THE EAGLE HAS LANDED – IN CHINA

WEATHER: Tops 15C - Low 1C

HIGHTLIGHT OF THE DAY : Kung-fu Show

BUMMER OF THE DAY: Knackerd at 7pm at night – early start the next day

BUYS OF THE DAY:  Dumplings bought at the food market 6RMB – toothbrush 4 RMB – Dinner 25 RMB

WORD OF THE DAY: - always written phonetically - Che Che ( Thank-you ) Nee How ( Hello )

Welcome to China.  The land of where everything is made and it is cheap cheap cheap, as you would expect when it is made in the same country right!

After arriving into Beijing, 15 hours later after leaving home, my little transfer guy Marvin was there in the throng of little Asian faces waiting for me after customs.  My private transfer took me from the airport to the hotel ( 30 minute drive ) which was located right near Beijing Railway Station.  I did have a moment after my drop off if tipping is required in China.  Apparently it is not expected, but if you get good service you should leave a few dollars.  Sorry Marvin – you missed out – but it is always an awkward moment when the bags are unloaded and everyone seems to pause for what seems like an eternity on whether money will be exchanged or not.  I just delivered the biggest smile I could muster and loaded all my bags onto my shoulders and headed into the hotel – sorry buddy.

My roomie was already off for the day on the included tour of the day, so I rang my guide Julia to let her know I had arrived and we met in the lobby an hour later to go over our trip notes that I missed out on the day before.  Julia is Russian, a non- vodka drinking Russian at that ( she had her vodka days when she was younger so I guess that conter acts the non-ness now right? ) , but she is just awesome all the same.   We are going to visit the Vodka Museum in St Petersburg together and she has promised she will have a shot with me there.  Julia has done this tour for 6 months last year and in total was 9 times, crossing back and forth across the continent – what a life!  New career move for me maybe ???

As we still had the afternoon free, Julia and I walked to Waifunging Food Market , located off the famous Waifunging shopping street, about 30 minutes from the hotel.  I tell you I think if it can be deep fried or BBQ’ed the Chinese will eat it!  Just to name a few things on show they had: Sea horses, snake, cat, scorpions ( that were still alive till they went into the vat ), centipedes, monkey meat, sparrows, pigeons, crabs still in shells, silk worms, cockroach looking bugs, taranchulas, crickets – and they were staked like satay sticks just waiting for the customer to come along and get purchased.  I was not as adventurous as Julia who had a snake kebab and a also a scorpion kebab – for me I had a BBQ’ed corn and also some dim sum and dumplings that were just delicious.  It was an interesting introduction into the local foods and there weren’t too many tourists, a lot more locals.  It was a great way to blow off the jetlag cob webs.

That evening I met the rest of the group.  We have a great couple from LA – Chrissy and Eric, a computer expert from Holland - Jesse, a grand young man of 72 from Canada – Bill, a ticketing agent from Melbourne – Melissa, plus myself and our guide Julia from Russia.  We headed to a Kung Fu show at the Red Theater for the evening and it was an amazing show.  A lot of visual effects on the history of Kungfu viewed from the eyes of a young boy as he masters and moves through his lifes journey.  

No photos or status updates via Facebook from China.  It is currently prohibited in China to use Facebook, due to some riots that happned in Xinjing, with the Government citing that there was alot of Western input beforehand and the consensus was the riots were instigated by outside agitators.  I tried to trick the system by going in several different ways, google, email links etc…. but it was just to damn smart.  Get me to Mongolia – I hate to say I maybe having just a slight Facebook withdrawal……

Welcome to China – this place is amazing!!! 

A Poem For Bernie - Love Ya ShellBell

There once was a girl, her name is Ber-nie,

Who’s about to embark on a lifetime journey

Across our seven continents she will explore,

And the number of countries she’ll visit will be 54!

With six months of planning, the time has now come,

For you to be a “flashpacker” and officially a BUM

With the house almost sold and everything in place,

Your journey will be better than the Amazing Race!

