Nanjing & Huaian, Jiangsu province, China

The capital city of Jiangsu province and home to over five million people, Nanjing was also formerly the Chinese national capital during several dynasties and immediately before the civil war in 1949. Chinese history buffs find plenty of interest in Nanjing and surrounds. Nearby Zhongshan (“Purple Mountain”) is one of China’s leading scenic parks containing numerous old temples, a large Ming Dynasty tomb, the Linggu Pagoda commissioned by Chiang Kai Shek as a memorial to soldiers killed in battle, and most notably of all, the final resting place of Dr Sun Yat-sen.

Widely respected in his homeland, Dr Sun is considered the father of modern China who played a leading role in overthrowing the Qing Dynasty in the 1911 Revolution and resisting the destructive invasion and bullying by foreign powers. Dr Sun died in Beijing in 1925: in June 1929 his body was removed amidst great ceremony to a specially built mausoleum on Purple Mountain in Nanjing. Occupying an area of 133 hectares on the southern slopes of the mountain, Dr Sun’s granite mausoleum sits imposingly above a grand entrance of 392 ascending steps punctuated with 10 wide landings. Thousands of visitors each day take the energetic walk to the top to pay their respects and to admire the mausoleum itself and the surrounding parks.

On one of the landings of the grand staircase sit two large bronze tripods. One still contains shrapnel damage sustained when the Japanese bombed and occupied Nanjing in 1937, shortly before its army went on a rampage of murder and rape across the city, killing many thousands of innocent Nanjing residents (the infamous “Rape of Nanking”). My Sunday morning class was drowned out by loud sirens wailing across the city for an hour or so. The students explained that this very morning was the annual commemoration for 2009 of the time and date in 1937 when the massacre began. The sirens made it a sobering hour.

 

We checked out of the friendly Jingli Hotel on Sunday afternoon and travelled by car two hours north of Nanjing to the fast developing city of Huaian where construction cranes in all directions presided over the sprouting shells of massive apartment complexes. We stayed overnight and the following afternoon caught a 6 hour bus to Shanghai where under a twinkling decorated tree and to the strains of “I’m Dreamin’ of a White Christmas” we checked in at the lobby desk of the cosy Howard Johnson Plaza Hotel in the city centre mall, leaving the biting air outside. From our 11th floor window we watched umbrella-covered specks far below lean against the gusting chill and heavy drizzle and scurry along the mall. We joined them for a few hours on Tuesday before heading to the Pudong International Airport in the afternoon, flying out at 8pm bound for Sydney, Australia, where any dreamin’ of a white Christmas would be futile, and on to Adelaide sweltering in 40 degree heat where the only white was white hot. But we were home. And in time for Xmas.

Hangzhou, Zhejiang province, China

Late November saw us arrive in beautiful Hangzhou for the third time this year. We came here in late July with our American cousin Dick to see the total eclipse of the sun, and again briefly a month ago after our hike on Yellow Mountain. But this time we stayed a fortnight and started to experience the daily rhythm of the city more from the perspective of a resident than a visitor merely passing through. Each evening during peak hour, swarms of bikes whooshed past our hotel lobby and across the road crowds of city workers jostled into the restaurants for a hot dinner to provide fortification against the cold outside. 

Winter has returned to China and temperatures are plummeting but there are still a few pockets of late autumn colour about. On Monday we joined a few thousand other visitors on a stroll around vast West Lake in the city centre. The crisp cold air was much more comfortable for walking than the oppressive heat and humidity we encountered in July, and West Lake in its early winter apparition was as serene as ever.

Early Tuesday morning saw us speeding out of town on an east-bound train. The China Rail Gazette on our seat had a story about China Rail aspiring to be the leader in high-speed conventional trains. It wasn't idle speculation. The view outside our window blurred past at 201 km/hr, and parallel with the track was a new one under construction that when completed will enable the train we were on to cruise along at its design speed of 350 km/hr. A similar train is already operating at that speed between Beijing and Tianjin. We pored over the other impressive developments in rail outlined in the Gazette, then sank back in our seats content in the knowledge that we were in expert hands.

