2017 Bucharest

24.6.17 Bucharest

Well, it has been a long time since I last scribbled here, but I'm determined to travel more now.  I chose Bucharest partly because I'd never been here, and partly to give Wizz Air a whirl – it had a crazy good offer: I paid £100 return including exit seat, priority boarding etc.  Turns out pretty good.  From Luton, but the Overground route via West Hampstead was easy, and I'm flying back to Gatwick.  Main reason I knew about Wizz Air is that they fly to Kutaisi (and also to Astana via Budapest), so I wanted to see how they were.  Flight was good, check-in not picky like Ryanair.

At Bucharest airport, had fun with the taxi – you have to get a ticket with taxi number to be safe – drivers here famous for ripping you off.  Paid 30 euros to the hotel, which is the going rate.  Staying in three-star Hotel Tempo, east of the university.  Pretty cheap, room small but decent – aircon works, wifi quite fast, even with VPN.

Got up at 7am – 5am body time – today for rather exiguous breakfast.  Then off around the old town.  Which is pretty nice.  Reminds me of Tbilisi, Fethiye, Crete etc. - something exotic and slightly forlorn.  Bought ten metro tickets for £4 – metro system not hugely useful, but good to eat up the big distances, which are Bucharest's main problem: everything very spread out, built on an insane Ceaușescu scale.

End up in Pukka Tukka for food – good, if rather too healthy – big salad.  Nice salmon.  [Local folk band just started here – very out of tune.]   After lunch, I went to the main National Art Museum, which is huge and the main cultural attraction here.  Only saw two bits – ancient Romanian art and modern pix.  Really exhausting, but some interesting stuff – for example, early Romanian religious books in Cyrillic.  Some nice pix, but I was really tired and flagging so took metro back to National Theatre, University stop, and 40 minutes sleep in my room.

One big change travelling in places like this is that mobile calls and data are cheap, often free.  Currently in Caru' cu bere, which is very full, especially of tourists, but nicely atmospheric (pity about the folk band…).  With its stained glass ceiling, it reminds me of the fancy tea room in Rio de Janeiro.  Interestingly, Romanian is easier than it looks.  Listening to the TV last night, I could understand big chunks – sounds like Italian/French, with a few odd words thrown in.  The conjugation of nouns plus definite article, also verbs, a bit of a bore.  Certainly, I want to come back here to see the mountains etc.  At least seems easy to get here quite cheaply.  

One problem is that practically everything closes on Monday, so I need to see stuff today and tomorrow.  Luckily,  Bucharest is not over-endowed with must-sees… will leave Ceaușescu's monster palace for Monday.

25.6.17 Bucharest

What a morning.  Got up later, went for a walk through the centre to the Palace of Parliament.  Will leave that to tomorrow.  Wanted to go to the Modern Art Gallery it also houses.  Walked and walked around the grounds, looking for the entrance to the gallery – for about an hour.  Uphill, hot, not sign of an end.  I recognised this kind of desperation as a quintessential part of travel – as its name indicates.  When I finally found the entrance – almost back to where I started, the guard told me it open at 12noon – even though outside it said 10am. Sigh.

Still, on the way, saw an amazing construction – the new cathedral, which is enormous.  Reminded me of Tbilisi's Holy Trinity Cathedral, but far less inspired.  Back to the Modern Art Gallery… which is bizarre.  Huge rooms with classical elements stacked with canvases, sculpture...all looking rather forlorn.  Certainly not great art, but atmospheric.  Up to the fourth floor, where there's a small bar and a terrace with views over the cathedral and the huge garden.  Reminds me of the Pompidou Centre, but again, rather random and sad.  

