Kilts and Kiltwalk

In a country pub, 3 overweight Scots lassies were lounging over breakfast in their pyjamas. A bit slack, I thought. Then they apologised for their attire and explained they had completed a 25 miles KiltWalk the previous day. It's a fundraising movement for children's charities. I was impressed.

These women were saving to go on the China Kiltwalk. I hope they like the food.

The kilt is an English promotion/ interpretation of the Plaid, a tourist selling point, and a point of pride.

When asked about the significance of his Tartan, this Bagpiper said, " I'm a Scotsman. It was on special". He's a retired truckie, and he spends the summer in a caravan in the tourist areas,with his wife, piping for the tourist Pound. He was a Piper who performed at the Edinburgh Military Tattoo, so he is well qualified.

Pipers can be found on popular street corners in Edinburgh.

Tartan can be incorporated into modern fashion statements.

The average young Scotsman prefers the tougher look.

You can purchase very smart dress tartans, made to measure.

And of course someone has come up with a solution for that eternal question: What does a Scotsman wear under his kilt?

 

 

 

The Wen-Jun Mansion Hotel in Gold and Silver Steet.

This street was the gold and silver market for a very long time. Now it sells very expensive jewellery and silks and lacquered furniture. Just around the corner from a Communist Party place with a long guarded drive and black expensive Audis with darkened windows driving out.

We were on the 4th and top floor and my room looks out on a courtyard with leafy trees. The bed was comfortable. Which is just as well, as I couldn't accompany my brother and sister-in-law on the Panda and Great Buddha trip. But I did dress up for the Chinese Opera. That was the best fun.

Although the skewers look delicious, the surroundings often don't. Nor did the toilet down the lane,according to my brother.

Like most cities, there is a contrast between the shops

And some of the workers.

Some things you would rather not see. These were in the front part of a fashion clothing shop. Yes, they are live baby tortoises.

 

Sanitised Plastic Crockery, Dead people, and scenery from the train.

Cafés in Tourist areas often shrink-wrap the plates to reassure you they are germ free. A bit like having the adhesive sticker on the toilet seat in the hostel, saying "Sanitised".

In X'ian a nice Chinese tourist operator called "Peter" took us to see the Neolithic Village excavation site and museum. These are two dead Neolithic people. They had cool houses.

Then he took us to the Excavation site of the Terracotta Warriors. It was big.

After X'ian we caught a 16 hr soft sleeper to Chengu, as all the flights were booked. It was a 4 berth compartment. 3 of us and a 20's something Chinese man with a tennis racquet. He and I has the top bunks. It was good to see some countryside. This hilly area was pretty.

The waters ran fast as it had been raining, and the hills have a lot of run off into narrow valleys.

The hostels we stayed in had pretty courtyards, sometimes open to the rain.

One morning I heard birds singing. But they were in cages.

 

 

Beijing Hipsters and a fast train to X'ian. Blog is Back!

Blog wasn't suspended on purpose. Once I left the shelter of a western apartment enclave, I couldn't open Bloggie or upload anything. The internet is China is extremely limited and restricted. And guess what, I left early, because I wasn't into China, but China got in to me....into my tummy,to be specific. Didn't seem much point sitting around a hostel room while my travel companions went to see the Pandas, I winged it home suddenly, so I'm going to give you the last few postings from the comfort of Perth. Watch out for retrospective post on Kilts.

Many Beijingers are cool dudes. There are noticeably few overweight people. So far. But they're working on it. KFC is in prominent positions, as is McDonalds, and various Chinese versions like Dicos.

 

 

These above pics were all taken in a tourist shopping hutong ( street) in Beijing. Most tourists are, of course, Chinese.

We caught the fast train to X'ian ( Shee-Ann). The Station is huge and impressive. I did not take a photo of the toilets.

 

The couple in the seats in front of us were very proud of their toddler. In fact, she made me give him a kiss when we were getting off! Poor child!

The fast train has a pointy porpoise nose. We were rather astonished by finding the smog did not stop at Beijing, but just followed along with us.