Phnom Penh, Cambodia

A five hour bus journey south from Battambang through attractive Cambodian countryside brought us to the capital Phnom Penh at sunset. We transferred to a tuk tuk and weaved through peak hour traffic to the swanky Nagaworld Hotel a few blocks south of the main tourist drag of Sisowath Quay.

There would be few places that exhibit the disparity between rich and poor that can be seen within a few city blocks in Phnom Penh. But it certainly seemed to be a city on the move, and hopefully along with it an increase in the living standards of ordinary Cambodians.

We spent a morning strolling through the magnificent Royal Palace initiated by King Norodom in 1886. Within the grounds is the stunning Silver Pagoda paved with 5,000 silver tiles and housing a 17th century emerald Buddha statue made of Baccarat crystals. The elegant buildings and the beautiful manicured gardens outside are surely the equal of any similar site in the world. But just a few blocks away were decrepit houses and the surrounding streets had plenty of hawkers and beggars with more than a hint of desperation in their pitches to tourists. We moved on to the classy National Museum housed in a striking terra cotta-coloured building. It houses amongst other things ancient stone carvings, statues and other items taken from the Angkor Temples.

Our day became much more sombre when we arrived by tuk tuk 14 km out of Phnom Penh at the site of the infamous Killing Fields of Choeung Ek. It was here in the mid 70s where most of the 17,000 detainees held in the Khmer Rouge’s torture prison S-21 in Phnom Penh city were taken and murdered most cruelly. A small interpretive centre describes the ghastly events of the time, and if any more evidence were needed, an adjacent glass tower contains a stupa of 8,000 cracked skulls of victims and their discarded clothing. Around 130 mass graves were discovered at this site alone. Of course this was only a tiny proportion of the more than 2 million people killed or starved to death by the mad, murderous Khmer Rouge regime under the command of Pol Pot and his henchmen.

Between visits around town we discovered the excellent Café Fresco on Sisowath Quay and lunched there twice. I nipped into a nearby internet café and while my USB pen drive was being hopelessly infected with computer virus, I looked out the window and was startled to see a large elephant ambling past on the footpath.

On Friday morning we made a foray into the Russian Market, so named more for historical reasons than for any preponderance of Russian products for sale here (we didn’t see any). But the market was large and bursting with interesting goods at reasonable prices, so we all had a good time following our interests. Lee Tuan had a jeweller repair an old pendant: it took him more than an hour and his craftsmanship was amazing. Collectively we reduced the market’s supply of small handbags, scarves and other goods somewhat and loaded it into a tuk tuk along with the four of us for the return journey to the Nagaworld. Xmas shopping done.

Friday night was our last night in Phnom Penh. We dined at the Foreign Correspondents’ Club of Cambodia on Sisowath Quay, where in pleasantly balmy air under swirling ceiling fans we looked out over the still waters of Tonle Sap and the illuminated boats gliding slowly along it.

Cambodia had given us several great days in return for our holiday dollars – the country has several world-class tourist attractions and tourism is a much needed potential bright spot for the economy. Given all that Cambodians have been through in relatively recent times, and the big challenges they still face, it was perhaps surprising to see so many smiles everywhere. If anyone deserves to enjoy some good fortune now, it is surely the people of Cambodia.

Saturday morning we flew out of Phnom Penh, arriving 90 minutes later in Kuala Lumpur. There over a coffee we said our au revoirs to Susan & Chris and then each went our separate ways – they back to Australia and we two back to the Middle Kingdom.

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Across Tonle Sap and down the Steung Sanker to Battambang, Cambodia

Just south of Siem Reap in central Cambodia lies Tonle Sap, a vast lake covering 16,000 square kilometres and containing one of the world’s greatest fisheries providing Cambodians with 80% of their protein. In the dry season the lake drains into the Mekong River at Phnom Penh: in the wet it backs up, acting as a giant natural flood control valve. It’s possible to travel by water all the way south from Siem Reap to Phnom Penh, or on the other side of the lake to Battambang in central western Cambodia, 150 km from the border with Thailand. It was the latter route we took yesterday.