Along to Hanu' Berarilor Casa Oprea Soare – very busy, but plenty of room.  Inside in the cool, eating vine leaves stuffed with minced goose.  Finished off with Romanian doughnuts, with syrup and jam.  Freshly-cooked, heavy but very nice…

26.6.17  Bucharest

Got up early – in fact, woke up at 6am local – to go to the Parliamentary Palace.  Rush-hour metro pretty busy, but efficient.  Also there is 3G for much of the metro network.  Got to the Palace, was told first ticket 11.30am – damn tourists.  Now sitting in the main boulevard, Bulevardul Unirii, waiting for a while.  Striking: there are few dogs here.  Lots of people with moles.  Everyone has a mobile.  Back in  Hanu' Berarilor...it was close, and good.

The Big Building was amazing, sad of course.  You can't make a cathedral by blowing up the scale of a church, and you can't make a great palace just by making a small one bigger.  Inside, everything looked rather dismal, whereas outside it has a certain grandeur.  For the first time that I've seen, there was a big group of Indian tourists – men only.  I suppose greater disposable income, but not sure why here.

27.6.17 Bucharest

Last day here – about right.  Main National Museum still closed… Metro up to Victory Place – those huge pseudo-classical buildings.  Walked down Calea Victoriei – long, long, way.  Back in French café of first day here.  Need decent coffee.  Then back to the hotel, need to leave at 12noon.  Alas, couldn't pay for half day…

So the heavens have now opened… Took refuge in the nearest restaurant, Izvorul Rece – one I saw last night, but didn't feel like trying.  Reviews online quite good, quite traditional.  Seems nice...

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2017 Shanghai, Shenzhen, Hong Kong

10.9.17

What a week.  Last Sunday, a 12-hour flight to Shanghai with Huawei.  Monday did a little sight-seeing – the gardens, which though largely fake, gave a good idea of who they were.  In the evening, to a journo event high above the Bund.  Amazing.  The view to Pudong surely one of the best in the world.  Alas, didn't see much of Shanghai after that – very full schedule with Huawei.  But the energy and scale of the place just astonishing – I'd love to come back.  Not much need to use Chinese. I took the metro back from the exhibition to the (great) hotel, and Chinese helped negotiate my way.  Very efficient, very cheap – about 50 pence.  Lots of signage in English, although no other Westerners visible.  Also good telling you what next station would be, good announcements in train – Chinese and English.

Flying in, the scale of the place was apparent – hundreds of high-rise flats everywhere – really high.  Even though my hotel – the Sheraton – was high, nearby flats were higher.  Roads, often five or six lanes – everything planned on a huge scale – and well-planned.  China is starting from a clean slate, and it's using that well.  

On Thursday, we flew to Shenzhen, where Huawei has its headquarters.  The flight was delayed by more than two hours, so we got in to the Hotel Amber – owned by Huawei – late.  Even bigger rooms, fab breakfast (at Sheraton, too).  This morning we toured Huawei headquarters – vast, with good restaurants.  Ate a great meal there, organised by "Bond" – the name of the local Huawei bloke.  He spoke English, but we soon fell into Chinese, since his English wasn't that good.  Mentally draining, but good practice for me.  

Friday afternoon, a tour guide had been laid on, but the other Brit journos in our group decided to go to Hong Kong early, so they could see the city.  This left me with the guide.  I would have cancelled, but Huawei had paid, so I thought it would be rude to refuse.  So we set off in the minibus – driver, me, and her – to see the centre.  Took ages to get there – traffic really busy, and Shenzhen bigger than I expected.  We went to the Ping'an tower – 116 floors – gobsmacking.  And around it, lots of other high buildings, with more being built.  Shenzhen in ferment, pullulating with building.  We left the bus near Coco Park centre – I thought the driver was going to wait for us, but nope: we walked in the crushing heat, and suffocating humidity – just like Indonesia.  

We went to a huge book hall, since I needed a map of Shenzhen.  We could only find huge ones, so I was left with that. By now, we were talking in Chinese all the time.  Great – but exhausting, not least because she had a slight accent which made it harder.  She asked if I liked walking, and I said yes, and we went to the central park where people were flying kites high in the sky.  And then we began climbing this hill.  That would have been fine, but I had left my water in the bus, thinking we were going back in it.  Luckily, there was a machine selling liquids, and I bought what I thought was water, but turned out to be sweet.  No bad thing.  But this was not the weather for climbing 1000-step hills.  We went down, and tried to hail a cab.  She used her Uber equivalent, and he finally turned up.  After driving us, she paid him using WeChat as everyone does, scanning a QR code.

