Asia
« Previous EntriesSurviving the Beijing Airport
By Jennifer Gregory | July 17, 2008
We have a treat for you today- our first guest writer on Tripandom - Jennifer Gregory
If you’re heading to the summer Olympics this year, chances are you’ll arrive to the area via the Beijing Capital International Airport. Therefore, in order to make certain your trip is as pleasurable as possible, you will want to learn a bit about the airport before you arrive. After all, finding your way through a foreign and unfamiliar airport can be tricky, to say the least. In fact, it can be quite maddening because you don’t know where to go, how to ask for help or what pitfalls to avoid.
Of course, you’ll probably step into the airport with a bit of jet lag from the long trip. Then, the sounds of conversations passing you by will remind you that English is not the native language. But, don’t panic. By familiarizing yourself with the airport before your arrival, you will be able to embark upon your new journey with a great deal of confidence.
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Virgin Mary Urinal…..What the?
By rocky | July 7, 2008
Now this is just wrong, what are they thinking in Chong Qing, China, they have opened what is believed to be the world’s largest toilet complex with over 1000 themed toilets. They have made the whole complex out of recycled materials and some of the themes are well bad taste to say the least. The Virgin Mary urinal must upset every Christian who sees it, it’s not really the place you would like the Pope to drop in on. But other than the Virgin Mary ones there are Egyptian ones a crocodile’s mouth you wee into and even washing basins which resemble….wait for it…women’s buttocks. The City is working on a submission to the Guinness Book of Records for the world’s biggest toilet complex, maybe they should work on preparing apologies for all the religious and women’s group who might be offended by their weird dunnys. Read the rest of this entry »
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Fare adjustment machine
By rocky | July 2, 2008
A lot of the world’s transport systems could learn a lot from the Japanese rail travel experience as it is amazing. Not only is it efficient, plentiful and on time they have what would have to be the world’s best ticketing system. They have several sensor card systems including the Suica and Pasmo systems and a multitude of special multi trip passes and not forgetting the JR pass which many tourists use, but the smartest system would have to be the fare adjustment system. A lot of people expecially the non Japanese speaking people have trouble working out how much the proper fare should be, well the stations have the answer, all you need to do is purchase the cheapest fare you can find, jump on the train and when you are done, as you exit the station go to the fare adjustment machine, it will tell you how short your ticket is, you just pay the extra few yen if required, it issues a new ticket and you take it to the exit turnstiles, it really takes the confusion out of rail travel.
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The Shinkansen- the easiest way to travel
By rocky | July 1, 2008
Well we got the taste for Japanese stories with yesterday’s post so we thought we would do another. Today we feature the Shinkansen or Japan’s bullet train. This state of the art service is the safest, most punctual and one of the fastest rail services in the world. The service has been running for nearly 40 years and have carried over 6 billion passengers which is Earth’s entire population. The train system has never had a serious accident and travels at speeds in excess of 300 km per hour and there is testing of trains which will do 500 km per hour- it is quiet amazing. Catching the train is the easiest thing, no waiting and long queues like at the airport, just purchase a ticket from the vending machine or office counter, go to your station, wait at the allocated laneway, wait no more than a couple of minutes step inside the carriage walk a few paces to your allocated seat, sit down and away you go. It is that easy. A trip from Tokyo to Osaka takes a little more than 2 hours, and you usually have less than 10 minutes waiting time to board the train. During the day a train leaves Tokyo for Osaka every five minutes and each train holds about 1600 people. Food carts with lovely bento boxes and other treats are brought around the cabin, you can even purchase liquor. It’s one of the most comfortable and hassle free forms of travel.
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Vending machine cafes
By rocky | June 30, 2008
Ever wondered how you could order food in Japan when you can’t speak the language, well don’t worry the vending machine cafe’s are the place for you. There’s no need to go hungry ever again just pop your yen in the machine, select the item you would like for dinner from the photos and out pops a receipt ticket. Take this to the counter and presto your dish will be prepared in a mater of seconds in front of you- it’s that easy. There are plenty of vending machine restaurants around the major cities of Japan and they are amazingly cheap. For only a few hundred yen you can have a soup, rice and meat dish, salad and even a beer all ordered from the vending machine. Most of the restaurants serve ramen (which is noodles) or Gyudon which is a tasty meat stew and there is also a popular pepper steak franchise which serves sizzling plates of spicy steaks. The vending machine cafes are cheap, clean, and very tasty not forgetting the easiest way to order food in Japan. They are well worth a try. Read the rest of this entry »
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Pandas for the Olympics
By rocky | June 28, 2008
The horrific earthquake that shook China on May 12 this year not only killed and destroyed the homes of thousands of people it did extensive damage to wildlife, in particular the Chinese’s most prized animal the giant panda. The Wolong Giant Panda Reserve was only 32km from the epicenter and it was badly damaged, five of the staff members were killed in the carnage, but fortunately 58 of the 60 panda’s have been found and are all safe, the other two it is hoped they have just escaped and will be found. The pandas have been moved to Beijing and they are going to go on display at the Beijing Zoo and will be on display until November. There were plans to move the panda’s to Beijing before the earthquake but now the need is more crucial. It is expected over 6 million people will visit the zoo for a look at the fury black and white bears during their stay. It is believed under 1600 pandas now live in the wild.
