyed some of the bilingual highway signs along the way: don’t drive tiredly; don’t drive drunken; high colisin, keep spacely.

When we arrived at the large modern airport, there were surprisingly few people, and we got through the check-in quickly. As we walked to the gate we congratulated ourselves on having made it. We got to the right airport, on time, and it turned out that the tickets weren't counterfeit!

A final comment on the cost of things. The taxi to the airport took an hour, and the driver had to pay two tolls. Yet the fare was only 100 RMB. Inside the airport, Sally wanted a coffee, and the price...48RMB! It seemed insane.

When we arrived at the departure gates, I was surprised to see a large, busy counter selling… flight insurance. It seemed almost as popular as the lottery ticket vendors we saw lining the roads in Cambodia!

Fortunately we didn't need the insurance. The plane made it to Shenzhen where we immediately found a sign saying “express bus to Hong Kong”. We got the last two seats. At the border we had to get off for Customs, and then got the last two seats on a much larger bus to Hong Kong Island.

We're in Hong Kong for 3 nights, and look forward to being with people who can speak English. But we had an amazing and very worthwhile time in China. We both want to go back, especially to see Beijing after the Olympics. I also want to see if they have fixed up all the awkward English signs.

Beijing: 15 Observations

Before telling you about Beijing, I want to send a special message to my Uncle Ted, who just got out of the hospital in Toronto, and will hopefully be reading this with a glass of Kosher Wine in hand, and my Auntie Alma by his side!

While we enjoyed our time in Beijing, and would like to return one day, it was not a 10. It is just too big, too busy, and it is challenging when you don’t know the language. While there are some similarities between Beijing and major Canadian cities, there are a lot more differences. In no particular order, here are 15 observations about the city:

Taxis are very plentiful. There are more than 60,000 cabs for a population of about 18 million people. If one applied that ratio to Vancouver, there would be 6,000 cabs in our region. I believe there are less than 1,000. But the drivers don’t always take you to where you want to go, since they don’t speak English, many can’t read, and most have trouble with maps. But they are cheap; the drop charge is 10 RMB (about $1.50) and the fare increases slowly. (The drivers are usually incredibly calm and patient, despite the challenges of driving more than 12 hours a day in a very congested city. I just wish they didn’t have to sit in metal cages.

There are a lot of cars. Beijing has a very impressive road system, with a number of ‘ring roads’ around the central core. But when they were constructed, no one could have contemplated the number of cars in the city. There are now over 3 million cars in the city, and dthe number is increasing about 1,000 new cars and 500 used cars every day. That’s an 500,000 additional cars a year, assuming a few are taken off the road!

Not many people speak English. While there is an effort to encourage people to speak some English by the Olympics, a surprisingly small number of people can actually speak ANY English today. Even the staff in the ‘Foreign Language’ Bookstore couldn’t speak English. And the people who write the English signs, can’t speak English.

The people dress quite smartly. I was particularly impressed by the number of people who wear uniforms; school children, shop attendants, restaurant staff, railway attendants, and of course the many soldiers and security guards around town.

Some things are very cheap. We were particularly taken with the cost of eyeglasses. Our guidebook noted they can be purchased for a fraction of the cost in America. We purchased some very nice frames with progressive lenses for less than $150 a pair. So why are they so expensive in Vancouver?

Beer always comes in large bottles. 500 or 600 ml bottles. And one rarely pays more than $1.75 a bottle, except in the American Hotels and Tourist Areas.

Some people are polite. Others are not. The younger people on a bus or subway will always give up their seat to an older Caucasian woman. And if they don’t voluntarily, the attendant will instruct them to do so! But as for the men who are always spitting…

The rickshaw drivers will try and cheat you. They always quote a price, which, if you are smart, you will clarify at the beginning of the trip. But after 20 or 30 minutes of enjoyable time together, they will pretend that the price is ‘per person’! This happened to us every time, and made us feel awful if we didn’t give them the extra 20 or 30 RMB.

The tourist infrastructure is lousy. While there is very good tourist information on the web, just try and find a tourist centre or a map in the city! Few of the hotels can help you either. It’s even worse than Malacca!