The next day I had free in Shenzhen.  I wanted to travel on the metro, which was slow but interesting – I was the only Westerner on it then, and the whole day.  As it was Saturday, it got busier and busier as the day wore on.  My main goal was the famous Huaqiangbei electronics market.  Nothing to look at from the outside, it was astonishing within. 

Now 393 metres above sea level, on the 100th floor of Hong Kong's International Commerce Centre.  Very lucky – perfect viewing weather.  My ears popped twice in the lift.  Able to email pix home – the wonders of tech.  So good to have connectivity – free with my mobile phone contract – in Hong Kong.  As the sun sinks in the West, the sea turns into that old shook foil…  Amazing all the ships at anchor; they look like toys.  And flats, flats everywhere – many 50 storeys high.  So tall.  Getting hazier now, but was able to grab some memorable pix.  Since I think – think - that I'll get a meal on the place, decided to have a snack up here as I watch the sun set.  Bit tacky – and all the people taking pix against the faux backgrounds, not the stunning view itself – but I'm reluctant to leave this place… Haze growing…

11.9.17

Back in London, but I must get things down – so much happened in such a short trip.  Saturday, I was free and alone in Shenzhen, as I wrote.  I walked to the nearest metro, Wuhe – probably 1.5 kilometres from the hotel, past real China – shops selling chicken feet, markets with screaming salesmen using headsets.  But still no dogs.  In my whole seven days, I saw just one dog in Shanghai, and one pet in the arms of a girl in Shenzhen.  So no dog poo at least…

Huaqiangbei amazing, hundreds of tiny booths each selling one class of thing – torches, spools, wires, etc.  Very quiet – saw two other Westerners there.  Most people playing with their phones – or their children – it was Saturday.  Further up, a floor devoted to lighting – rather dull.  Several restaurants, but I decided to move on.

Started walking West – and soon regretted it.  Because (a) Shenzhen is very big, built on a huge scale, and (b) humidity and heat are punishing.  So I flagged down a taxi, which was cheap.  Five-minute trip to Shenzhen Museum in the wacky Civic Centre.  Museum big and spacious, but not much there.  Some nice scrolls, exhibits showing Shenzhen through the years – with reference to evil colonialists.  Then took metro to Coco centre, blissfully air-conditioned.  Huge, and almost identical to Western malls.  I realised that modern China is identical in this, even though its origins are very different.  Wandered around looking for food, ate in reasonable place.  Then across to Dongmen market, which was equally full, but rather tackier.  Livelier – people with clackers banging to attract attention, more populist here.  Huge blocks of flats looming around.  Then back to the hotel to crash out – really draining in this heat.  But impressed by Shenzhen – its size, energy, growth.  

The next day, the big trek home.  First, the border crossing.  A 50 yuan taxi to Futian crossing.  The taxi dropped me some way from the entrance, but the flow of people made it clear where to go.  Not too busy – it was 9 o'clock Sunday.  First through Chinese checkpoint, then across walkway to Hong Kong and another checkpoint.  Then to the metro station, and a 75-minute trip to Kowloon, with a couple of changes.  Pretty busy on the MTR, but no problems.

At Kowloon, finally managed to find the left luggage lockers, where I left my two cases for HK$130.  Bit pricey.  Along the way, did one of the daftest things in recent years.  I put a padlock on my hand luggage and realised that the key was in the case I had just locked… I couldn't just leave it since I would need to open it for the airport check-in.  Solution: accessing the key from the outer pocket, ripping the lining.  Very lucky.  Very stupid.

