Post by Rogue Trader on Jan 11, 2012 4:52:51 GMT -5
Cockney rhyming slang when refering to a mate, as in plate, china plate, mate... get it?
Used more back in the day by East Enders ...
Anyway, the PRC - Peoples Republic of China. What I did notice immediately on entering the country was ... it was full of Chinese, and the second thing was the writing 'was all chinese to me.'
It didn't take me long to set a grip of the situation, and I was soon speaking, and reading, the language like a native. Hmmm, yeah like a native english man. But I didn't let it put me off at all.
With Viet Nam that side of the wire, and me this side what more could I want.
The weather on my last day in Viet Nam was actually quite dismal, but it mattered not. I'd managed to get this far, and there wasn't really much further to go (or was there?).
Right then, lets bring it on.
This is the BCCP for China (Border Crossing Control Point.) A huge building, looking quite important, with lots of little Chinamen around it, and lots of uniformed officials standing around inside.
But it was/is effectively dormant. Control, control, control. Thats the main strategy. As you walk into the building, there are numerous checking booths, and you can choose anyone you want. i'd suggest and recommend that you use the ONE booth that is manned. You'll not miss it. It'll be the one with a long slow moving queue in front of it.
As I reached the front of the queue, with my passport ready - opened at my Chinese Visa page, I passed it over, removed my cap, and smiled at the official. for what it was worth I would have got more of a reaction if I'd smiled at a piece of sugar cane.
He glanced at my passport photo, then at me, then at my photo, then at me again. He called someone else over, they then both kept checking the photo then me. No!
No what? No! Excuse me. No what?
Picture is different!!
I was expecting something like this because it had happened before.
OK matey, as I stepped closure to the counter. 'The picture is already 5 years old. If you check out the stamps and visas I've been travelling for a year already. I've shaved and I've lost quite a bit of weight. Also, if the picture is a dodgey one, then the Embassy would not have given me a visa would they?'
The bloke behind me kinda translated some of it, and also told me I was looking fit and healthy.
They let me in anyway.
I wasn't able to take photos of inside the building, so you can't see what it was like, but there was a long search area, and an even longer x-ray machine, where I was supposed to put my luggage.
The guard there indicated that the bike and trailer were to go through the machine. Hahaha, yes indeedy. You gotta be joking matey. the hole is only large enough for a large suitcase to fit through, how do you expect me to get my bike through there. You Donkey!'
So I was waved past that to some guards that were supposed to search my luggage. They took one look at me, one look at the bike and trailer, and made a cursory inspection before waving me past.
I was now officially INSIDE the PRC. On the other side of the fence is Viet Nam.
This is 'The Friendship Gate', in the 'Friendship Pass' at Pingxiang. When you pass through this gateway, you have made your first steps into the great world of Chinese Freedom.
By pure coincidence there are other 'Friendship Gates', even 'Friendship Bridges', at other 'Friendship Passes'. All, and again, pure coincidence, at other border crossing points. Amazing that isn't it
Anyway, lets move on. Come on 'move along now, move along.'
As the say the writing was on the wall, and it didn't take me too long to get the hang of reading and talking.
I was surprised at the welcoming banner that greeted me when I reached Pingxaing Town itself.
It say, WELCOME.
Jonny and Scooby, you are most graciously welcomed to our country. We hope and wish that your visit is both pleasant, exciting, trouble and worry free, and that you are happy to be here. Please relax, enjoy your visit, and remember to savour and sample all of our cultural differences. Our foods, our wines, and our religious beliefs. you will not be dissappointed when you will eventually have to say farewell to our glorious land.
Well, thats what I think it says. I dunno - It's all chinese to me
I was still in shorts and tee shirts at this stage, and to honest with you I was quite pleased that I was. Sure it was a little cold, but cycling soon warms you up, and it certainly made it easier to wash, and definately save on laundry.
The tarmac roads soon gave way to the more rural roads, and in some places those roads were (at that time of the year) little more than flowing rivers of mud.
Which lead to some pretty dirty looking footwear. I had little choice. Either take the roads or stay put.
Don't get me wrong, not all the roads were bad. Some were Great, some bad, some very bad, and some terrible. The only thing was that out in the countryside all the above roads were part of the same road (if that makes sense). I'd be on a good bit of road, and then suddenly for anywhere upto 10 - 15 miles it would be a mud bath, wten it would have a small stretch of good surface.
The scenery was/is fantastic, even in early months. I was there February.
what was seriously noticed after leaving the flat lands of south East Asia, and only really seeing and hills/mountains until the northern limits of Viet Nam, was the abundance of hills and mountains for me to ponder.
There were days when I was feeling bad, not ill, just bad. Not really depressed days, justdays when I wanted to give up. When I was having to urge myself on a little bit further, just a little bit further. No matter how bad some of my days were there was always something just around the corner to perk me up, and to make me realise that I wasn't having a bad day at all. I was just being a bit over self critical.
These guys were having shit days. mine were just slight inconvieniences.
Even the camping wasn't as wild as you'd think. Many times I asked (via sign language) if it was alright for me to sleep in a barn, or a warehouse. Often I managed to find either empty buildins, or part built ones, even delapidated ruins and safe camped in them.
I entered one city in the earlier hours of the morning, about 9 or 10 ish, and spied some police at a small police station. I asked directions for my next town, and they were very friendly and helpful. After poind for the obligatory photographs, the gave me a blue light escort through the city (at my speed) and took me to the road leading to my next town.
Of course this didn't happen everywhere, but when it did happen it was a great feeling to be given such great attention. Not that I was seeking attention. Far from it, the less attention people give the safer you actually are.
As with everywhere world wide there are small villages where the people live from hand to mouth, and there are towns and cities. Each with varying standards of living.
