Heaven!Saturday, November 13, 2010
Our hotel in Kunming
Jin Jiang Hotel - Before you get the wrong impression, on the whole the loos were perfectly adequate and manageable. Our hotel bathrooms were good; there are no complaints. It is, therefore, important that I post some images of the hotel bathrooms that we enjoyed during our tour of China starting with this one in Kunming.Yangshou - private home
We had the privilege of visiting a private home which also afforded us the opportunity to wander about freely. Although their loo was basic it was clean and well-kept. Although they live a simple life they appeared happy and content in their own surroundings. The home owners were gentle, kind and it was a delight to be in their company. They were proud of their home and happy to invite us into their world. It made me stop and think about 'westerners', their desire for material possessions, their obsession to have the very best, to impress... We could learn much from these humble but charming folk.Great Wall Loos - Mens
Sneak peak at the Men's I was told by a friend that I should also include a photo of the men's loos on the great wall...here it is folks! Recommend you do what you have to do before you're half way up the wall and in desperate need to go!Beijing Olympic City
Beijing Olympic City: I'm not sure if these are this is the regular offering for the public or additional conveniences for the masses?
Suzhou - Overseas Chinese Hotel
Went here for lunch. Food fabulous. Courtyard replete with expansive pond divine. Loo not so grand but OK.
Suzhou Culture Plaza Hotel
Suzhou: The loo available to guests at the Culture Plaza Hotel where we stayed. First impressions are important.
Dali with a difference
After attending a memorable Three Tea Ceremony, we needed a quick stop before boarding the bus back to our hotel. This was something to be believed. Whatever you left there would be washed away along with everyone else's business. It was an engineering marvel...a river of water would rush down the 'canal' at regular intervals ensuring that all 'business' was quickly dispersed and flowed to 'goodness knows where'?
Shanghai Jin Mao Tower
88th Floor Jin Mao Tower - skyscaper heaven. Currently the third tallest building in the world and the tallest building in China (as of November 2010) I simply had to take a ride up to the 88th floor observation platform which afforded every visitor a jaw-dropping 360 degree view of bustling Shanghai in all its splendor. Naturally I would have been stupid not to check out the loos...in fact, go to the loo! Quite unnerving really but I did!Kunming Stone Forest
Kunming Stone Forest: Loos near the tourist attraction. Simply just couldn't do it! Decided to wait for an opportunity elsewhere.
Maccas Shanghai
MacDonald's - Shanghai. As it any blogger would agree, it would be remiss of me not to include Maccas in this blog. I won't say where this was except that it was along Nanjing Road. Pretty good. Would recommend.Shanghai - river cruise
Shanghai - Cruise down the Huangpu River: Don't fret about the conveniences on the Huangpu River cruise boats. Ours was fabulous. Remember that Shanghai is a bustling metropolis catering to the international market. Sit back and enjoy the river and the cityscape in all its splendour. Take a night cruise if you can. It's spectacular.Dali Landscape Hotel farewell
And a final farewell...Thank you for your consideration of we mere tourist mortals.Landscape Hotel Dali
Clean and almost luxe The loos at the restaurant next to the Landscape Hotel in Dali were a treat. OK so they were 'crouching tiger' not 'white elephant' but they exuded a touch of glamour (and charm) which was vigorously welcomed and appreciated by Yours Truly and my female Grand Tour of China cohorts. An appreciative bouquet of flowers to you Landscape Dali Hotel!Pardon the digression...back to Dali
Dali's Landscape Hotel: Simply wonderful. We had lunch at the restaurant next door to the Landscape Hotel. In fact, it was part of the complex, and it was a highlight of our tour. The food was wonderful, the ceilings in the restaurant a work of art and the loos a delight. This is the washbas in the ladies.
Hutong happiness
Beijing hutong: It's important I add this image to my bog blog. It was taken while we were in Beijing. We had signed up for a rickshaw ride through a local hutong. Before entering the 'gated community' we were offered the use of their facilities. They were quite impressive. Sterile. Dare I say, 'pleasant' or even 'fantastic'. It wasn't long after we started to wind our way through the hutong's narrow alleyways that I realised the loos must have been installed to cater for the throng of tourists visiting Beijing during the Olympics in 2008. The hutongs have become a major tourist attraction so it made sense to me. Although there are many negatives, at least tourism has provided some positive benefits for the locals. Not many families have their own private loos; they rely on public toilets and communal taps for their daily ablutions. These loos were far better than many of the loos located inside the hutong.
