De foarte multi ani mi-am dorit sa ajung in China, o lume cu totul si cu totul aparte, un taram parca desprins dintr-un alt univers. Iata ca in luna septembrie am avut sansa sa vizitez cele mai importante orase din China : Guangzhou, Beijing si Shanghai. Multi colegi s-au plans de zborul in sine, care dureaza intre 6 si 8 ore ( mereu difera`) dar care, li se pare lor, e greu pentru ca, pasagerii chinezi nu inteleg o boaba de engleza. Mie mi-a usurat foarte mult munca acest lucru, pentru ca daca nu intelegeam ce cereau, le dadeam ce credeam eu de cuviinta. Intradevar, pe zborurile asiatice exista fenomenul "noodle mania" - adica oferim supe cu noodle la cerere. Si pe principiul "monkey see, monkey do", cum cere unul o supa de noodles, cum vor alti 20. Si da-i si pregateste zeci de supe cu noodles, pana iti vine rau. Totusi, nu mi se pare atat de rau precum impartirea de paturi pe zborurile de India :)
Guangzhou
Prima oara am aterizat in Guangzhou, al 2lea cel mai mare oras din lume, avand o populatie de peste 25 milioane de oameni. Prima mea impresie a fost ca seamana extrem de mult cu Bangkokul - aceeasi infrastructura, aceleasi cladiri, acelasi stil de viata. Este un oras foarte verde. Sunt parcuri si paduri peste tot, datorita climei sub-tropicale. Desi am ajuns seara destul de tarziu, ne-am strans o gasca mare si am plecat sa "exploram" viata de noapte din Guangzhou. Am luat cina pe malul apei, intr-o zona plina de baruri si cluburi. Bineinteles ca toata noaptea am dantuit intr-un club de prin imprejurimi, ajungand la hotel dupa ora 04:00.
Un lucru foarte ciudat este faptul ca taxiurile arata ca o cusca - niste gratii de fier separa partea din fata de bancheta din spate a masinii. Un localnic mi-a spus ca atunci cand beau, chinezii obisnuiesc sa fie foarte violenti si din cauza numarului mare de taximetristi agresati, au pus aceste gratii.
A doua dimineata am plecat impreuna cu o alta romanca sa ne plimbam prin cel mai mare parc din oras. Este impresionant cat de aranjat si curat este orasul. Desi era o zi lucratoare, parcul era plini de oameni - unii sareau coarda la unison, altii se jucau cu mingiile. Ce mi s-a parut interesant a fost un joc pe care oamenii mai in varsta il jucau si anume - betminton cu piciorul. Fluturasul de betminton era aruncat de la unul la altul cu piciorul. Grupuri de 5-6 persoane care jucau betminton de picior- o reala placere sa ii urmaresti.
Dupa mai bine de 2 ore, am decis sa exploram putin si celebrele "marketuri " chinezesti. O intreaga lume subterana exista in Guangzhou - sute de magazinase in care gasesti tot ce iti poti imagina, de la haine, pantofi, electronice, etc. Cea mai buna afacere pe care o poti face in China ( spre norocul doamnelor si a domnisoarelor ) este achzitionarea gentilor. Fake-uri peste fake-uri, din piele naturala si la un pret extrem de mic. Bineinteles, daca esti un negociator inzestrat, faci afaceri extraordinare. Si uite asa m-am ales eu cu 4 genti de piele, la preturi de nimic. Totusi aveti grija cu banii daca va decideti sa mergeti in astfel de locuri aglomerate - colegei mele i-au furat toti banii in 10 secunde. Si degeaba cauti vinovatul pentru ca toti si toate arata la fel ( inca nu pot face diferenta intre chinezi, coreeni sau thailandezi - desi exista ).
