55 days in 55 pictures
koerndl - 21. Sep, 03:07
CHINA-Miscellaneous
Montag, 21. September 2009
Sonntag, 23. August 2009
China Post
Sending letters is quite an Adventure in the whole Adventure China... Every time I am courious about how much I have to pay this time...
The first letter - i was asking the post office lady twice and thrice - arrived in austria with a stamp 230 fen (=2 yuan 3 jiao 0 fen = 23 Eurocent)
For the second letter I had to pay 8 yuan, the lady at the kiosk at the 3gorgesdam told me, that my letter had overweight.
The third letter
Finally I found out, that letters to Austria cost 450 fen. I bought lots of stamps. the third and fourth one i just threw into a postbox. Still they didn't arrive...
Some more letters arrived in Chinese-record-time withing one week, even if I bought the stamps for them at the youth hostel, because the postoffice at Chengdu (!) didn't have enought stamps of that kind (450)... I just threw them into a post box, but in a VERY small town.
Inbetween I send a really huge box home, it should arrive at Vienna within 45 days and arrived within less than two weeks...
three days ago some more letters. I went to one postoffice. they told me, that i have to go to another post office, close to shizi. I went to shizi, found a post office. The clerk complained about the envelopes ... there should be some special ones... AND it was the wrong post office... so I went to the third one and threw them into the post office ... courious if they will arrive.
Some more letters today. same town as three days ago. another postoffice. I went in, the lady started to call around, finally told me, I have to pay 600 for the small ones and 800 for the big one...
I couldn't other than laughing... because finally for the large letter it was one readyprinted stamp 230, some additional stamps I put for reaching 540, and today the lady could hardly found enough space to add some more stamps for reaching 800... please, keep this envelope (if it reaches Austria...) I want to take a picture of that... :)
Courious what happens to the next letter... :D
The first letter - i was asking the post office lady twice and thrice - arrived in austria with a stamp 230 fen (=2 yuan 3 jiao 0 fen = 23 Eurocent)
For the second letter I had to pay 8 yuan, the lady at the kiosk at the 3gorgesdam told me, that my letter had overweight.
The third letter
Finally I found out, that letters to Austria cost 450 fen. I bought lots of stamps. the third and fourth one i just threw into a postbox. Still they didn't arrive...
Some more letters arrived in Chinese-record-time withing one week, even if I bought the stamps for them at the youth hostel, because the postoffice at Chengdu (!) didn't have enought stamps of that kind (450)... I just threw them into a post box, but in a VERY small town.
Inbetween I send a really huge box home, it should arrive at Vienna within 45 days and arrived within less than two weeks...
three days ago some more letters. I went to one postoffice. they told me, that i have to go to another post office, close to shizi. I went to shizi, found a post office. The clerk complained about the envelopes ... there should be some special ones... AND it was the wrong post office... so I went to the third one and threw them into the post office ... courious if they will arrive.
Some more letters today. same town as three days ago. another postoffice. I went in, the lady started to call around, finally told me, I have to pay 600 for the small ones and 800 for the big one...
I couldn't other than laughing... because finally for the large letter it was one readyprinted stamp 230, some additional stamps I put for reaching 540, and today the lady could hardly found enough space to add some more stamps for reaching 800... please, keep this envelope (if it reaches Austria...) I want to take a picture of that... :)
Courious what happens to the next letter... :D
koerndl - 23. Aug, 16:12
Montag, 10. August 2009
Mahjongg-Tisch
koerndl - 10. Aug, 20:17
Sonntag, 9. August 2009
thoughts
1)
When living in Italy, I always said: loud - louder - Italy.
but there is an increase:
loud - louder - Italy - China.
I have a stereotype of an old chinese on my mind: sitting with his traditional hat, holding one hand behind his ears, because he is deaf.
Now I ask myself: what was first, the chicken or the egg? translated to chinese: what was first: the deaf one, or the cars blowing their horn?
2)
chinese traffic is like a dog: you must not show your fear, and it won't harm you.
all are complaining about chinese traffic. well, me as well, because of the exhaust fumes (Abgase). not of the way of traffic - I got used to that in Italy.
If you step on the road, they will stop (or go around you). but nevertheless one has to be careful.
4)
solitude.
last year I was looking for it, I found it, and I appreciated it.