The day began with the most shambolic early morning bus pickup we’ve ever experienced. After several loads and unloads the bus was finally packed to the gills with luggage and extra passengers piled shoulder-high in the aisle, and we were on our way to the lakeside dock at Chong Kneas where we transferred to a long boat. Minutes later we were on the Tonle Sap, navigating through vast wetlands and weaving between water greens and marsh vegetation. It was like going into a lost world, passing small floating and stilt-mounted settlements where many of the people live their entire lives in this watery cosmos, largely untouched by the outside world.

We stopped for the inevitable breakdowns and fidgeted while the crew wielded machetes to chop the vegetation from the fouled propellor, replace the fan belt and recondition the engine gear box etc. Later we entered the narrow maze-like channels of the Steung Sanker River, having to concentrate carefully to dodge the lacerating canes that scraped menacingly along the edge of the boat and whipped in through the open sides to strike any passenger not quick enough to evade them. The journey ended in the small city of Battambang where we were welcomed by small groups of children waving and shouting excitedly from the riverbanks.

We overnighted in the Banan Hotel and the following morning hired a tuk tuk driver to take us on a 3 hour tour around Battambang. We passed by the former French Governor’s residence and old french colonial buildings and stopped to inspect a temple that was surprisingly large and ornate for a place the size of Battambang. At noon, having had our fill of boat travel for the moment, we boarded a bus and headed south down Highway NH5 - bound for Phnom Penh.

Roluos Group near Siem Reap, Cambodia

Our final day of temple spotting was spent near Roluos, 13 km east of Siem Reap. We walked around Preah Ko built in 880AD by Indravarman I. It features six towers and some fine lime mortar decorations. Next stop was graceful Lolei also dating from the late 9th century and featuring lime mortar mouldings on the now overgrown towers. There is a “working” monastery at Lolei and we spent a few minutes strolling around that too. Our final stop was at Bakong, the largest temple in the area, also built in the late 9th century as the State Temple of Indravarman I. It’s composed of a massive five-tiered stone block pyramid topped with a tower of a much later period, in the style of Angkor Wat (possibly by Jayavarman III). Statues of elephants were placed on the corners of the three lower tiers as guardians.

We fittingly ended our time at Angkor as we had begun – with a sunset stroll around the magnificent King of them all – Angkor Wat. But we left with a much better understanding of the lesser-known but equally grand other ancient temples and palaces, any one of which alone would amply justify a visit to Siem Reap. This place is truly one of the great wonders of the world.

Back in Siem Reap we said our farewells to our excellent driver Rada. He happened to be the driver of the taxi we hired when we arrived at the Siem Reap airport and we accepted Rada’s offer to transport us around the area for the three days. He was an excellent operator; punctual, careful and caring to others on the road. Our time in Siem Rep was much the better for our chance meeting with Rada at the airport. He’s the man to look out for when you need a driver to go to see the stunning Temples of Angkor.

Kbal Spean, Banteay Srei & Preah Khan, Siem Reap, Cambodia

We struck out today into the countryside around Siem Reap, stopping first at Kbal Spean about 50 km to the north-east. Here we did a tough, sweaty hour-long hike up the mountainside through jungle and past waterfalls to reach some 800 year old Hindu carvings in the river bed. Their age was certainly impressive but the carvings themselves weren’t exactly overwhelming. In retrospect they probably didn’t warrant all the time and energy we had expended in getting to them but at least we won’t die wondering exactly what is up at Kbal Spean. We clambered back down the rocks, ran the normal gauntlet of children selling trinkets, scarves and drinks at the bottom, and sat for awhile to sip the milk from fresh coconuts while cooling down. 

Next stop was Banteay Srei, the most ornate of all the Angkor region temples and the one with the most intricate pink sandstone carvings. As our guidebook noted, the detail is astounding and each doorway, each lintel and every wall is a masterpiece. And it's been here since 967AD!

