Between Japan and Hong Kong

This time there is a quick run-through of the past few weeks. I'm already on my way to the airport again, or now, at the time of publication, I've already landed in Hong Kong for two days. In the next few weeks, there will probably be so much to tell that I won't have time to talk about May and the first half of June in Hangzhou. And these weeks were absolutely beautiful, I/we experienced a lot and there is a lot to report.

My last blog entry was about Kyoto and in that I already mentioned that Sebastian landed in Shanghai shortly after me. It was probably less than 24 hours in total. He took the long-distance bus to Hangzhou, where I picked him up eagerly. Sebastian landed on a Tuesday and in the first week we didn't do much. Thursday and Friday I taught in Anji and Sebastian stayed in Hangzhou alone. On these days, he managed to get a SIM card by himself. Some may find it strange that this is emphasized so much, but anyone who has been to China knows that such things are more than difficult without Chinese language skills.

On the weekend, we explored Hangzhou together with the West Lake and its tea fields and went out with my friends in the evening. The first week was the time to get used to China.

On the second weekend, we took the bus to Suzhou and stayed there for one night in a hostel. Suzhou is a water town, not far from Hangzhou and very famous for its gardens. We visited one after our arrival. The Humble Administration Garden is even a UNESCO World Heritage Site and is said to be one of the most beautiful in China. Because it is so big, you can easily spend half a day there. Unfortunately, we were a bit late and didn't have so much time. Plus, at the beginning, we only stayed in about a third of the garden without realizing how big it actually is. In the end, we had to walk a bit more quickly. But I think that is more the European perspective. The Chinese often walk much faster at sights. But that's good too. Otherwise, it would be even more crowded than it already is. At the very end, there was also a kind of bonsai exhibition. It was really interesting to see how old some of these trees are and the plants themselves look really cool.

To finish the day, we went to Jane's pub or bar or something like that. That was one of the best pubs I've been to in China so far. There was a foosball table, good live music, a discount on beer, and then they even turned on the last game of the Bundesliga season right in front of us. It was a great evening :D and then we fell into bed.

The next morning, we had two things on the agenda: Tongli, a village near Suzhou, and then to Shanghai. Tongli is the main reason why Suzhou is so well-known because this village is what makes the water town a water town. Compared to many other cities and districts in China, Tongli is quite old and actually has a bit of history. The houses are small and there are rivers, canals, alleys, or bridges everywhere. We spent a relaxed afternoon there before returning to Suzhou to take the high-speed train to Shanghai, which only took 20 minutes. Here, Sebastian experienced for the first time how crowded this country is. Between Shanghai and Suzhou, trains run every 15-25 minutes, yet we only managed to get tickets for a train 3.5 hours later. Sunday evening is like rush hour in Germany. We spent the waiting time eating pizza and even stole a knife. xD It is so difficult to buy normal bread knives in this country. Normal prices are out of the question. That's why I have never been able to own one - until Suzhou. The knives were right in front of us during the meal, and suddenly one was in the bag. In exceptional situations, sometimes drastic measures are necessary, and now I am really happy to have the knife. :D

When we finally arrived in Shanghai, we still managed to see the Bund and its lights despite the late arrival. I think it's necessary to really "arrive" in Shanghai. We treated ourselves to a beer with the cool skyline in front of us and then headed to the hotel. In the hotel's cafe, Sebastian probably found the most expensive beer in the area at 43¥ per bottle and bought it, because the bottles were already open when he found out the price. This noble beverage was the end of the day. The next morning started quite relaxed and then we explored the city with Nanjing Road, People's Square, and the Propaganda Post Art Museum. The museum exhibited and explained propaganda posters from around 1950 to 2000. For example, one poster showed how Tibetans celebrated the Chinese entry into Lhasa. After all, the Chinese finally brought culture and education to the farmers in Tibet. It was interesting to see this and it explains a bit why the Chinese have such strange behavior towards foreigners. They must certainly have completely wrong views of the rest of the world if you look at what the government has spread or is still spreading.

In the evening, we took the train back to Hangzhou, and I went back to work the next day. While Sebastian was there, I had arranged my classes so that I only worked three days a week. Fortunately, this gave us a lot of time to travel. So on Friday morning, we immediately set off again. This time, the destination was Huangshan, or rather better known as the Yellow Mountains. They are not far from Hangzhou. We took the bus there and then went up by cable car. It usually takes a long time to get from A to B in China, so we didn't have enough time to hike up. But it's okay to be lazy sometimes. However, it was still physically exhausting for several reasons: unbelievably bad signage, the main paths crowded with people, AND only stairs. We went there with the expectation of leisurely hiking 10 or 14 km and then watching the sunset before going to the hotel. Unfortunately, it wasn't that easy. My thighs were still cramping three days later, and I preferred taking a detour of 500 meters instead of walking down three steps. It was crazy. We didn't know that there were only stairs there, and that made the 14 km very, very strenuous. But it was still beautiful because we had never seen such a landscape before. At some point, Sebastian said, 'I have never hated anything so much and found it so cool at the same time.' I think that says it all.

After the Yellow Mountains, we returned to Hangzhou and spent one last night there before going to Shanghai once again. Since Sebastian's flight left from there, we left a day earlier to explore the city a bit. Unlike Mama, Klaus, Ellen, Papa, and Matthias - that is, all previous visitors - Sebastian had consistently good weather. This allowed us to do so much more. So we spent the last few hours together in Shanghai before saying goodbye - once towards Frankfurt and once towards Hangzhou.

Sebastian flew back on a Monday and from Wednesday to Friday, I had the oral exams with my students. That was also the last time I saw them.

Right after the exams, Mama and Klaus arrived. - Yes, it was a small visitor marathon. But this time I was free. That made everything a bit more relaxed. We only stayed in Hangzhou because they still have a trip through China. Mama and Klaus then had the usual tourist program that every visitor gets from me. The West Lake at night, Hefang Street, and a temple. I think I could soon lead groups through the city. In addition to the sights, there was, of course, an introduction to Chinese food. The restaurants were the same as always, which makes it easier for me and guarantees good food. Sometimes maybe with stomach problems. Of all the people who have been here, Mama and Klaus undoubtedly had the worst weather. Sebastian left and two days later, the rainy season started. I think it rained almost every day, and sometimes it was really heavy. However, I have to say that there is much worse. Midweek, the streets were like rivers and everything was flooded. It was the perfect time to travel. It also started to stink slowly, and I was told that it came from the sewage system. Things that should go into it are distributed to places where they don't belong because the water washes everything around. Well, quite delicious... Fortunately, it wasn't that bad during the visit. After a few days in Hangzhou, I took the two visitors to Shanghai. Their tour through China started the next day. When we arrived at the hotel, we realized that there was no double bed. There were two relatively large single beds. I then offered to inquire if the room could be changed. But we decided to go into the city first and do it later if necessary. That was probably the best decision of the whole day. Because that evening, I missed my train by two minutes, and all the other trains back to Hangzhou were fully booked. So they sneak me into the hotel, and I could sleep in the second bed. Here's a little detour to Germany: On the same day that I missed my train by two minutes, Papa in Munich also missed his visa for China (he's coming again) by two minutes. Apparently, it wasn't the Halfig's day. :D That's it for now, and the next one will come soon with stories from my time in Hong Kong. :)