This year, not possible. one is never alone. And as a foreigner sometimes I feel to be a trophy: "may I take a picture with you?"="one more picture with a foreigner - yesss!". they sometimes dont even ask, where Iam from. but at the same time one is lonesome. but a sad lonliness.
When living in Italy, I always said: loud - louder - Italy.
but there is an increase:
loud - louder - Italy - China.
I have a stereotype of an old chinese on my mind: sitting with his traditional hat, holding one hand behind his ears, because he is deaf.
Now I ask myself: what was first, the chicken or the egg? translated to chinese: what was first: the deaf one, or the cars blowing their horn?
2)
chinese traffic is like a dog: you must not show your fear, and it won't harm you.
all are complaining about chinese traffic. well, me as well, because of the exhaust fumes (Abgase). not of the way of traffic - I got used to that in Italy.
If you step on the road, they will stop (or go around you). but nevertheless one has to be careful.
4)
solitude.
last year I was looking for it, I found it, and I appreciated it.
This year, not possible. one is never alone. And as a foreigner sometimes I feel to be a trophy: "may I take a picture with you?"="one more picture with a foreigner - yesss!". they sometimes dont even ask, where Iam from. but at the same time one is lonesome. but a sad lonliness.
koerndl - 9. Aug, 18:13
Freitag, 24. Juli 2009
foreigners together...
well, that never happend to me before: in a land, in which foreigners are easily identified, they (or better: we) develop a common sense of beeing alien: whereever I go, and see a "foreign" face, I start smiling, and the other one as well.
strange phenomenon.
strange phenomenon.
koerndl - 24. Jul, 15:21
Dienstag, 7. Juli 2009
Cell Phone
Hi there,
I'll take my cell phone with me. As usual, it's turned off, but several times a week I turn it on to call my parents :)
i receive textmessages for free, so feel free to send me some lines. but as usual, without response-guaranty ;)
bye there...
I'll take my cell phone with me. As usual, it's turned off, but several times a week I turn it on to call my parents :)
i receive textmessages for free, so feel free to send me some lines. but as usual, without response-guaranty ;)
bye there...
koerndl - 7. Jul, 19:29
Montag, 6. Juli 2009
Finally...
While waiting for my lunch to finish, I decided to put online a few lines about my next trip...
in two days, 8. July 2009, about 11.00 in the "morning": Check in my bike, last imunization against rabies (canine madness), holidays!
Once more, my bike, my tent and I start to a new adventure... not that whole new like last year, because - wow! - I DID a trip by bike, I don't have to "invent" everything new, I can make some updates on my experiences from last year.
First stop: Chengdu.
Most important stop: Wuhan, 22. July, solar eclipse. hopefully... no clouds? pleeeeaaaase...
Last stop: Bejing.
Inbetween: more than 4.500 km (I think so... I don't know exactly), 7,5 weeks of loneliness, some pictures, some thoughts, some postcards.
Plans changed still until last minute. I learnt mongolian, but I didn't manage to get a visa. only for china. well, that's me. :)
Nevertheless I'm looking forward to my holidays.
Last year I only wanted to go. I didn't miss anything about here in Austria. This time I'm going to miss some things.
Last year I HAD to do this trip to find myself. This year I found myself already before :)
With better equipment I hopefully manage to put online some photos also while travelling ;) but I guess there will be lots of stories online, before I return to Austria.
Stop talking, start doing...
see you!
by the way: the blue waves in the header don't exist anymore... what a pity, but what a joy as well! :)
in two days, 8. July 2009, about 11.00 in the "morning": Check in my bike, last imunization against rabies (canine madness), holidays!
Once more, my bike, my tent and I start to a new adventure... not that whole new like last year, because - wow! - I DID a trip by bike, I don't have to "invent" everything new, I can make some updates on my experiences from last year.
First stop: Chengdu.
Most important stop: Wuhan, 22. July, solar eclipse. hopefully... no clouds? pleeeeaaaase...
Last stop: Bejing.
Inbetween: more than 4.500 km (I think so... I don't know exactly), 7,5 weeks of loneliness, some pictures, some thoughts, some postcards.
Plans changed still until last minute. I learnt mongolian, but I didn't manage to get a visa. only for china. well, that's me. :)
Nevertheless I'm looking forward to my holidays.
Last year I only wanted to go. I didn't miss anything about here in Austria. This time I'm going to miss some things.