Then back on the MTR to Hong Kong.  Lots of people out for Sunday stroll.  Notable the huge number of women sitting in the shade of walkways – maids, it seemed.  Their cardboard constructions a contrast with the flash brand names of the aircon malls where I took refuge from the stifling heat and humidity.  Ate good lunch there, then back to Kowloon.

Went around Kowloon Park, saw more women – mostly Muslims, singing and dancing.  Walked around arcade that looked like little India, then back to Kowloon station.  There I retrieved my luggage, and then checked in directly – very convenient.  But first, I thought I'd see if I could go to the viewing platform on the 100th floor of the financial centre.  Amazingly, no queue – and only HK$160 – a steal.  Up 100 floors in 60 seconds – my ears popping madly.  Then at the top – the most staggering view, with perfect weather.  Just magical. 

Finally went down, took super-efficient Airport Express to Hong Kong airport.  I was last here when I stopped off on the way to New Zealand some years back.  Another big thrill: flying in an A380… Great flight back.  I slept about nine hours of the 13-hour flight – very comfortable seat.  All-in-all, one of the best trips I have taken ever.  Thanks, Huawei...

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2015 Tbilisi

3.10.15

Sitting in Gatwick.  Rather appropriate that the previous entry in this notebook was for Latvia, where I went to the Georgian restaurant, and I wrote: "felt like I was in the Caucusus – if only…".  And here I am, waiting for a flight to Istanbul where, if I'm lucky, I will connect to a flight to Tbilisi.  My only fear is that fog here will delay my flight – but I'll cross that bridge when I come to it.

4.10.15

Sitting outside Sion cathedral, Georgian polyphony pouring over me.  Church full to overflowing.  Glorious sunny day – for now.  Rain promised later.  Tbilisi beautiful, as I knew it would be.  Old Metekhi Hotel great – fine view over river to the fortress.  Breakfast, er, simple – instant coffee, nice Georgian porridge.  Almost without exception, the women wear scarves for the church.  Gives a very middle eastern feel to the scene.  Quite a few young people here too.  An old geezer cam up to me, shook my hand.  Only spoke Georgian, so I don't know what he said…rugged, weatherbeaten face.  As I walk away, the bell tolls slowly…

Sitting in Café Tbilisi in Rustaveli, maybe not a wonderful choice, but I'm tired and thirsty…  Been walking for two hours.  Up Rustaveli, past all the landmarks – theatre, museums, parliament, up to Rose Revolution Square – where there is a wine festival.  Then to the concert hall, where TV are recording a load of children.  Lots of pet shops around here – weird.  As I went down Rustaveli, heard incredible Georgian singing everywhere – came from Georgian Day of Wine.  Deafening, amazing.  Wine not bad too – pity I couldn't get one of the t-shirts.  Now in Khinkhali House nearby – strange to see fags on menu, and people smoking in the restaurant.  Bare, but looks pretty popular with locals – a good sign.  

Now sitting in Prospero's Books – or rather, Caliban's Café.  I have been weak, bought two Georgian language books – but they look good, and the pound is very strong, so prices low.  Very nice here, good atmosphere – not sure about Caliban's coffee…  Down Rustaveli, then across to the National Gallery.  Into Pirosmani gallery.  I vaguely know these, but to see them together, up close, is weird.  A kind of darker Rousseau – almost bonkers.  For example, his "Donkey Bridge" is just bizarre… There's a small group of Germans having a tour here – there were several on the plane from Istanbul.  I got the impression they are one of the main tourist groups here.  In the other side of the gallery, mostly a painter called Gudiashvili.  Rather depressing, but certainly has his own style.  Another painter, David Kakabadze.  Rather more humane.  Nice portraits and landscapes.

Back to the hotel using the metro.  Which is incredibly deep: 100/150 metres perhaps?  The escalator is like a trip down to hell.  Trains look Soviet style, old but functional.  Easy trip back, though.  Then showered, logged on – wifi very good, makes Google Hangouts work really well.  Finally, the clouds have come, rain falls in big drops, lightning in the hills.  So I decide to take the easy option, go to Old Metekhi restaurant next to the hotel.  Got last table – full of groups, mostly tourists.  But food is supposed to be good.  Ordered cold soup, and chicken in blackberry sauce, plus red Georgian wine.  Nice – strong, with marsala-like aftertaste.  Very dark ghvino… Judging by the soaked people coming in, I made a good decision not to walk… Lots of old people here. 