So flashpacking around the world Bernie will go,

Adding friends to Facebook and loads of pictures to show

Tagging and loading and blogging her way,

Watch out for the “Bernstar” jump each and everyday

Can’t believe she’s leaving Discover Travel and Cruise

For Contiki tours, drinking lots of booze.

It’s been a great ten years with Cheify and the crew,

Conferences, famils and lots of laughs too…

You’ll party hard with both Gen X and Gen Y,

Just be sure to bring home a wealthy foreign guy!

You’ll teach those Contiki kids a thing or two

Just remember to tell them you were born in 1982.

Our memories of Bernie, we all have lots,

Fancy hats, crazy glasses and loads of camera shots.

Days at the races and nights at the Caxton Hotel,

The next day, we had so many stories to tell.

So, who’ll take our photos when we now go out,

And buy us jam donuts, when it’s their shout.

Who’ll ask the DJ for our favourite song,

Please Bern, don’t stay away for too long.

Zoe and Tess will miss their Godmun Ber-nie,

Her love, her gadgets and playing memory

Who will now feed Tessie at night?

And turn on Zoe’s bedroom light?

Just remember, no matter where in the world you roam

You’ll be missed by all of us here at home.

We love you Bern, you’re the best of friends,

It’s “goodbye” for now, until your journey ends.

Love and will miss you heaps

Shelly Belly xoxoxoxoxo

Medical Emergency 14 days from Departure

My last full week in the lead up to my trip has not been the most well planned.  It was totally out of my control in my defence but if your interested in the medical week from hell read on as it will give you a good laugh if nothing else.  I can now see the funny side as I am hopefully out of the woods but this is the my last week in review.

I had my going away party last week and a great night was had by all.  Lynda and I stumbled home at 5.23am – not much memory of the taxi ride home or getting to bed – but that has been the usual Saturday / Sunday morning routine for the last 3 months.  We woke at around 10am and I had 3 spots on my cheek and they were itchy as hell.  So I assumed that I had been bitten by a mozzie in my sleep.

Monday the itch turned into a rash.  No big deal – I don’t get sick and I normally don’t get allergic reactions – so was happy to run the course of my ‘mozzie’ bites.  People were asking me what I had been bitten by and was a topic that people in shops were happy to ask me about.  In the meantime I had also been to the dentist twice for a barnacle clean and 3 fillings. I also had to drop my passport to the Chinese Consulate and the finalizing my trip continued.

Tuesday the rash started to swell.  Still no pain at this stage, but it was starting to look a little ‘unusual’.  Back to the dentist for another 2 fillings ( yes it has been a while between visits ).  Even the dentist mentioned it looked like a spiders bite and I should get it seen too.  I still had people offering advice and asking me what had attacked my face.  A visit to work and seeing their faces drop when I walked in the door told me that I was staring to look a little ‘kooky’.  There were 2 theories we had for the bite.  One was that getting home on Sunday morning I had walked into a spiders web and was attacked.  The other which is totally not to my liking is that a spider sat on my face and had a nibble while I was in my drunk induced sleep.  Need less to say I was sticking to part one of the theory.

Wednesday was the first official day I looked like elephant woman.  My face felt like it was the size of a balloon and it was quite obvious that I needed to see a doctor.  I got an appointment in the afternoon and at this point we were still dealing with a bite, which we had deduced was a spider.  The doctor was quite nice and gave me some drugs that I was expecting miracles from and thought that I would be back to normal as soon as I started to take them. Oh how I wish that was true.

Thursday morning when I opened my eyes I just knew that things were no better.  I had to head into the city to pick up my passport and do a few other things and not one person asked me about the ‘bite’ on my face, as It had gone past the point of people asking what had happened as you could see in their faces that they did not know if it was heriditaty, a disease or an abusive husband.  Back to work for lunch and the 4 hours I was there it just degenerated so much I headed upstairs to another doctor.  It was getting to sheer desperation.  I needed this thing to start clearing up as the first portion of my trip was starting to look shakey.  This doctor was really nice and this was the first time that shingles was mentioned.  Shingles is a viral disease produced by the chicken pox virus. It is characterised by pain and a blistering rash that occurs along the nerves that have housed the dormant chicken pox virus since its last effects on an individual ( I was 10 when I had chicken pox ) When an individual's immune system can no longer fight the chicken pox virus, they develop shingles.  As we didn’t know which one I actually had, we decided to continue treating me for a spider bite and now also shingles.

