athousandsmiles-away

[athousandsmiles-away]

Qingshui Cliffs Xiulin Township, Hualien County, Taiwan

by IAmAndrewHI

[athousandsmiles-away]

Have you ever visited Taiwan?

A lot can be argued about whether Taiwan is a province of China, or whether it is a fully independent country... Taiwan considers itself to be independent politically, in fact, it has a regime of its own; but it also resembles China in several other aspects (like the language or the architecture) . Either way, all I know is when I arrived at Taipei’s airport I got a stamp - which doesn’t usually happen when you travel to a province within a country.

I travelled to Taiwan with two of my best friends for around five days, two of which we spent in Taipei and the rest of which we spent in Hualien (the East Coast of the island).

Taipei wasn’t all that much surprising, especially after having seen other megacities such as Hong Kong or Shanghai. It looked completely like an average Chinese city and, to be honest, I didn’t find super nice to walk around, except for a few temples and skyscrapers.

Some of my favourite attractions were the National Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall, the Bao-an temple, the Elephant Hill and the Shilin Night Market - every single Asian city has one.

Chiang Kai-shek’s Memorial Hall rises like a magnificent work of art in the midst of all the busy roads and grey skyscrapers of downtown Taipei. It was built in honor and memory of the former President of the Republic of China, Chiang Kai-shek, and today it is the most prominent historical landmark in Taiwan. The complex of temples catches one’s eye because it’s style and colors contrast so much with its surroundings.

When night fell, we walked north to explore several temples, among which we found the Bao-an temple. The temple does not differ much from any other Asian temples or pagodas by day, that is why it is much more worth a visit at night. At this time, it lights up from top to bottom, becoming a sort of mystical place of worship.

Even if the streets that lead up to the temple are not very pleasant to walk through, Bao-an deserves the journey.

If you keep walking up or catch a bus from that point, you’ll finally reach the Shilin Night Market, packed with foods stalls as well as souvenirs and clothes shops. The crowded Night Market really lifted up our mood that day, because up until then we really had the impression that there was nobody in the city, because the streets and parks were almost empty and really quiet.

My last (but not least) favourite visit was the Elephant Hill, a little mountain at the outskirts of Taipei which overlooks its whole skyline - with the Taipei 101 reigning over every other skyscraper. The hike up Elephant Hill is short but steep, and it is definitely a must for all Taipei visitors, because it gives a stunning perspective of the whole city. We hiked up the hill to catch the sunset, except that there was no sunset because the sky was completely covered in clouds - oh well. But I have to say, the views were quite impressive anyway.

We also went up Taipei 101 (to the 101th floor in case there were any doubts) and the views were also pretty; however, I wouldn’t recommend it as much as the Elephant Hill, as the most iconic skyscraper there is to see is the Taipei 101 itself - which you obviously can’t see from within it.

One last thing I loved when in Taipei: their dumplings! Never leave Taipei without trying its Xiao Long Bao!

After the big city vibes, we took a train to Hualien, a smaller city on the East coast of the island. Hualien itself does not have a huge cultural offer - or even nothing at all -, but it is located right next to a beautiful national park called Taroko National Park, as well as the stunning Qinshui Cliffs.

Possibly because of the time of the year we chose, Hualien was virtually empty when we arrived. I suppose most tourists prefer to visit the Park under sunny skies and warm temperatures, but that was not a priority for us. Although the skies were somehow cloudy, the temperature rounded 15-20 degrees, so we still had a really pleasant weather during our stay.

As soon as we dropped our bags at the hostel, we rented a scooter and drove all the way to Taroko National Park. On our way, we saw several Taiwanese villages composed of tiny houses and big farms, which contrasted abruptly with the tall skyscrapers and wide roads we had seen in Taipei... After 40-50 minutes, a picturesque entrance gate leading to the National Park surprised us.

Technically speaking, there exist both Taroko Gorge and Taroko National Park. Taroko Gorge, an 18 kilometre-long marble-walled gorge, is a section of the Taroko National Park. The national park itself boasts 27 peaks over 3,000 metres in height. It also has several milestones to see, and I’m sure it would take more than three days to cover them all and do all the hikes. We chose those which we considered to be the prettiest and most important ones.