It feels good making these trips, plunging into the unknown.  I certainly want to travel around this region – Iran may be possible now things are opening up there.  Plus Turkey, Armenia, Azerbaijan… 

Cold soup – yoghurt, dill, cucumber, garlic – yum.  And...people are smoking in here….

5.10.15

Slept very well considering the three-hour time difference – amazing how walking tires you out.  Today, as feared, rather damp and fresh.  Still, yesterday was perfect.  Two things I noticed.  First, Georgian women look very typical for the region – Armenian/Iranian.  Dark, heavy brows, rather bulging features.  The other is how few fat people there are.  Yes, quite a few men have booze bellies, but few really fat.  Poverty maybe a factor: there are a lot of old people begging in the streets.

Out into the rain, which is more a drizzle – not unpleasant.  Over to the hot baths, smell of sulphur in the air.  Found a couple of restaurants for dinner.  Then up to the fortress – to the top, with very dodgy steps, no handrail.  Now sitting inside the church within the fortress.  Very simple iconostasis in on the east side, frescoes and icons everywhere.  Faint smell of incense.  Priest/guardian here, doing stuff.  Distant car horns – the Georgians love them some car horns.  One interesting fact: of the million cars here, 250,000 use right-hand drive – because they are cheaper, imported from Japan, mostly.  Strange to see this mixture of left-hand and right-hand drive.

On the way down from the fortress, I stopped off at the Armenian church.  To the right, the tomb of Sayat Nova, killed in 1795 by the Persians.  Amazing that he's here – emphasises Tbilisi's key cultural role.  Church being restored.  Then back to the old city, to here, the Anchiskhati Basilica.  Truly ancient – small, old frescoes, older stone.  Goes back to the sixth century.  Sitting in a café by the church (Gabriadze).  Sadly there are some noisy USians, but otherwise rather beautiful here.  Church was fantastic, took many photos.

Topped up my Geocell SIM, asked where post office is: no one knows… weird.  Now back in Caliban's Café – all galleries closed today, so choice limited for cafés (assuming they have any).  Will go out to station after – I like stations.  Also, the main market is supposed to be there. On meeting, people kiss once – left cheeks touching… Surprised how few Russians around – only heard it spoken a couple of times.  I suppose they don't get on well, now…

Took metro to station, wandered around market there – very middle eastern/Turkish.  Big jewellery hall.  Then tried to find post office.  There's one at the station, but they didn't sell stamps.  Told to go to next metro stop.  Did so, failed to find anything.  Then took metro down to my "home" stop, Avlabari.  Didn't go to hotel, but turned towards huge Holy Trinity Cathedral.  Very impressive – soars upwards in beautiful stone.  Inside, very clean, very tall.  Georgian orthodox wedding taking place – bride and groom wearing crowns.  Surrounding local area strikingly - poor rundown houses, etc.

Along to Puris Sakhli – House of Bread, opposite my hotel, on the other river bank.  Ordered a bottle of Teliani red – 20 lari – not much more than a glass of something else.  Also ordered khachapuri to mop things up, plus pig's heart and liver.  For some reason, the twinkling radio mast up on the hills ahead of me reminds when I was taken to Lykavitos...now, that was a while ago.  Kupati – a kind of sausage, it seems.  Rather rich.  Might try the churchkhela, seen them everywhere…

6.10.15

Another glorious day.  Sitting on seats in alcoves opposite Sioni cathedral.  Earlier, I went in Old Metekhi church – rather nice.  Then, finally found someone to sell me a stamp.  Looked in the church next to the dilapidated Armenian church, but there was a service.  To Sioni, hit by a wall of incense as I entered.  Sun now really hot.  Surprising number of nuns around, in their pillbox black hat and veil.