In ceea ce priveste mancarea, fiind o mare fana a mancarii chinezesti ( neaparat trebuie sa incercati restaurantul Templul Soarelui din Bucuresti ) am mancat intr-un fast-food amarat ceva porc cu legume si orez. Am fost dezamagita caci nu avea niciun gust. Multi mi-au spus ca mancarea chinezeasca este mai buna in alte tari :)
Ca sa trag o concluzie, Guangzhou este un oras industrial, aglomerat si plini de straini care au fabrici aici ( in special de confectii ) sau care vin sa cumpere angros pentru magazinele pe care le detin in Europa sau US. Este un oras dragut, dar nu cred ca l-as alege pentru destinatie d concediu.
Beijing
Niciodata nu am avut un "bucket list" dar stiu ca unul dintre visurile mele a fost sa ajung la Marele Zid Chinezesc. Zborul catre Beijing a fost foarte placut datorita faptului ca am zburat cu unul dintre prietenii mei, Nick, un canadian simpatic si plin de enrgie pe care l-am cunoscut pe un zbor cu cateva luni in urma. Dragul de el a reusit sa renunte la un alt zbor pe care il avea si sa mi se alature in aceasta calatorie. Dupa un zbor de 8 ore, am ajuns la hotel in jur de ora 23, asa ca am iesit o ora la o bere in lobby-ul hotelului, vrand totusi sa dormim putin inainte sa plecam in mini-excursia de la Zid si de la Orasul Interzis de a doua zi.
Zis si facut - la ora 9 ne-am intalnit cu totii si am plecat cu un ghid spre una dintre minunile lumii- Marele Zid Chinezesc. Toti eram cam somnorosi asa ca timp de o ora si jumatate am cam motait. Nick, saracul era singurul baiat intre 5 fete... desi nu cred ca se simtea prea rau. A fost pentru prima oara cand am zburat cu femeie First Officer ( si pentru cei misogini, trebuie sa adaug ca a pilotat la fel de bine ca si capitanul, un mascul in toata regula ). Ca sa ajungi sus pe zid trebuie sa iei o telegondola. Ajunsi sus, privelistea iti taie respiratia - ceea ce au putut construi chinezii in urma cu mai bine de 2000 de ani, este impresionant. Prima parte construita a zidului dateaza din sec. V si a fost ridicata cu rolul de aparare impotriva popoarelor de nomazi din nord. Este cea mai mare constructie de pe glob, avand o lungime de 21.196,18 km.
Dupa cateva ore de urcat scari, mai cu un lesin, mai cu cate o vaicareala buna am fost nevoiti sa plecam pentru a purcede spre urmatoarea oprire - Orasul Interzis. Ceea ce a fost foarte nostim a fost modul in care am coborat de pe zid - alunecand pe niste masinute-sanii pe un tobogan lung de peste jumatate de km. O experienta unica!
Lume multa si in Orasul Interzis, palatul imperial al dinastiei Ming. Palatul a fost locuit ultima oara de dinastia Quing, pana in anul 1911. Cu o suprafata de peste 700 de mii de m2, palatul cuprinde 980 de cladiri, fiind declarat in 1987 Patrimoniu Cultural de catre UNESCO. Orasul Interzis reprezinta cea mai mare colectie de structuri antice de lemn din lume. Din pacate, nu am avut timp sa vizitam totul amanuntit. Iti trebuie cel putin 5 zile in Beijing ca sa zici ca ai atins punctele cele mai importante ale orasului.
Am zis: data viitoare cand ajung in Beijing, ma voi duce sa vizitez Palatul de Vara, care, am inteles ca este un "must see".