If I could describe the landscape in a few words they would undoubtedly be green and leafy trees and clear turquoise waters; abrupt caves and noisy waterfalls; but also a sort of sense of peace and calm, as if all things in nature were in harmonically connected. No wonder Taroko is one of Taiwan's most loved protected areas.

Outside of the national park and on our way back to Hualien we found the Qinshui Cliffs. They took my breath away! I perfectly remember those spectacular cliffs rising dramatically from the Pacific Ocean up to over 800 meters above turquoise waters. The dark tall cliffs contrasted with the white cloudy skies right before night was about to fall... and I can’t almost describe the feeling of peace and tranquility it all brought to me. Finding those magnificent chunks of land right at the end of our journey certainly made my day - and the whole trip as well.

That night we also visited the small town of Hualien and it’s night market, but I didn’t find it any different to other Chinese cities I’d seen before. There is one thing that I really liked though: dumplings!

In general, there aren’t many people who list Taiwan as their favourite destination ever, and many times it gets overlooked in favour of other more well-known countries in Southeast Asia. Having been there just for five days, I personally think this tiny little island has a lot to offer: amazing sceneries ranging from impressive mountains in the north and sandy beaches in the south, breathtaking hikes, the mixture of European and Chinese culture, great food...

Possibly because of its lower popularity, Taiwan is not as crowded as other destinations within Asia, and that is in part where it gets its charm from. One of the things that makes Taiwan so great is that you’ll often feel like you’re one of the only tourists in the country, and the locals will welcome you in a much warmer way - I know this from personal experience.

Taiwan is interesting culturally, historically and geographically, not to mention politically. The country is plunged in a serious identity crisis. It is a country that is not a country, successful from a manufacturing and high-tech point of view, yet striving for recognition by most of the world.

But when you visit Taiwan, you’ll quickly realise that it really is a separate country and certainly not the same as China, Vietnam or Thailand; that it has a culture of its own and plenty or attractions that can be referred to as uniquely Taiwanese... That is why my advise at this point is: go to Taiwan now before it bustles with tourists!

[athousandsmiles-away]

Yangshuo, Guangxi, China

[athousandsmiles-away]

The real China

Just as I wrote about the urban part of China (Shanghai) on my last post, this one revolves around the rural part. And that is a province called Guilin, located in the south of China, quite close to Hong Kong. Unlike the previous trip, some friends and I went on a sort of “road trip” across the region, visiting a different place everyday; except for the fact that many of the transports we took were trains, so it was more like a “rail trip”.

On the first day, we took the train from Hong Kong to Guangzhou. Guangzhou is a VERY Chinese city in the province of Guangdong. Frankly, none of us had a burning interest to visit the city, but it was on our way to Guilin so we took our chances. And indeed, the reality matched our expectations: Guangzhou was not much more than a very densely-populated, polluted, urban nucleus with several tall buildings and the famous Canton Tower presiding over them - I have to admit though, the tower was quite impressing. Nevertheless, having seen Shanghai several weeks before, Guangzhou turned out to be much less appealing. I also remember my friends and I stayed at an unpresentable (gross) hostel that night… - why did they even call it hostel? 🤢.

(This was the Canton Tower)

But less about cities, and more about the countryside.

On the second day, we took an early morning train to Yangshuo. This was already in Guilin province. Yangshuo county is a region surrounded by infinite mountain peaks and bordered on one side by the Li River. It is also home to a very cozy little town (the town of Yangshuo), which is where we spent the night.

We were only there for a day and a half, but it was enough to make me appreciate one of the most beautiful pieces of nature I had ever seen. And the best of it? there weren’t almost any tourists and the place was really cheap (the night at the hostel cost us around 5€!).

Just as we arrived, we rented bikes and scooters and ventured into the road (actually, the “road”, as most of the terrain consisted of mud tracks).

We biked across native villages, lakes, ponds… up until we reached the bottom of the Moon Hill. The hill bears such a name because of the crescent shaped cave running through the hill and, unfortunately, the way up to the top consists of some 800 steps. However, it is definitely worth the hike. 

(The Moon Hill from the bottom)

When we got up there, sweaty and soaking wet (it was drizzling), we were mesmerized by the scenery: thousands of mountain peaks rising majestically across the countryside; the clouds were circulating around them like ghosts. It looked like HaLong Bay in Vietnam, but without the water underneath. The sky was grey, but the color gave the scene a mysterious look, just as if it were unreal.