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Getting pushy on Tokyo’s trains
By wattsy | June 13, 2008
Tokyo is one of the largest cities in the world and being so big it has a pretty decent transport system. At times like the morning and afternoon rush hours the trains can become overcrowded, sometimes reaching over 200% capacity. Because of this station employees formally known as “passenger arrangement staff” but nick named “Oshiya” (Pusher in English) are stationed on the platform to direct passengers to empty carriages and to help them into crowded carriages. Watch the video above and you will see what we mean. If you also think there may be a chance of getting felt up while in the packed train well the Japanese have a plan for that as well with special carriages for woman only known as Josei Senyo Sharyo. These carriages will have a image of a woman on the door and often feature a pink stripe along side of them and were put in place as many woman felt uncomfortable in the packed carriages due to the amount of groping incidents (known as chikan).
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Where Osaka comes to play
By rocky | June 3, 2008
The Doton Bori Canal is the centerpiece of Osaka’s entertainment and nightlife district. The district offers an amazing atmosphere with colour, neon, music, people and aromic smells you can only find in Japan. Many of the city’s night spots, bars, gaming lounges including pachinko, restaurants and shopping can be found in the streets around the Doton Bori. The main meeting place and where Osaka celebrates is the Doton Bori bridge, here huge video and neon walls light up the night sky advertising everything from Pokey Chocolate to the latest Sports drink or beer. For those adventurous, Doton Bori is the place to try the infamous Fugu blow fish, this poisonous fish is deadly if not prepared properly and is not for the faint hearted, other tasty treats in the area include the Takoyaki Octopus Balls and Okinomyaki which is a tasty vegetable and sometime seafood pancake.
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Ha Long Bay -
By rocky | May 26, 2008
Vietnam’s Ha Long Bay is one of the most spectacular bay’s in the world. The bay a UNESCO World Heritage Site features thousands of limestone islands and outcrops covered in thick vegetation. Being only 185 km north of the Vietnamese capital Hanoi it is only a 4-5 hour journey to see this amazing place. The best way to see the islands is on the water, there are plenty of tour operators ranging from traditional junks to luxurious cruisers. Some of the cruise companies will stop at different islands so you can see the grottos and caves up close. Make sure you do your home work as prices and quality of tours can vary. Your hotel should be able to put you on the right track. Local folk laws say that the islands are a result of dragons descending from the heavens and spitting jewels of jade into the sea, its not hard to see why the place is spectacular. Once back on dry land visit the Halong Bay night markets, this is the best place for a cheap meal and some souvenirs, like laquerware, chopsticks and other trinkets - make sure you bargain- start at about 50% of the starting price- it’s all part of the fun. Read the rest of this entry »
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On the rails in Honkers
By rocky | May 25, 2008
 The Hong Kong tramways has been operating for over 100 years and has the world’s largest fleet of double decker trams.  There are only six tram routs and the total lenght of tracks only totals 30 km but the tramways carry and amazing 240,000 people per day accross there 161 trams. Stops are around 250 metres on average and there are 123 stops on the network. The trams offer a quick and cheap way to see some of Hong Kong island, One great trip is out to Happy Valley the city’s racecourse you can visit the racing museum or if its a race day have a flutter. The Central Admiralty & Wan Chai line offers easy access to many of the Hong Kong sights including Central District skyscrapers, Statue Square, the Ocean Terminal and the Zoo and Botanical gardens which are a great place to enjoy a relaxing stroll and a picnic- and best of all its’s free. The trams operate from 6am to midnight and at only $2 HK for any stop you like you won’t find a better bargain in Hong Kong other than the Star Ferry. Read the rest of this entry »
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