Last year I HAD to do this trip to find myself. This year I found myself already before :)
With better equipment I hopefully manage to put online some photos also while travelling ;) but I guess there will be lots of stories online, before I return to Austria.
Stop talking, start doing...
see you!
by the way: the blue waves in the header don't exist anymore... what a pity, but what a joy as well! :)
koerndl - 6. Jul, 12:43
Mittwoch, 27. Mai 2009
Montag, 11. Mai 2009
Montag, 9. Februar 2009
The next Adventure
It was decided by 11. January 2009. I marked that day red in my calendar. I'm going to Asia next Summer!
A continent whereto I've never been,
A landscape I've never seen,
A culture I don't know until now.
A landscape? A culture? I guess some more landescapes, some more cultures, as my next holiday trip will lead me through China, Mongolia and Russia.
Yep.
Plans? are beeing made at the moment. I'm looking forward to the moment in which I will buy my one-way-Ticket to China ;) Must be a great feeling: away, and only Ideas how to comeback...
Insecurenesses? Yes, there are... How long will my trip last? this one depends on a decision in the last week of march I have to wait for... *inpatiently drumming with fingers*
Dreams? Maybe this time the solar eclipse? *crossing the fingers and not believing in doing such things*
Options? Yes, there are... Finally I know some people who are globetrotting like me, maybe going together somewhere before going by bike through China... One never knows, espescially me... I NEVER know.
Travelmates? Hummm... yes and no. yo. nes. I don't know, for telling the truth. Until now I didn't really look for a travel mate for this trip. if it lasts really for more weeks, I guess, it's nearly impossible to find one.
Maybe to find someone who wants to accompany me for one month... We'll see...
Everybody tells me that it would be better if I wasn't alone, but strolling through Bratislava partially alone last week, I felt that it might be a good idea once more. therefore still indecisive.
Crazy? Some people consider me to be crazy. It's you to choose ;)
But at the same time it means lots of administrative work: I'm visiting three countries in which I need a visa (nearly each about 4 weeks of waiting?), I'm going to carry my bike with me (is it possible taking the bike with one onto the Transib?), and finally i still need a bike. And I need to prepare some things. Yes, I learned a lot during last summer ;)
Already yesterday I didn't spend the night alone in my bed :)
My travel guide and the map for China kept my company... So my first month is quite planned. I think, 30 days of China will be too little, if I really do all I want to... *sigh* :) but one needs to make decisions about more and less important things.
I'm really looking forward... did I ever tell you?
:)
A continent whereto I've never been,
A landscape I've never seen,
A culture I don't know until now.
A landscape? A culture? I guess some more landescapes, some more cultures, as my next holiday trip will lead me through China, Mongolia and Russia.
Yep.
Plans? are beeing made at the moment. I'm looking forward to the moment in which I will buy my one-way-Ticket to China ;) Must be a great feeling: away, and only Ideas how to comeback...
Insecurenesses? Yes, there are... How long will my trip last? this one depends on a decision in the last week of march I have to wait for... *inpatiently drumming with fingers*
Dreams? Maybe this time the solar eclipse? *crossing the fingers and not believing in doing such things*
Options? Yes, there are... Finally I know some people who are globetrotting like me, maybe going together somewhere before going by bike through China... One never knows, espescially me... I NEVER know.
Travelmates? Hummm... yes and no. yo. nes. I don't know, for telling the truth. Until now I didn't really look for a travel mate for this trip. if it lasts really for more weeks, I guess, it's nearly impossible to find one.
Maybe to find someone who wants to accompany me for one month... We'll see...
Everybody tells me that it would be better if I wasn't alone, but strolling through Bratislava partially alone last week, I felt that it might be a good idea once more. therefore still indecisive.
Crazy? Some people consider me to be crazy. It's you to choose ;)
But at the same time it means lots of administrative work: I'm visiting three countries in which I need a visa (nearly each about 4 weeks of waiting?), I'm going to carry my bike with me (is it possible taking the bike with one onto the Transib?), and finally i still need a bike. And I need to prepare some things. Yes, I learned a lot during last summer ;)
Already yesterday I didn't spend the night alone in my bed :)
My travel guide and the map for China kept my company... So my first month is quite planned. I think, 30 days of China will be too little, if I really do all I want to... *sigh* :) but one needs to make decisions about more and less important things.
I'm really looking forward... did I ever tell you?
:)
koerndl - 9. Feb, 22:42