Friday for me was the most confronting.  I woke and my face looked like something from a horror movie. This is no exageration.  Today was quite upsetting with the realisation that I would probably have to cancel my Trans Mongolian portion of my trip, as my face had not only NOT improved was getting worse as the days wore on.  I had Zoe’s school cross country that I promised I would go to, but my face would have just scared all the kiddies the way it was.  Luckily when I was at the chemist I bought an eye patch, so I decided to don this and head down to the oval to watch my oldest god-daughter run her little heart out – and it was definetly worth looking like Blackbeard for the morning.  I made my third appointment at the doctors for the third day in a row.  I just wanted to make sure there was nothing else I could be doing over the week-end to help in my recovery.  This male doctor was not only hot but also really nice and also said he thinks it is shingles.  With all the medication I was on there was really not much more they could do for me.  If shingles is not diagnosed within the first 72 hours then you have to run the whole course of the infection – which is where I found myself.

Saturday and Sunday I found the mornings were the worst times with the swelling, but the drugs started to kick in and by mid morning – lunch time I was starting to resemble the old Bernie once again.  This was a massive releif for me and to know I had turned the corner and was coming through the otherside was something I won’t forget.  I am glad I persisted with the doctors and paid the money for the drugs and the visits ( all $400 worth ) to make sure I was in the best condition possible for the start of my trip.

The upside – as there is always one is that I had an alcohol free week for the first time since before christmas.  So we are talking quite a few weeks in total and it made a nice change to wake up on a Sunday morning refreshed and not hung over and feeling like I had swallowed a hairball and drunk 50 litres of vodka.

So that was my medical emergency the leading up to my last week.  I am hoping that I have got all my ailments done and dusted BEFORE I go and will now have a medical free trip!

Shingles or Spider Bite?
We will never know!!!!! 

Days Are - Tick – Tick - Ticking

I really am not sure where the time has gone. 

The only way I know how many days I have left is from the countdown clock I have added to my blog.  I remember telling my best friend when I was nearly into double digit days that that’s when the real countdown would start.  The timing from 101 days to 22 has been, to say the least, a whirlwind.  My week-ends since Christmas have been manic ( my liver is silently agreeing of this point ) and the reality of the ‘no home’, ‘no job’ and ‘no familiar faces’ starts to set in.

Well with only 22 days till I leave ( according to my countdown clock ) it is still hard to believe that I am so close.  The ‘real’ countdown is now on. 

My second last Saturday that I will have to work

My last staff meeting on Monday

14 walking days

8 working days  

3 more weekends

3 more episodes of Farmer Wants a Wife and My Kitchen Rules

2 more visits to The Caxton

2 more pay days and the list goes on…………….

I know it may sound insignificant – but the familiarity will also disappear in 22 days.  Don’t get me wrong – I can’t wait to meet new and ‘different’ people, discover cultures, experience other countries and taste different food – but I will miss the familiarity.

So what goes into the last few weeks’ preparation of a long travel Odyssey?

Arranging money matters for 12 months – this is not as such a mammoth task as it sounds – Travelex is my friend.  With internet banking and BPay – it really is just a matter of being organized – and if you hadn’t guessed – I have no trouble in that department.

Power of Attorney – this is a pretty important one. As I now am husbandless, aside from the financial matters, who will look after my affairs ( touchwood ) should something go wrong.  It is a reality, and I have appointed the most important person in my world for this job.  It comes right down to if I’m in an accident and on life support – what to do, to know whether I would like to donate my organs, and down to being buried or cremated.  Trip or no trip, these things should be discussed with loved ones anyway.

Personal belongings – this has been partially taken care of when I moved out of the family home 5 months ago.  I am now down to the nitty gritty of where personal documents go, family jewelry to be stored and my basic day to day life will need to be boxed and stored until my return.