By mid afternoon we were sagging in the humidity but squeezed in one more temple on our way back to Siem Reap. This was the towering Buddhist complex of Preah Khan built by King Jayavarman V11 in 1191 as a dedication to his father Dharanindravarman. A big temple for a man with a big name. Everything about this place is staggering – it covers an area of 56 hectares and the moss-covered stone blocks in the imposing entrances, walls and roofs are enormous. Like Ta Prohm, it's been invaded by huge trees giving the place an eerie lost world feeling. Back in the 12th century this place wasn’t merely a temple; with over 1,000 teachers it appears also to have been a Buddhist university and sizeable city.

We saw a lot of Cambodian countryside during the day with palm-fringed rice paddies punctuated by settlements in varying states of repair the most common view from our car windows. We made it back to Siem Reap just before sunset and I was happy to collapse on the bed in the cool of our hotel room to rest for awhile. But indefatigable Chris was soon on her way to the local market with Susan, returning with more goodies for people back home. Later we dined at the Kama Sutra Indian Restaurant in the festive atmosphere of Pub Street, Siem Reap's main tourist cafe strip that bursts into life each night. A simple red plastic chair placed at the end of the street turns it into a pedestrian mall for a few hours. You can't help but love a place that can do that.

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Angkor Thom & Ta Prohm, Siem Reap, Cambodia

A little north of Angkor Wat sits the equally fabulous Angkor Thom built by King Jayavarman VII in the late 1100s as his royal palace. Behind its 8 metre high walls lie some of Angkor’s most important monuments. The staggering Bayon, the King's State Temple, features 216 carved faces on its 54 soaring towers and a large amount of other statuary and fine stone carving. The Terrace of Elephants stretches for 350 metres and beyond that the Terrace of the Leper King carries on.

We spent an hour or so climbing the towers and walking the tunnels of the Bayon before strolling along the Terraces. Out in the nearby field were 12 tall, narrow fairy-tale like houses built by the King; one for each of his 12 wives.

In the afternoon we moved on to Ta Prohm, one of the temples left in its wild state with enormous strangler figs growing up and along the walls and roofs. It was here that Tomb Raider starring Angelina Jolie as Lara Croft was filmed. But neither Angelina nor Lara was here today, and never mind. Whoa!! What an impressive sight those strangler figs and other trees were, clambering up and across and through the stone walls. They put everyone on their back foot as they entered and surveyed the amazing scene for the first time.

We finished today’s touring with a sunset walk to the summit of Phnom Bakheng overlooking Angkor Wat. Susan and Chris ascended more regally, by Royal Elephant, on a different forest track. On the way up, Lee Tuan and I stopped briefly to listen to a small group of musicians playing Cambodian folk music. Around Siem Reap we saw quite a few groups like this whose members were either blind or amputees, from landmine explosions. In the early 70s the Khmer Rouge regime planted landmines in the countryside like they were going out of fashion and the Cambodian people are still paying the terrible price today. I momentarily shivered at the prospect of Susan and Chris' elephant being spooked and straying off the track, then made for the top where we joined a thousand or so other visitors already gathered at the summit waiting for the sun to set. After a hard day’s exercise we returned to Siem Reap with good appetites that we sated well at Le Tigre de Papier.

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Angkor Wat, Siem Reap, Cambodia

After the King of Bus experience, air travel seemed the way to go when our time came to leave Luang Prabang. I raised a few eyebrows by suggesting Siem Reap Airways; apparently Vietnam Airlines sounded a better prospect in comparison. We knew not to expect a jumbo jet and we would have been perfectly content with a sizeable Airbus.

Our Fokker took off at around 10.30 am this morning and we arrived safely in Siem Reap, Cambodia, an hour and a half later. Actually it was a pleasant, smooth flight in a modern, smallish jet under the control of a good crew. After passing through the chaotic visa queues at Siem Reap airport we hired a taxi and made for the city centre where we checked into the comfortable, cool Steung Siem Reap Hotel just around the corner from Pub Street.

We came to Siem Reap for the same reason that 98% of other tourists do – to see the 1,000 year old architectural remains of the former great Khmer civilizations in these parts, and in particular the King of them all, the fabulous temple of Angkor Wat. We only have a little over three days to spend here, and that will be barely sufficient to scratch the surface given the number and grandeur of all the other ancient sites around Siem Reap.