(the views from the top!)

The day after we also had the chance to contemplate one of the most iconic views in China, and that was... the drawing that appears on the 20¥ bill!. The area was beside the river, we took a little bamboo boat and navigated across the canals, which were also surrounded by those imperial mountain peaks I mentioned before.

From Yangshuo, we took a taxi to the next little town: Longsheng.

Longsheng was even smaller than Yangshuo, and it was located at a higher attitude area. By the time we arrived, it was already night time and the whole place was really dark - it looked like a ghost town. It also took us a great deal of time to get to our hostel. In fact, we had to call a special 4x4 taxi that drove us all the way uphill because, to my surprise, the hostel was ON a rice field. Yes, ON THE TOP of a rice field - I guess that also explains why it was so freezing cold (4ºC!).

When we got there, I did not realize where we were exactly, but I did the morning after, and I could not believe my eyes. The balcony of our room overlooked a whole array of rice fields and I appreciated that we were actually standing on one.

(These were the views from our balcony)

So we put our coats on and started to explore the area. We walked up and down the rice fields and into the forests nearby. The rice fields were not as green as the ones I had seen in Sapa (Vietnam); instead, they had a brownish-greenish tone, very characteristic of the fall season. There were also wooden houses as we walked across the terrains. They were the homes of some of the families that lived there. I remember they would all smile and wave at us as we walked by, they looked so happy, yet they had so so little…the area and its people took my heart.  

(This woman sold us handmade scarfs! I still keep mine and I love it)

(The views from the top of a rice field)

The morning after we took a bus from Longsheng to Guilin, the biggest town in Guilin Province. There wasn’t all that much exciting about Guilin in general, and even less after having seen all the wonders we had just seen. But the city is most commonly known for a couple of pagodas, called the Sun and Moon Pagodas, that lie at the central lake. They are lovely to see, especially at night time when they are illuminated. However, the city of Guilin is just like one of the many cities in the country.

(Nice aren’t they?).

So we basically enjoyed the heating and the food from the hotel where we were staying at - which we got for a really cheap price again - and took a train back the morning after. Time to go home after a tiring, but very satisfying trip.

In general, I thoroughly enjoyed this trip, the time I spent with friends, the adventures we lived… but it also helped me to become aware of many things. 

Seeing all these villages and the way the people lived in them, the little money asked for the services they provided, the few things they needed in order to live and be happy… it all made me realize the enormous differences that exist in a country like China. I still cannot believe that I had gone from seeing gigantic skyscrapers and avenues like the ones in Shanghai, to people living in huts and walking their pets through mud tracks. But what disheartened me the most was the fact that these people probably did not know many of the things that I know about their country, maybe they had never been able to see a big city, or maybe they could not even afford to do so.

Inequality in China is a very worrying issue; indeed, China figures among the top countries with the highest economic inequality in the world (along with Haiti or Botswana, among others). However, the current communist political system is only likely to perpetuate the trend in the future. The system has been successful at transforming cities in the last thirty years, but it clearly has not yet been able to abolish the polarization of wealth. This polarization becomes all the more evident if we acknowledge that China is the second country with the largest number of billionaires - only behind the United States -, but almost 600 million people still live in poverty, and 85% of them with less than one dollar a day. This is unacceptable, yet I would not have become so concerned about it if I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes.

We have to bear these things in mind when we visit such culture-shocking countries as China, because only that will help us see things through a different light, it will help us become more tolerant and more understanding and, especially, it will help us appreciate what we have.

❤��🇳

[athousandsmiles-away]

[athousandsmiles-away]

Lights, camera... Shanghai!

When I was living in Hong Kong I crossed the border to Mainland China twice, each time headed to a different place of the country. Those were the only times I ever visited China up to now, but each trip showed me two totally opposite parts of the country (urban and rural).

This post is about the urban side of China, which was my first trip into the Mainland. More in particular, this post is about my trip to Shanghai, the largest urban center in the country (aside from Hong Kong, if you consider it part of China...), crammed with skyscrapers, Buddhist temples and Chinese flags - they reflect communist pride, I guess. To be honest, I was not expecting to find anything spectacular about the city. After all, having seen so many big cities, I thought it would be just the average kind. But it really wasn’t. There was something about Shaghainese culture that really hooked me.