Shanghai
Shanghaiul este cu siguranta una dintre destinatiile mele preferate de pana acum. Este un oras care imbina noul si vechiul - zgarienori si vechi cladiri traditionale chinezesti. Este un oras care vibreaza la orice ora, un loc intesat de localnici ( nu e de mirare, avand in vedere ca sunt in jur de 23 de milioane de locuitori ) si turisti. Prima parte a zilei am fost intr-un market de unde, bineinteles, am achizitionat genti si ceva bijuterii de argint. Pentru ca dragii mei colegi nu vroiau sa faca altceva decat shopping ( este intradevar un rai al cumparaturilor ) am decis sa iau busul turistic si sa vizitez orasul de una singura. Trebuie sa spun ca a fost superb. Timp de 4 ore m-am plimbat pe strazile Shanghaiului, admirand atat apusul cat si orasul pe timp de noapte. Cea mai frumoasa parte este The Bund, o superba faleza care merge de-a lungul raului Huangpu. The Bund este considerat ca fiind cel mai romantic loc din Shanghai. Zeci de cupluri se plimbau mana in mana - ei si linistitul curs al apei.
Zona pietonala se numeste Nanjing Road si este ca un musuroi de furnici - mii de oameni, mii de culori, mii de sunete. Este cea mai cunoscuta si cea mai veche zona comerciala a orasului. Este foarte usor sa te pierzi in multime, sa te desprinzi de realitate si sa te lasi purtat de miile de lucruri miscatoare care te inconjoara.
24 de ore in fiecare loc au venit si au plecat, ca toate momentele in care te simti bine si esti fericit. M-am bucurat la maximum de tot ce mi-au oferit aceste prime intalniri cu civilizatia chineza, intalniri care au fost mult peste asteptarile mele. Ca in fiecare dimineata cand ma trezesc, am simt binecuvantata ca am sansa sa vad toate aceste locuri minunate pe care cineva, nu stiu cine, le-a creat in mii de ani.
Urmatoarea oprire este Rio de Janeiro, dar nu ca si cabin crew, ci ca si turist. Voi petrece 9 zile in unul dintre cele mai frumoase orase din lume. Cand voi reveni, voi impartasi experienta :)
Pentru poze, apasati aici
English
For many years I wanted to visit China, a totally different world , a land from other universe. In September I had the chance to visit the most important cities in China: Guangzhou, Beijing and Shanghai. Many colleagues complained about the flight itself, which lasts between 6 and 8 hours (always different ') but which they say it is hard because the Chinese passengers do not understand a word of English. Indeed, there is one phenomenon that exists on the Asian flights - the "noodle mania" - that is because we offer on-demand noodle soups. And applying the principle of "monkey see, monkey do", if one person requires a noodles soup, other 20 will do the same. . However, it does not seem as bad as sharing blankets on flights to India :)
Guangzhou
The first time, I landed in Guangzhou, the second largest city in the world, with a population of over 25 million people. My first impression was that it looked very much like Bangkok - the same infrastructure, same buildings, same lifestyle. It is a green city. Parks and forests are everywhere, because of the sub-tropical climate. Although we arrived quite late at night, we have gathered many and went to "explore" the nightlife of Guangzhou. We had dinner on the waterfront in an area full of bars and clubs. Of course we danced all night in a club , reaching the hotel by 04:00.
A very strange thing is that taxis look like a cage - some iron bars separating the front from the back seat of the car. A local told me that when they drink, the Chinese tend to be very violent and because of the large number of assalts on the taxi drivers, they've put these bars.
The next morning I went with another Romanian to walk through the largest park in the city. It is impressive how clean is the city. Although it was a working day, the park was full of people - some jumping rope in unison, others were playing with balls. What I found interesting was a game older people played , namely - betminton with the feet. Groups of 5-6 people playing feet betminton was a real pleasure to watch.
After more than 2 hours, we decided to explore a little the famous Chinese "undergroundmarkets" . An underground world exists in Guangzhou - hundreds of shops where you can find everything you can imagine, from clothing, shoes, electronics, etc.. The best deal that you can do in China (lucky girls and ladies) is buying bags. Fake brand leather bags at an extremely low price. Of course, if you are a gifted negotiator, you can do great business. And so I bought 4 leather bags at very low prices. But be careful with your money if you decide to go in such crowded places - my colleague was left without money in 10 seconds. For me, they look all the same (still can not differentiate between Chinese, Korean or Thai - although there is a difference).