Out to the station by metro (again).  Really hard to find the platforms – hidden away behind a huge shopping centre.  Very bare and forbidding – looks very Soviet, even if later.  Then back to Rustaveli; along to Museum of Modern Art.  Mainly Zurab Tsereteli – very vigorous, a bit monotonous.  But what strikes me most are the photos.   Tsereteli with Clinton,  Tsereteli with Deneuve,  Tsereteli with Richard Gere…  The constant grin on everyone's face – so false.

Now sitting in the sepulchral Alani restaurant – Ossetian fare, and nearby.  Another fab day.  Lunch at Prospero's Books – conveniently placed, and I wanted wifi to check on something.  Very pleasant idling time there – maps on to lots of other places – Dublin, New Zealand, etc., those moments of tranquillity.  Also, I wanted to buy Harry Potter 1 in Georgian, which I did.  I also bought another, bigger dictionary from one of the dozens of people selling books in the street – especially Russian books.  Very tempting, but carrying them back a problem.

Then to the National Museum.  One of the impressive things there is the 1.4 million-year-old skulls, found in Georgia, some of the oldest hominids.  One touching fact: one skull has no teeth – and worn down gums.  Clearly quite old, and looked after by the tribe.  This is the basis of our success.  Also impressive the Colchis gold – amazingly able goldsmiths and quite unknown to the rest of the world.  All those civilisations…

Eating Alani salad – meat, mushrooms, etc. – meat rather fatty; lobiani – bread with bean paste – nice; and lamb stew – again, meat not wonderful.  A glass of rather perfumed wine, plus Borjomi water.  Upstairs in the museum, a display about the "Russian occupation" – which Georgians clearly feel bad about.  Strange to see pix of Saakashvili, with music by Michael Nyman in the background.  Oh no, the music show has started in the restaurant – very bass heavy, mournful soprano singing of her woes.  Too loud…

After the museum, walked down to the old town – feels like middle east/turkey/Samarkand.  Popped in to the church I saw briefly this morning – completely painted inside, very small.  As well as the music here in the restaurant, place is full of smoke – very authentic.  A table is full of baldy men who periodically rise to toast.  Food interesting, but not great – lots of fat, but probably reflecting cooking reality when times are hard.  Talking of which, lots of beggars around – old ladies, just lying in the street, wrapped up, with begging bowl for money.  On the metro, a lone clarinet player today; yesterday, a blind man led by a young man with some genetic disease… On the metro, felt again how deep we were: and if there were an earthquake?  The distance between stations great – one kilometre?  A long way to walk…

Afterwards, in my room, plunging into Twitter discussions.  Connectivity very good – video calls pretty clear.  Shows one could live/work here…  Finally trying chacha – identical to grappa..  On Mekhiti bridge – amazing atmosphere – balmy, calm, everyone out.  Pity about the beggar girl that grabbed on to my legs as I moved off…

7.10.15

Rain when I woke up, but cleared to a hot and humid day.  Given that I have to get to the airport by 3, I went up to Holy Trinity Cathedral – seems a quintessential combination of ancient and modern, of Georgia's religiosity, its ambitions.  Three monks singing in three parts to accompany the service.  Pretty empty otherwise.  Sun really hot, so I've taken refuge in the main restaurant overlooking Vakhtang Gorgasali Square.  Again, they seem to think I'm Russian – gave me the Russian menu… Weird seeing cable cars passing overhead out of the corner of my eye.  Nice pix of Old Tbilisi including Metekhi church, where my hotel now is.  

To the airport.  Driven by a crazy old geezer, answering his mobile, steering with one hand, and doing 120 km/hour where the limit is 40 km/hour.  Oh, and no seat belts in the back…  But I made it, through security, looking at the fine Georgian wines.  Hope I can get them through security in Istanbul, where they've added it for transit.  At least this time I have longer to get to my plane.  And anyway, staying over in Istanbul would not be the end of the world...

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