Inside loo en route to Kunming
En route to Kunming: It's amazing how brazen and full of bravado you can become once you've seen and experienced such a variation in loo options...here I was in the ladies' loos with the choice of a Western loo and a Chinese loo...and what do I choose? The Chinese loo! Why? Because it's quick and eliminates the need to carefully place precious loo paper on the toilet seat. Simply get to it and move on! And may I add these loos were fabulously clean. En route from Dali to Kunming
Civilisation! We were awestruck when we found ourselves confronted by loo doors and a completely modern facility. You had the choice of 'crouching tiger' or 'white elephant' loos - what happiness, what delight, what a thrill! Just goes to show that not all gas stations are the same - OK I know the same observation would apply in Australia too...give me a break!Golden Shuttle Island - quick peak
Golden Shuttle - more like bronze: Thankfully I didn't need to go as I had cleverly listened to our guide's recommendation to go before we left the mainland. One of our tour buddies had to go so I went along for a peek...I ended up holding an umbrella for her!Golden Shuttle Island
Golden Shuttle Island was wonderful. It was like walking through a time capsule experiencing life as it would have been decades ago...including the loos...apart from the signage placed there obviously for the tourists...
Behind that umbrella
Best seen fuzzy: Sorry guys but I did say it would be 'warts and all' in my bog blog! This was one of the loos at that service station en route from Kunming to Dali. A stomach churner at best! Best seen without proper focus. More than one visitor had dumped their load here. Absolutely disgusting!!!!! Quickly move onto the next pic...this is the worst one of all!
Friday, November 12, 2010
En route to Dali
From Kunming to Dali: A girl's gotta go when a girl's gotta go! With a bus load of bladder-bursting tourists, it was time for a loo stop. We were en route to Dali and had been on the road for more than two hours. The bus driver needed to refuel the tourist 'tank' and the ladies in our group decided that it was an opportune time to go to the loo. It was either now or wait another two plus hours before we arrived in Dali. The loos were something else! Forget the necessities of life such as loo doors...there were none to be found. Suddenly I had an eipiphany! At last I understood why women took umbrellas with them to the loos - irrespective of the weather. It was for their own privacy. Forget the old saying that it's bad luck to open an umbrella indoors; such superstition has no bearing in these circumstances.
Xi'an Boudoir
Xi'an: Certainly not a luxe bathroom but after experiencing the loos of days past but this really wasn't too bad. The most important fact was that this was our bathroom - not a public facility that we had to share with locals and tourists. And we didn't have to embrace 'the crouching tiger' - the moniker I have given to Chinese squat loos. This photo is the loo in our Xi'an Hotel room if memory serves me correctly. OK so there's a bit of mildew but that never hurt anyone. It was an old'ish hotel. The bedroom and adjoining bathroom were clean except for obvious signs of wear tear meted out by guests over the years. (I wonder if you can buy Exit Mould in China? A generous squirt or four in the shower recess wouldn't have hurt!)
Thursday, November 4, 2010
Loos on the Great Wall
Thank God we listened to our tour guide's timely advice to use the car park loos before our wall trek. For the sake of the Bog Blog, I decided to check out the loos half way up the Great Wall...they left me almost gagging! Mind you, let's be realistic...how on earth could you install 21st century loos on a structure that is not only ancient but a UNESCO World Heritage site. Say no more! Get over it and move on...
The Great Wall 'car park' convenience
One of my 'must do' activities on our China trip was to walk the Great Wall...all 3,245 steps up and 3245 steps down. We drove 50 km northwest of Xi'an to the Juyongguan Pass section of the Great Wall and hot footed it up ancient steps and undulating pathways. We were warned by our guide not to wait until we were half-way along the wall before deciding that we "need to go". He recommended the loos in the bus car park...and we duly obeyed.
Far from foreboding in the Forbidden City
Armed with an ample supply of toot paper for His Lordship and Yours Truly, we started the day sightseeing on foot...first Tiananmen Square and then onto the Forbidden City. Naturally, a loo stop was required (always thinking of the Bog Blog) - a necessary break between both attractions. Our marvellous guide Eric knew of a fantastic loo which was clean and devoid of crowds...just after you enter the Forbidden City through the main gate; the loo is a few metres away, tucked off to the right nestled in a pretty garden space and hidden from view by a towering wall. It was rather fab too...no need to look for a chain to pull or a button to push...it flushed automatically once you stepped away...
Beijing Far from Fishy
We landed safely in Beijing, cruised through security and customs, and made our way to our pre-determined Tour Group meeting place. This was the perfect time to start the blog in earnest and a quick stop at the airport would give us an indication of what may lie ahead. We were happy to admit that we were novices when it came to China and I had read to always go to a loo when the opportunity presented itself...you never knew what the next destination would be like. So off I charged with my travelling gal pal Tennille leaving my partner (His Lordship) and her man (the Captain) to guard the suitcases.
The loos were western in style - much to my relief. And I was rather taken with the painted doors...certainly added to the ambience. I felt content that all would be well...
The Toot Tales Round-up - 1st stop - Singapore
OK so I'm a little late getting back to this blog but sorting through the images was enough to make my eyes water...so many images that just couldn't make it for one reason or another...there have been plenty of loo pit stops during our four-week journey from Beijing to Xi'an, cruising down the Yangtze, wonderful days spent in Kunming, Guilin, Yangshou, Shanghai, Suzhou, Hangzhou, and Dali...and not necessarily in that order. Our first potty-call was during our four-hour stopover in Singapore Airport. The ladies' loos were rather posh...was this a good omen for the weeks to come?
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