(The city skyline from the Bund, by day and by night)

I guess Shanghai was not the traditional Chinese city, it had a European character too. Compared to the narrow, dirty streets of other cities of the country, Shanghai’s avenues and boulevards were wide and long, clean and shiny. They even had trees along them which, believe it or not, makes a big difference. I especially remember the French Concession district, a French enclave built inside the city. It carries such name because the area was actually a concession that had been granted over to the French from 1849 to 1943, but which they then handed back over to the Chinese National Government at the time - a little history is never too bad. Shanghai’s French Concession is home to cozy cafés, wine boutique bars and European delis. Walking along its streets I couldn’t feel more at home.

(one of the cafés at the French Concession)

However, Shanghai retains a very Asian character in many other ways. After all, it is another one of the most imposing megacities China is proud to host. If you walk along the Bund, you can see one of the most unique skylines of the world. The combination of its massive, colorful skyscrapers seems so harmonic and dashing to the human eye that one cannot easily stop looking at it. 

The Chinese gardens and temples are undoubtedly a sign of the culture of the country and, of course, the dumpling and hot-pot restaurants speak for themselves.

(Meditating at the Jing’an Temple)

But aside from the “visible” structures of the city, Shanghai is Chinese in many other ways: for example, the use of social networks (Facebook, WhatsApp..), Google and many other sites is banned by the Chinese government - which can become a big inconvenient for those of us who regularly use them to communicate. Nevertheless, most people find ways to get around these restrictions… or they just download WeChat, which seems to be the one and all-encompassing app that is actually allowed by the government. Another thing that struck me while I was in China was the fact that Western-looking people cause great sensation among Asians, as if we resembled museum exhibits or some sort of being they had never seen before. At the beginning I did not mind taking pictures with random Chinese that would ask me on the streets, but after 189273871263 selfies and after noticing people gazing at me in the metro, I started to become somehow attacked. Lastly, although Shanghai is meant to be a very international city, not that many people are able to speak English. In fact, many of them were not even able to make the effort to try to understand us when we would speak to them in English - my basic Chines was not good enough to take us anywhere unfortunately. This really surprised me but, at the same time, it perfectly reflects the closed character of Chinese society.

(We were actually meant to show this address to the taxi drivers because they would not understand us otherwise)

But leaving those matters aside, Shanghai was definitely worth the trip. I said to myself I would come back some day; I even considered living there for some time. But who knows, I guess only time will tell.

我❤️上海!

[athousandsmiles-away]

Ig : takenbychane

[athousandsmiles-away]

Singapore: big from the inside, small from the outside

Singapore is one of the smallest states in the world, the second one in Asia after the Maldives. However, despite its size, it is one of the richest ones. Indeed, when one visits Singapore, it is difficult to conceive how much wealth there is in such a small piece of land.

I visited Singapore with some friends from University. Our trip to lasted four days, but I think fours days were enough for somebody who does not live or work there as an expat, because the country’s standard of living is rather high compared to the rest of Asian countries.

Nonetheless, the prices were totally worth the visit.

When I though I had seen everything there was to see in terms of architectural design, the Marina Bay Sands Hotel and the Gardens by the Bay really mesmerized me (especially at night time). We were just in time for the light show that takes place every evening at the garden complex and when it started, I lay on the floor and looked above. I was hypnotized. I could not stop gazing at the the giant trees, harmonically changing colors and coordinated with one another and with the melody. How did man ever design this - let alone build it?

As it is known, Singapore is one of Asia’s most important business hubs. Its financial district, full of skyscrapers headquartering some of the best companies and law firms in the world, reveal this reality. Indeed, the city centre resembles that of any other big city like New York, London, Hong Kong… (of course there is also a wheel, how typical!)

The downside? almost EVERYTHING in the country is artificial. All the touristic attractions have been man-made as if somebody had destroyed the nature around it. I did not realize this until I visited Sentosa Island, which lies offshore Singapore (you can even walk there through a bridge). At first, Sentosa looked like a paradisiac complex with beautiful beaches. But then I was told that the island had been artificially built to serve military purposes in the past, I can’t lie, I was a bit disappointed. 

