Tibetan driver can't understand my Chinese...going to the hotel in the middle of nowhere...5,000ft above sea level...on the plus side...nice to breath fresh cool air!! After a short 35-minute flight from Chengdu, arrived in Jiuzhaiguo...from 30 degrees Celsius to 5 degrees Celsius, with Jiuzhaigou being 3,500 metres above sea-level and the third highest airport in China. I forgot my jacket. But thankfully, the airport is well-equipped for such emergencies and one can easily purchase a nice thermal jacket for around 70 RMB (USD $14). The same jacket in the West could cost anything over ten times the price. Interesting airport...as soon as the baggage arrived everyone opened their bags at the carousel and changed into winter attire...I bought myself a nice thermal jacket from a local Tibetan shopkeeper (my first encounter with a Tibetan person!)...amazing jacket cost only about US 12 (I'm sure the same jacket would be much expensive in the West)...night-time temperatures drop to -2 degrees Celsius in the mountains. Chengdu Airport is so big, that they have guides on skates and Segways to help passengers!
At Chengdu Airport, bumped into an IL-76 belonging to PAF. No doubt a sign of the excellent relations between China and Pakistan! Amazing to see that this aircraft still flies. This one has missiles attached to it, too! Wonder what the Pakistanis are delivering or taking from Chengdu.
At the world's biggest shopping mall... in Chengdu...what you're seeing is just the half of it...it contains an artificial beach with lifelike waves - able to host 5,000 people, a chapel, an amusement park, and the Intercontinental hotel...plus around 765 high-end restaurants... While Boeing's plant in Everett, Wash., is the world's biggest building by volume, the Chinese mall seems to be tops in floor space. Almost the area of Monaco, its 420 acres of floor space could fit nearly three Pentagons, four Vatican Cities, or 20 Sydney Opera Houses. Check out the video below: Retail outlets are out in force to beat the competition - two very different companies selling the same/similar products. As they say, the best way to beat a competitor is to set up shop next to them!
In Chengdu...home of the Panda, Sichuan opera and the exceedingly HOT Sichuan food...Not sure why Chinese people always complain about Indian food being hot...in my opinion Sichuan cuisine is hotter than a chicken vindaloo! Except for the Panda and the local cuisine, the city doesn't really have much to offer for the tourist. In terms of quality of life, the city provides very attractive lifestyle options for expatriates (lots of companies dealing with the oil and gas industry are based here), however in my opinion, Chongqing, Beijing, Guangzhou and Shenzhen are more attractive and full of life for both tourists and expats (except the haze in four of those cities!). I stayed at the amazing Ritz-Carlton, Chengdu VIEW MORE PHOTOS I'm inside the real Apple Store in Chengdu and right outside are hawkers selling great quality fake equivalents for up to 70% off the RRP! No one can stop them...amazing...they're cheeky enough to sit right on the doorstop of the Apple Store and hawk customers as they come out of the Apple Store...some even go back inside to get a refund and buy the fake!!
Video below taken at the Chengdu Panda Reserve. One of those Nat Geo moments...the micro-moments that matter in LIFE. I took this powerful image in Tianmenshan (Hunan Province, China) in August. That climb of exactly 978 steps to the top of the mountain is nothing short of a death-defying experience and not for the faint hearted...once you start, there is no going back. One slip of the foot and that could be the end of your climb. I was carrying a 12KG backpack (I had no choice) and I was, of course, exhausted...and I suppose this father had no choice either...I took a short rest and as I turned around I saw this to my amazement... this man was carrying his two kids and climbing without a stop for a rest....just remarkable...astonishing...quite risky as well...not sure what to think: Photo Copyright Navjot Singh Climbed Tianmenshan (4 hour punishing hike in the hot weather...never again...feet are burning...but what a way to get a six pack!!...)...never going to do that again...tough mountain to climb but spectacular views...in the middle you feel like giving up...but something inside you says "keep going!". Tourists can walk on kilometres of paths built onto the cliff face at the top of the mountain, including sections with glass floors. An 11 kilometres (6.8 mi) road with 99 bends also reaches the top of the mountain and takes visitors to Tianmen cave, a natural hole in the mountain of a height of 131.5 metres (431 ft). Some Tips 1. It is not as dangerous or scary as the media portrays it as. Everything is safe. If you do not wish to climb the cave, there are elevators that take you to the top (I only found out AFTER I hiked to the top with a 12KG bag behind my back!). 2. Allow a day to see the cave. Start in the morning at around 9am and finish by 4pm. One day is enough. The cost per person is RMB 250 at the time of writing. 