The bus system works. While locals claim there is a need for more buses, they seemed very plentiful to us. We were also pleased to see an attendant on board, who collects the fares, calls out the stops, and helps people figure out when they need to get off. Both the bus and subway are very reasonable (between 1 and 3 RMB a trip) and the government is proposing to reduce the cost to get cars off the road during the Olympics.

Many roads are quite impressive. There is often extensive and attractive street planting along the roads and highways. It includes roses, irises, and other colourful plants, that are often watered by hand!

A few centuries are missing. There are few 18^th or 19^th century buildings around town. There are some very old buildings that have been beautifully restored, e.g. the Forbidden City, and the Summer Palace, but one doesn’t find streets lined with great old buildings. Few buildings seem more than 20 years old, other than the dreadful slums that are slowly being replaced by new high-rises.

Food is cheap. Chinese food is particularly cheap, but then it is also inexpensive in America. On the other hand, American food, when you can find it, is quite expensive. A Starbucks coffee is about the same price here as it is in Vancouver. For the same money, you can get a wonderful dish in a Chinese restaurant that will serve 4 people.

Many people don’t wear watches. Sally noticed this, and it’s true. But then they can always tell the time on their cell phone. And everyone has a cell phone.

People often smile at you, just because you are Caucasian. It’s not uncommon to be asked to have your photo taken with them, especially when they think you are Steven Spielberg!

The Forbidden City

I probably shouldn’t admit this, but I really didn’t know very much about the Forbidden City when we arrived at the gates. I didn’t even know why it was called 'The Forbidden City'. Sally knew much more as a result of the books she had read, and the movies she had seen. As a result of my ignorance, I wanted to buy a guide book. But it’s tough buying anything as a foreign tourist in Beijing. For one thing, you don’t know if what you buy is real. For another, you don’t know what a fair price is. Eventually I bought a guide book that included more Russian than English, but the price was right! A few minutes later, once we were inside, I discovered that you could rent electronic guides that were programmed to activate themselves at key locations around the site. So we got two of them, only to discover that our machines were not fully synchronized, and so we often had to resort to our English/Russian guidebook.

The Forbidden City, for those of you who haven’t been here, occupies the central part of Beijing, across from Ti’ananmen Square. It was the imperial palace of the Ming and Qing dynasties. Construction began in 1406, so it has a history of over 600 years. 24 emperors ruled the whole country from here, and they had some very opulent digs, while the rest of the people lived in hovels outside their walls.

The grounds are large, occupying 178 acres. The overall complex is extremely impressive, although many of the buildings start to resemble one another after a while. There are some wonderful courtyards, and gardens that include 300+ year old cypress trees. Many of the buildings were used for conducting government business; others provided accommodation for the emperor, the queen, the concubines, the princes, and various relatives and staff. Today, the buildings are considered the most magnificent ancient architectural complex in the country. In 1987, the Forbidden City was included on the UNESCO list of World Heritages. As a result, although there is a Starbucks in the Forbidden City, it cannot have a sign outside. Sally hates to admit it, but when she discovered it, it was like an oasis after her barbq’d pork breakfast snack. (She has promised never to criticize Starbucks ever again!)

After the Forbidden City, we did what every Beijing tourist does, and took a ride through the Hutongs, or back alleys in a rickshaw. As we rode around, we saw a lot of great investment opportunities, and we are sure it is only a matter of time before most are bought up, renovated and sold off as Beijing Mews townhouses.

A warning about rickshaw drivers. They are always quite charming, trying hard in their broken English to tell you about their city. But we have been taught that you have to negotiate the price before you head off, and we always do. But regardless of how clear the terms are, the driver always tries to pretend that the fare agreed upon at the beginning is for each person, not both. And you always end up feeling like a real cad if you don’t give him the extra few dollars. It happens every time!

Some final thoughts about the Forbidden City. I really have not done justice to this place. It is a museum, full of wonderful artworks and artifacts collected over hundreds of years. For example, there’s an exhibition hall devoted solely to clocks and watches collected from around the world; there are halls and gathering places as ornate as any at Versailles; there are fabulous stone sculptures and so on. One could spend days or years studying the palace. But when it’s really hot outside, and you are one of 120,000 people going through, and you didn’t have a very good breakfast, it’s really hard to appreciate it all!