From what I have just said, one might think Singapore is just a big city with immense skyscrapers and hotels and without a real culture of its own. But that isn’t true. Hiding behind the tall buildings lie the typical districts of the three dominant races that inhabit this small city-state: Chinese, Indian and Malay. Ever wondered why Singapore has four official languages (English, Mandarin, Tamil/Hindi and Malay)? That is exactly why. (One could even say Singlish is one of the main languages. Singlish is actually a mix of local slang and expressions from the various languages and dialects spoken in Singapore). 

As it happens, each one of these races has a district of its own. There is a Chinatown with pagodas and all sorts of Buddhist temples - one of which is said to keep one on Buddha’s teeth inside (!);

there is also a colorful Indian Village with large markets selling souvenirs and, obviously, Henna tattoos; 

and lastly my favorite, the Malay village. I was not expecting to find a golden Mosque in the city but there it was!

The fact that Singapore has been able to accommodate so many different people, so many diverse cultures, makes it even more interesting and stands as an example of coexistence and tolerance in the modern world. All cultures speak with one voice. They seem to respect each other and accept the fact that the country is a shared entity. In sum, it feels as if everyone is meant to find their comfort zone in Singapore.

[athousandsmiles-away]

Vietnam from North to South

My first insight into Asian culture took place during my trip to Vietnam last August 2017. My mother and I did an all-encompassing itinerary from North to South and had the opportunity to get to know the country in depth - sometimes in more depth than we would have liked!

Why we chose Vietnam? I can’t really say. We felt like going on an adventure trip; besides, many people had recommended it to us, and it seems that #Asiatravel has gained popularity as a trend, and hence as a destination. So there we went.

We started off in humid, hot, overcrowded Hanoi. Unlike Jerusalem, I could describe Hanoi in a single word: chaos. The traffic was chaos, the markets were chaos, the whole atmosphere was chaos. Except for a couple of Chinese-style pagodas and historical landmarks, the whole city felt like a festival of motorbikes, triangular hats and rice noodles. The old city’s streets were brimming with shops and stalls selling all sorts of items, from dresses to brooms and mops. It didn’t seem there was a pattern to the shops’ distribution. Indeed, organisation and order do not seem to exist there. Traffic lights? Do not trust them, they just stand as decoration objects which make the city look a bit more civilised than it actually is. Motorbike honks and the vendors’ loud cries fill up the atmosphere. Tourist hordes flock the streets while the locals ask each and every single one of them to take pictures - and not the opposite...

However, I found some harmony within all the chaos. I felt that is what gave the city its essence. Hanoi is definitely not the city I would choose to live in, but it deserves a visit. It made me appreciate how neat and civilised my home country was in comparison.

Indeed, all of this was true for most cities we visited in Vietnam, notably Hue and Ho Chi Minh. Although not as big and home to beautiful historical landmarks, Hue was also the typical Vietnamese city. The city is home to the former Imperial Palace of Vietnam (or at least the remains of it) and it still conserves several pagodas and a really peaceful tomb complex of one of its emperors (the picture shows it). I would not recommend the central market, though, I think I am still traumatized!

As for Ho Chi Minh City (or Saigon), this was possibly the closest a Westerner would feel to being “at home”. With its modern skyscrapers and flashing skyline, the former capital of Vietnam makes one wonder to which extent the country is losing its culture and homogenizing into the “American city-type”. Nonetheless, there is still a lot of Vietnam in the city: the (very communist) mausoleum, Ho Chi Minh’s house, the Reunification Palace, the Parliament House… and also reminders of the French colonization: the Central Post Office and the Notre Damme Cathedral. Possibly because of its past and its present, the city stands as the intercultural hub of the country.

My favorite town, however, was neither of those three. It was Hoi An. Why? Because it was a small but lovely beach town full of colors and friendly people. Every night, the city lanterns would light up and turn the city into an art piece, and the little canoes that travel across the river would give it a “Venice sort-of-look”.

And although I have spoken a great deal about cities, I do not believe cities are the most beautiful parts of Vietnam. It’s its nature what’s most captivating. Notably, Ha Long Bay and Sapa.