Working out what will actually come with me on my trip - I have dedicated a post to this already, so you know what is involved.  But doing a pre-pack 4 weeks ago, to actually deciding what will make the cut and what will be culled makes the decision more of a reality. I know that what ever I decide to take / leave something will be the wrong thing – good old Murphy’s Law!

Last and probably the most important is the preparation and the starting of ‘the final’ good-byes.  I hate them at the best of times and just this week I have started to say the ‘G’ word to people whom I won’t see again for at least 12-14 months.   

I hate to think what I will be like at the airport – I can see it now, I will be a blubbering mess – you know the people you see at the international airport – crying like babies – and waving all the way down the escalators and they are still waving as they pass the liquids bag inspection and boarding pass check before heading into customs.  I guess you never really think too much about those people as you generally are only gone for 2 weeks or so, so what is the big deal and tears for?  Well I apologize now – because that will be ME.  So next time you see some-one crying at the airport, have a bit of compassion in your eyes as it is a pretty BIG transition with all those happy and sad feelings running around all at the same time.

Days Are - Tick – Tick - Ticking

 

**SOS** I’m Looking For Some Ideas** HELP**

Im looking for some unique ideas on how I can document my trip.  I’m not talking about collecting stuff, money, stamps, magents etc,  I do that anyway.  I want something that can be done in each city and / or country.  More along the lines of photographic or something that can be captured on video.

Have you heard of Matt Harding? He is an American also known as Dancing Matt for his viral videos that show him dancing in front of landmarks and street scenes in various international locations.  Harding was known by his friends for a particular dance, and while video recording each other in Vietnam, his travel companion suggested he add the dance. The videos were uploaded to his website for friends and family to enjoy. Later, Harding edited together 15 dance scenes, all with him center frame.  The video was passed around by e-mail and eventually became viral, with his server getting 20,000 or more hits a day as it was discovered.  

http://www.wherethehellismatt.com/

What about Andrew Günsberg.  He did a photoshoot called "365 Days". A Challenge to Shoot a Self-Portrait every day for a year. To push himself to be creative. A reason to get the camera out of the bag every day. To document a year in his life.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/andrewgunsberg/3708092010/in/set-72157619664755998/

The ideas we have come up with to date aren’t as grandios as the above two but see what you think about these:

• As I am travelling to so many counties a photo of breakfast or dinner everyday.  I am sure there maybe some ‘unusual’ foods that will be seen.  But the downside is I may not make breakfast everyday.
• A photo of my hotel room / tent / accommodations and or the view from them.
• A photo of the toilets used on the trip.  I think this could be interesting and disgusting all at the same time.
• Photos of famous landmark ‘shadows’ – I have seen a lonley planet book solely on that, but maybe weather bound
• A picture of a local from every country ( with permission of course )
• The good old mascot photo.  I have always taken a mini Elmo on all my holidays – but he has been MIA on the last few trips.  He is now on the packing list for this one.
• Vegemite reactions.  Get locals to taste some vegemite and take a photo of their reactions.  This would possibly be quite a funny one to do.
• Making what number day I am up to of my trip out of local products of the country I am in.  So everyday would be spelt out in shells or tea or coconuts for example……
• The last one I have was to do with the song ‘I’ve Been Everywhere Man’ and substituting the places of that song with the places that I am going to as I visit them, so it would be an on going thing.  I think that would be pretty cool!

Anyway that is all we have come up with so far.  If anyone has an idea they want to share

PLEASE DO – I’d love to hear from you. 

I would just hate to hear a great idea half way through my trip and missed all the countries I had already been to.

**SOS** I’m Looking For Some Ideas** HELP**

Meet My Bloggie

Well since I have started a blog – it is only fair that I introduce you to my new gadget that I received at Christmas from the Elkin Family – my BLOGGIE.

It is basically a high definition video camera the size of a small mobile phone.  Okay so I won’t make Steven Spielberg quality movies from the Bloggie, but it is small enough and good enough for the budding videographer that I hope to become on my trip. 