3. Be prepared to walk. Wear good quality walking shoes. The Cable Car Tianmen Mountain Cableway is claimed to be the "longest passenger cableway of high mountains in the world", with 98 cars and a total length of 7,455 metres (24,459 ft) and ascent of 1,279 metres (4,196 ft). The highest gradient is an unusual 37 degrees. It will take around a 3 to 4 HOURS wait for you to get onto the cable car (both directions, to go up and come down). It is much quicker if you take one of the free shuttle buses (price is included in the ticket). There is hardly a wait for the shuttle vans. VIEW MORE PHOTOS Zhangjiajie is located in the heart of China's Hunan province. It comprises of the district of Yongding. Within it is located Wulingyuan Scenic Area which was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1992 as well as an AAAAA scenic area by the China National Tourism Administration. The Hollywood film director found inspiration for his movie Avatar in Zhangjiajie. The place is just something amazing...truly spectacular...just out of this world. Some Tips 1. You can take flights to the tiny Zhangjiajie Airport from Shenzhen, Chengdu, Chongqing and a few other cities- best to book in advance because flights are limited (e.g. from Shenzhen it is one or two flights a week), and they only operate a tiny A320 aircraft here (with around 185 seats) so seats are limited and it can be expensive. 2. Hotels are relatively cheap, but during national day holidays may be expensive. There are hostels inside the national park; however, you may need to book in advance. Cost per night can be anything around 200 RMB (USD $40 per night). 3. The cost of entrance to the park at the time of writing was 245 RMB (approx. USD $50) for a 4 day pass (you can come and go back inside the park everyday). 4. Be prepared to walk a lot. There are free shuttle buses, but only between certain point and they can get very crowded - the rest of the time you will be hiking for hours. Also bear in mind the hot, sticky and humid weather. I had my backpack on me, so I hiked everywhere with 12KG on my back! It can be a good exercise but to climb up and then down constantly is not for you if you have not walked or are not in a position to walk for long period. It can and does get very tiring. Public toilets are available, but just bear in mind that they are not clean/maintained well, and usually you have to take your own tissue, soap (wet tissue) and water because toilets are not equipped like they are in the West. 5. If you can then take your own bottled water (and plenty of it!) before you enter the park. Outside the park you can get a water bottle for 2 RMB, but inside the park you can get it for 10 RMB. VIEW MORE The Bailong Elevator (Chinese: 百龙) is a glass elevator built onto the side of a huge cliff in the Wulingyuan area of Zhangjiajie, China that is 1,070 feet (330 m) high. On 16 July 2015 the elevator was officially recognised by Guinness World Records as the world’s tallest outdoor lift.: Photo Copyright Navjot Singh When I used to live in Shenzhen between 2003 and 2007, the city's Skekou area was just expat enclave for foreigners who are working in the oil rigs offshore in the South China Sea, and it wasn't developed as such. All you had in those days were the bars and pubs and the occasional Subway (the only Subway Sandwiches outlet in the whole of Shenzhen was in Shekou before 2005). Shenzhen had no metro system back then. The only five-star hotel was the Nanhai hotel (which has been bought by the Hilton now). The Minghua ship has always been there; however while before it used to house a few local restaurant, nowadays, the ship is home to a five-star hotel and trendy restaurants. The area has become a trendy lifestyle handout place, with high-end restaurants, including the exclusive Elements Fresh and a few other Western style restaurants.
There is also a metro station. It has been an absolute pleasure to be able to live in Shenzhen during its heyday of growth and see the spectacular rise of infrastructure. Truly amazing. Taking-off at night from Shenzhen on a clear day provides an opportunity to take some beautiful photos of the city. Departures towards the northern Chinese pass over Boa'an, Nanshan, before making a sharp 180 degrees turn left over Shenzhen Bay and back towards Longgang District - heading towards Dongguan and Guangzhou. There is no denying that one of my all-time favourite cities has some of the best views around, too. I enjoyed every moment of living in Shenzhen, and I hope I can come back one day to live here again. |
Get in Touch:LIFE MATTERSHere I share my thoughts
and experiences during my travels, and how some things have affected my life as an expat and world traveller. Travelling is about capturing that moment in life. Every word, view and opinion on this page is that of Navjot Singh - except where indicated. The most recent is at the top. Scroll down to read the archive. Or search using CTRL+F (COMMAND + F) and enter a keyword to search the page. Just some of the stories you never heard before. The NAVJOT-SINGH.COM web blog is separate to this web site....Click blog, which may not be visible in some countries due to local firewall restrictions, so in those cases this weblog may be read. The weblog also includes some of my press trip reports- most of which are not published on the official blog because of copyright issues. The weblog also contains articles that may be associated directly with a PR trip for a country, airline or a hotel. These are PR reviews done in relations with various companies. If you are an investor or a trend watcher then you may find this website useful as investing has a lot to do with personal observations and finding the ideal trend or next big thing. The average human on the street frequently knows far more about the state of the economy than politicians, university professors, subject matter experts, and financial analysts who seldom travel, or if they do so, only from one hotel to another hotel! The pulse and vibrancy of an economy is nowhere more visible than on a country's streets. All photos and words are © Navjot Singh unless stated. Photos taken by others or by agencies are appropriately copyrighted under the respective name. No photo or word/s may be taken without the prior written permission by the author (i.e. Navjot Singh). All Rights Reserved. Archives
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