To prevent boredom, this subject will be continued in another thread ...
Used more back in the day by East Enders ...
Anyway, the PRC - Peoples Republic of China. What I did notice immediately on entering the country was ... it was full of Chinese, and the second thing was the writing 'was all chinese to me.'
It didn't take me long to set a grip of the situation, and I was soon speaking, and reading, the language like a native. Hmmm, yeah like a native english man. But I didn't let it put me off at all.
With Viet Nam that side of the wire, and me this side what more could I want.
The weather on my last day in Viet Nam was actually quite dismal, but it mattered not. I'd managed to get this far, and there wasn't really much further to go (or was there?).
Right then, lets bring it on.
This is the BCCP for China (Border Crossing Control Point.) A huge building, looking quite important, with lots of little Chinamen around it, and lots of uniformed officials standing around inside.
But it was/is effectively dormant. Control, control, control. Thats the main strategy. As you walk into the building, there are numerous checking booths, and you can choose anyone you want. i'd suggest and recommend that you use the ONE booth that is manned. You'll not miss it. It'll be the one with a long slow moving queue in front of it.
As I reached the front of the queue, with my passport ready - opened at my Chinese Visa page, I passed it over, removed my cap, and smiled at the official. for what it was worth I would have got more of a reaction if I'd smiled at a piece of sugar cane.
He glanced at my passport photo, then at me, then at my photo, then at me again. He called someone else over, they then both kept checking the photo then me. No!
No what? No! Excuse me. No what?
Picture is different!!
I was expecting something like this because it had happened before.
OK matey, as I stepped closure to the counter. 'The picture is already 5 years old. If you check out the stamps and visas I've been travelling for a year already. I've shaved and I've lost quite a bit of weight. Also, if the picture is a dodgey one, then the Embassy would not have given me a visa would they?'
The bloke behind me kinda translated some of it, and also told me I was looking fit and healthy.
They let me in anyway.
I wasn't able to take photos of inside the building, so you can't see what it was like, but there was a long search area, and an even longer x-ray machine, where I was supposed to put my luggage.
The guard there indicated that the bike and trailer were to go through the machine. Hahaha, yes indeedy. You gotta be joking matey. the hole is only large enough for a large suitcase to fit through, how do you expect me to get my bike through there. You Donkey!'
So I was waved past that to some guards that were supposed to search my luggage. They took one look at me, one look at the bike and trailer, and made a cursory inspection before waving me past.
I was now officially INSIDE the PRC. On the other side of the fence is Viet Nam.
This is 'The Friendship Gate', in the 'Friendship Pass' at Pingxiang. When you pass through this gateway, you have made your first steps into the great world of Chinese Freedom.
By pure coincidence there are other 'Friendship Gates', even 'Friendship Bridges', at other 'Friendship Passes'. All, and again, pure coincidence, at other border crossing points. Amazing that isn't it
Anyway, lets move on. Come on 'move along now, move along.'
As the say the writing was on the wall, and it didn't take me too long to get the hang of reading and talking.
I was surprised at the welcoming banner that greeted me when I reached Pingxaing Town itself.
It say, WELCOME.
Jonny and Scooby, you are most graciously welcomed to our country. We hope and wish that your visit is both pleasant, exciting, trouble and worry free, and that you are happy to be here. Please relax, enjoy your visit, and remember to savour and sample all of our cultural differences. Our foods, our wines, and our religious beliefs. you will not be dissappointed when you will eventually have to say farewell to our glorious land.
Well, thats what I think it says. I dunno - It's all chinese to me
I was still in shorts and tee shirts at this stage, and to honest with you I was quite pleased that I was. Sure it was a little cold, but cycling soon warms you up, and it certainly made it easier to wash, and definately save on laundry.
The tarmac roads soon gave way to the more rural roads, and in some places those roads were (at that time of the year) little more than flowing rivers of mud.
Which lead to some pretty dirty looking footwear. I had little choice. Either take the roads or stay put.
Don't get me wrong, not all the roads were bad. Some were Great, some bad, some very bad, and some terrible. The only thing was that out in the countryside all the above roads were part of the same road (if that makes sense). I'd be on a good bit of road, and then suddenly for anywhere upto 10 - 15 miles it would be a mud bath, wten it would have a small stretch of good surface.
The scenery was/is fantastic, even in early months. I was there February.
what was seriously noticed after leaving the flat lands of south East Asia, and only really seeing and hills/mountains until the northern limits of Viet Nam, was the abundance of hills and mountains for me to ponder.
There were days when I was feeling bad, not ill, just bad. Not really depressed days, justdays when I wanted to give up. When I was having to urge myself on a little bit further, just a little bit further. No matter how bad some of my days were there was always something just around the corner to perk me up, and to make me realise that I wasn't having a bad day at all. I was just being a bit over self critical.
These guys were having shit days. mine were just slight inconvieniences.
Even the camping wasn't as wild as you'd think. Many times I asked (via sign language) if it was alright for me to sleep in a barn, or a warehouse. Often I managed to find either empty buildins, or part built ones, even delapidated ruins and safe camped in them.
I entered one city in the earlier hours of the morning, about 9 or 10 ish, and spied some police at a small police station. I asked directions for my next town, and they were very friendly and helpful. After poind for the obligatory photographs, the gave me a blue light escort through the city (at my speed) and took me to the road leading to my next town.
Of course this didn't happen everywhere, but when it did happen it was a great feeling to be given such great attention. Not that I was seeking attention. Far from it, the less attention people give the safer you actually are.
As with everywhere world wide there are small villages where the people live from hand to mouth, and there are towns and cities. Each with varying standards of living.
To prevent boredom, this subject will be continued in another thread ...