The train was comfortable and roomy and clean. And this was economy. First class was very plush. All much better than the Queensland Railway train I caught from Brisbane to Landsborough a couple of years ago, which smelt strongly of urine.

 

 

Anyone still reading this or is it time to stop?

Great Wall carpark. Where are all the people? I sat under a tree in the middle of the carpark and read on my Kindle.

Boy, did my calves know about it the following day. Turns out the wall was a failure, keeping out neither the Mongols or the Manchus. Note the stunning weather my brother and his wife bring with them wherever they go.

The Supermarket check-out staff are getting younger every day. I bet this boy will be an accountant by the time he's 20. ( it's OK, his mum was on hand to help, and allowed me to take the photo.)

What's with these light poles? Is it decoration,Braille or code?

What young Beijingians do on the Subway. I am a Subway expert and can change lines. Actually it's easy as there are dual signs, Mandarin / English. There was a single mum with a tiny bub walking the corridors with a begging bag. I noticed people putting money in.

Me and my 'bro Don, hangin' out.

Off to X'ian on the high speed train tomorrow. May be eaten by Terracotta Warriors or Giant Pandas and never heard of again.

 

Beijing Unleashed

On Saturday morning I took myself with map, to have a haircut at an English speaking place in the Worker's Stadium. See the Glorious Workers? Now it is used for Pop Concerts. You can book for Mariah Carey. At around $30 I thought the hairdresser was reasonable, compared to the pedicure the previous day, which cost the same amount.

A shop near the Hairdresser was being fitted out.

On the way home I found a four-storey Mall full of High Street brand shops. ( In other words, really predictable, expensive, dull). There were hardly any customers.

I could have rented one of the bikes from the city bike scheme. Helmets are not are problem since no-one wears them. I saw a resident Westerrn family going for an outing on their electric Scooter; dad, mum, 7yr old girl.

This vending machine has a book loan/ library system.

See the reflection of the Starbucks Coffee sign along the top of the books! The iced coffee was cold but watery. In Peterborough it was milky but tepid. Oh well. Milk and dairy products are luxury items in China. And you know what that means.( start stockpiling Bega Cheddar now!!).

I passed the Rolls Royce and Bentley Showroom on the way home but didn't feel inclined to buy.

 

China, at last. Beijing. Smog, no smog, smog again.

Beijing. Some days the view from the 14th floor is clear and blue....this is not common.

More often it is like this. Sometimes worse. The Americans developed an App, which gives a 2 hourly update with a Do Not Go Outside rating.

I've been very bad about taking photos. Partly because I didn't go out for a couple of days. A combination of jet lag and living with a brand new baby, which is pretty exciting in itself without having to sight-see.

OK, let's confess, I was too scared to go out at first, in case I was eaten by dragons. In fact the traffic is better than Sydney , there are more trees, and today I RODE A BICYCLE to the Market! With my host.

My hostess took me to this totally hipster cafe for an iced coffee, to ease my Culture Shock. The following day she made me go by myself to have a pedicure, just for practice. Now I have blue toes.

I figure I could get around by myself on the subway and buses, but I won't be in Beijing long enough to really show off my skills.

 

 

UK retrospective. Heritage and Architecture.

You might think Stilton would have cheese on its signs, but the locals just think of it as another village, not as Cheese Central.

 

In Norfolk there is extensive use of small stones. I think they cover the buildings, rather than being the only structural element.

Interesting detailing in Norfolk buildings. In a second hand bookshop near this building, the proprietor had been at Meerilinga Nuclear Test Site in the Central Australian Desert when he was 19 and in the RAF.

 

Back in Stilton, here are some pretty terrace houses.

Archways like these are common in old Inns, designed for the horses/ coaches to fit through, into the courtyard and stables beyond.

Sometimes the stones are used to make interesting patterning. At first I thought these Monopoly Board house shapes were uninteresting, but when you realise many have been habited for hundreds of years, ones appreciation grows.