I have had a video camera before – it was bought with all good intentions of regularly  using it 8 years ago, especially on holidays.  But as you maybe aware, I love to take a lot of photos and found that I always had to choose between the photo shot or the video piece, with the camera winning every time and found that the video camera just wouldn’t even make it out of  it’s bag.  With the obvious bulkiness as another downside it was used once on a trip to the USA and it has never see the light of day again.

So why will it be different with the BLOGGIE? 

• Well the size of the Bloggie is the first plus.  At the size of 5.1cm wide, 1.5cm depth and 10.7cm long it truly is the size of a mobile phone.  That thing will fit in your pocket, bag, bra, where-ever you normally keep a phone this thing will sit right in there as-well
• The Bloggie doesn’t come with any cords or chargers.  This can be a plus or a downside.  It has a built in USB that flicks out and connects directly to your computer and this is also how it charges.  For me this is a plus.  Less cords to take on my trip – I just have to be organized.
• No memory cards required.  It has an 8GB memory.  Another plus or downside I hear you say – but do you realize how much video can fit on 8GB?  Trust me – that is a lot of footage.
• The 3inch touch screen also makes it cool to play with – so for only that reason it will come out and get some ‘play’ time.  It is AWESOME! 

Quite fitting that it is called a Bloggie and I will be using it for my Blog.  I hope to not only share all my gazillion photos but maybe a little footage aswell to give a true feel of what is being experienced.  I am just thankful that as it is a ‘precious’ item meaning it will not be getting any video footage of drunken escapades or drinking nights ( the thought of losing my Bloggie while drunk scares me ) and to be honest I think what the normal camera captures is more than enough information when sharing ‘those’ particular experiences – that is scary enough in the still format.

So I hope that you will get as much pleasure at seeing some video footage from our beautiful world that I will be lucky enough to experience first hand. 

Stay tuned and look out Ron Howard there’s a new kid on the block!

**How Much Money Will I Need**

As a travel agent this is one of the most asked questions I get. 

"How much spending money will I need for my trip"

It is a bit of a crystal ball question:

Do you drink heaps?

Do you buy a lot of knick knack stuff?

Do you send packages / post cards home?

Do you eat out at fancy restaurants all the time?

The list can go on………………………………………………

I have had a rule right from the very start of my first overseas trip – like **cough cough** – well a few years ago now.  My rule is to budget $100 a day for each day that I am away.  My trips usually consist of a tour and I would have already prepaid that before I leave Australia.  So the $100 is purely spending money, food money, crap money and more importantly drinking money.  I find this rule works well – as some days are travel days and you are lucky to spend more than $20 depending on where you are in the world and some days you may have a BIG night out and spend more than you were supposed to. 

People ask me what about the currency exchange?  My $100 bucks goes a long way in places like Malaysia, Indonesia, India and Asia in general and then when you get to places like the Cayman Islands, Iceland, Norway, Tahiti and countries that are generally well-to-do and have their own, very strong currencies – it kicks our Aussie dollar right in to next week. But this is all part of the travelling experience and I will generally stick to the rule – no matter where I am in the world.

In saying that I do have a secret stash of money, so if I see a piece of jewellery, want to do that balloon ride over the Serengeti or the helicopter ride over New York, I can dip into that and not feel too bad that I have upset the ‘budget apple cart’ to much.  Some experiences you just have to do – it would be crazy to pass up, as you just may not get back to certain countries again.  Some things are just worth blowing the budget for.

I’m hoping I will be able to re-coup some of the budget money in Africa, Madagascar and on my French River Cruise to name a few tours.  This will in turn give me some extra money in the kitty for ‘other things’ or maybe even be able to extend my time away if I am super good.  I mean how much money can you spend on an African Safari or in Madagascar – a country known for Lemurs and the export of Vanilla – how could I possibly blow my budget there?

So this rule will hopefully hold me in good stead on my round world trip for 14 months.  That’s 461 days people – you do the math’s and let’s just see how close I come to keeping my own rule.

$100.00 a day for each day I am away!!!