There is possibly nothing I could say about Ha Long Bay that has not already been said or photographed before. Some people say it is overrated because of the multitudes of people and boat parades that flood it every year; however, taking these factors aside, the bay deserves a tour. I will  never forget the sun setting between the islands and the blue-ish color of the sea.

Lastly, located in the northern mountain ranges close to the Chinese border, Sapa was a civilization stuck in time. If one wonders where the Vietnamese culture resides, it is there. Sapa in itself is a little mountainous town but, when we walked across the rice fields in the surroundings, we realized there was a whole hidden civilization hidden therein. Colorful hats, skirts and bracelets characterized the attire of the women and girls of the area - although I still wonder if they would wear them just to catch the tourist’s eye or because it was really a cultural trait of them. Whatever the reason, Sapa really captured my heart and made me realized that, indeed, “a nation's culture resides in the hearts and in the souls of its people”.

Hẹn gặp lại, Việt Nam!

[athousandsmiles-away]

قُم عَانق أرضَ الإسراء

[athousandsmiles-away]

Jerusalem, the eternal city

Although the main objective of my trip to Jerusalem was to take a course on Israeli history and politics, spending a whole month there really did change my perspective in many senses and taught me things I would not have learned inside a classroom.

The people I met, the things I saw and the adventures I lived combined to make a totally worthwhile experience. I do not recall having one bad day during my whole stay - maybe the first couple of days, when the living conditions at the dorms were simply… unbearable -, but I do recall some days which were more intense than others, such us the time where tensions escalated between the Israelis and the Palestinians - thank God that was solved, the sound of gunshots was not the most pleasant one to sleep to. 

The weekends in Tel Aviv, the day trips to Haifa and the hikes around the Dead Sea, however, compensated for those.

Tel Aviv and its urban-modern skyline,

The Bahai Gardens in Haifa

And the Masada Fortress (you can see the Dead Sea at the back!)

Before going to Jerusalem I would not have imagined I would get adapted to the city so easily. After all, back home, the city is regarded as a holy sanctuary where people only pray and worship their gods. But not really. The city life totally changed my initial conception. Jerusalem has a great atmosphere, great nightlife and there is always something going on along its streets. I won’t lie, I was somehow scared before going; more than one person had asked me: “why are you going to Jerusalem on your own? are you out of your mind?”. Obviously, when you hear the same opinion coming from so many people, it does change your attitude towards the place in a way. But I was determined to go and prove they were all wrong.

In the end, I do not really know if I proved it to someone, but I definitely proved it to myself. Jerusalem is one of the best experience that I have had so far, and I would not be able to describe it in one word, because,

Jerusalem is old, but Jerusalem is also new. Jerusalem belongs to Christians, Muslims, Jews. And the fact that this enclave is worshipped and claimed by so many religious faiths doesn't make it dangerous. On the contrary, it makes it magical.

Every street, every quarter and every person here has a different story to tell. Some areas have never seen the passage of time, whilst others have embraced modernity and keep thriving over the years.

If you walk in Jerusalem you're walking on stones that are 5000 years old. You can almost hear the Roman footsteps behind you.

Jerusalem is a festival and a lamentation, a song and a sigh that travels across the ages.

Jerusalem is the homeland of the immigrants that arrived from all over the world, but it is also the homeland of those who had dwelled in its lands for generations.

Jerusalem has been able to accommodate so many cultures and identities that it is hard to tell the difference between foreigners and locals.

Jerusalem is probably the best example of tolerance and coexistence in the world today - that is why tensions are inevitable every now and then.

Jerusalem has not only taught me the history of Earth and Heaven, but it has also taught me to look at others under a different light.

Jerusalem is an experience. Jerusalem has a compelling past, a fascinating present and an unpredictable future

Now I understand why so many people don't just come here once, but they return many times.

Just like I will

[athousandsmiles-away]

Acknowledgements

This blog was born out of my mum’s idea that I should leave a mark in this world somehow, and that the best way to do so was by compiling all my experiences and displaying them on a blog. After all, why would I keep it all to myself when I have so much to share?

I have been around recently, and the truth is, I do have a lot to tell and to write about. I have over 9000 thousand pictures that I can’t wait to show and I could write just about the same amount of words about every experience I’ve had so far. That is why I will try to turn this blog into a a mini-diary of all of the trips I’ve done and my underlying thoughts about them.

I hope you enjoy! More to come!