This afternoon we began our tour with a quick look around Angkor Wat itself at sunset. It was everything we expected, and much more. Its enormous size in all dimensions, and its intricacy, were mind-boggling. No doubt King Suryavarman II, who had it built to serve as a holy capital city and eventually as his funerary temple, was pleased with his grand, vast creation. When we were there today all visitors were being pursued at the entrances and exits by hordes of persistent but good-natured sellers spruiking books, cards, scarves, fruit, drinks, crafts etc. The weather was hot and extremely humid, and we’re glad we’ve hired a car for the next three days rather than taking tuk tuks around the countryside. We’ve come back to the hotel with copies of the excellent, scholarly Ancient Angkor by Michael Freeman & Claude Jacques for tonight’s bedtime reading, so it’s time to sign off and stoke dreams of Ta Prohm tomorrow.

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Luang Prabang, Laos

Leaving Vientiane for Luang Prabang we had the option of a 45 minute air flight or a 10 hour bus trip. Wanting to see up close the mountainous countryside of northern Laos, we chose the latter. But to minimize discomfort we bought tickets on the allegedly best bus available – the self-proclaimed "King of Bus". It looked modern and clean enough but we were to discover later that it was harbouring a couple of dark secrets. The long, winding and undulating trip began well and took us through impressive scenery. In many places the narrow road was more like a country lane than a national highway, with lush vegetation spilling down to the verges. We stopped midway for lunch in a small village where we all ordered the beef noodle soup with mint and watercress. It was excellent.

By late afternoon, though, the hot sun and steep hills were wearing down King of Bus and we were delayed by the first of four breakdowns. Water was summoned to refill the boiling radiator and after a wait to allow the engine to cool, we were on our way again. This happened several more times with the 4th breakdown being the most serious, raising the disturbing possibility that King of Bus was a spent force. But the crew finally managed to quench its inner fires and restart the engine, and we were off again. But it was now after sunset, exposing King of Bus’ second dark secret – it had no headlights! Blind and exhausted, and two hours late, King of Bus finally limped into Luang Prabang.

Luang Prabang. At the confluence of the Nam Khan and Mekong Rivers, Luang Prabang is the former royal capital of Laos, and these days the country’s premier tourist destination. The World Heritage Listed old town centre is lined with shady trees shielding characterful, well-maintained buildings and as in Vientiane, there appears to be a beautiful temple along every street. It’s certainly touristy but very, very nice.

Our first sightseeing stop was Wat Xieng Thong, Laos’ most magnificent temple built by King Setthathirat in 1560. An adjacent building with doors and walls decorated with beautiful golden gilt panels contains a golden 12 metre high funeral chariot. Other buildings on the grounds are adorned with colourful mosaic scenes.

Just before sunset on Wednesday, along with hundreds of others, we puffed and climbed the 329 steps to the summit of 100 metre high Phu Si that provides great views of the city and the Mekong that snakes languidly through it. Earlier in the day we had taken a 6 hour cruise along the river, 25 km upstream to the Pak Ou Caves packed with small Buddha images. Along the way we called into a couple of small Lao villages where some women were weaving and others were making decorative papers. The facilities provided for reboarding our long tail boat were rudimentary, consisting of just a narrow gangplank thrown across the mud onto the side of the boat. It was a great trip; this section of the Mekong is quite beautiful.

Along with all the visual delights, Luang Prabang is a tourist shopper’s paradise with silk and handicraft products in abundance. Susan led the way through the market, showing that when it comes to negotiating, she remains a fair but formidable force to be reckoned with.

Each of our days in Luang Prabang began well with breakfast amongst the foliage in the riverside café opposite our Sala Prabang Guesthouse, an artistically refurbished century-old mansion with French doors opening out to the restful Mekong view below. And the Lime Freezes and mulberry pies in nearby JoMa's Bakery/Cafe were equally memorable. Our guide book invites readers to decide for themselves whether Luang Prabang is the most pleasant small city in south-east Asia. We soon decided that it was.



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