In terms of food, being a big fan of Chinese food, I ate at a fast food some pork with vegetables and rice. I was disappointed because it had no taste. Many have told me that Chinese food is better in other countries :)
To conclude, Guangzhou is an industrial city, crowded and full of foreigners who have factories here (especially for clothing) or coming to buy a big quantity for their stores in Europe or U.S.. It's a nice city, but I do not think I would choose it as the destination of my holiday.
Beijing
I never had a "bucket list" but I know that one of my dreams was to go to the Great Wall. The flight to Beijing was very nice because I flew with one of my friends, Nick, a cute and full of enrgie Canadian that I met on a flight a few months ago. He managed to swap another flight so he joined me on this journey. After an 8 hour flight, we arrived at the hotel at around 23, so I went out an hour to have a beer in the hotel lobby, wanting to go to sleep for some time before the mini-trip to the Wall and the Forbidden City the next day.
Said and done - at 9 o'clock we all met and went with a guide to one of the wonders of the world, the Great Wall. Everyone was so sleepy and for about an hour and a half we were all napping. Nick was the only boy among five girls ... poor him..although I do not think he felt too bad. It was the first time I flew with First Officer woman (and those of you who are misogynist, I must add that she flew as well as the captain, a real male). To get up on the wall, we took a gondola. Reaching the top, the view is breathtaking - what the Chinese could build more than 2,000 years ago, is absolutely impressive. The first part of the wall was built in the Vth century and had the purpose of defending the city against northern nomadic peoples. It is the largest building in the world, with a length of 21196.18 km.
After several hours of climbing stairs, a little bit of fainting, we had to leave to proceed to the next stop - the Forbidden City. What was really funny was how we went down the wall - slipping on some slay on a slide longer than half a km. A unique experience!
A lot of people at the Forbidden City, the imperial palace of the Ming Dynasty. Last time the palace was inhabited was by Quing dynasty, until 1911. With an area of over 700,000 m2, the palace contains 980 buildings, and was declared Cultural Heritage in 1987 by UNESCO. Forbidden City is the largest collection of ancient wooden structures in the world. Unfortunately, I had no time to visit it thoroughly. It takes you at least five days in Beijing to say that you have reached the most important attractions of the city.
I said, next time I go to Beijing, I will go to visit the Summer Palace, which I understood is a "must see".
Shanghai
Shanghai is definitely one of my favorite destinations so far. It is a city that combines new and old - skyscrapers and old traditional Chinese buildings. It is a city that vibrates at any time, a place full of locals (not surprisingly, given the fact that there are around 23 million inhabitants) and tourists. In the morning I was to a market where, of course, I bought some bags and silver jewelry. Because my dear colleagues did not want to do anything else than shopping (it is indeed a haven for shopping) I decided to take the bus tour and visit the city on my own. I must say it was superb. For 4 hours I walked on streets of Shanghai, admiring the sunset and the city at night. The best part is The Bund, a beautiful promenade that runs along the Huangpu River. The Bund is regarded as the most romantic place in Shanghai. Dozens of couples walking hand in hand along the waterfront.
Nanjing Road is the pedestrian area - thousands of people, thousands of colors, thousands of sounds. It Is the most well- known and oldest commercial area of the city. It is very easy to get lost in the crowd, let go of the reality and get carried away by the thousands of things moving around you.
24 hours in each place have come and gone, like all the moments when you feel good and happy. I enjoyed every second of these first meetings with the Chinese civilization, meetings that were above my expectations. I feel blessed to have the chance to see all these wonderful places that someone, who, I don't not know, has created it thousands years ago.
Next stop is Rio de Janeiro, but not as cabin crew but as a tourist. I'll spend nine days in one of the most beautiful cities in the world. When I return, I will share the experience :)
For pics, click here.
