Two months of travelling Asia
After very last minute planning and a quick Taobao order for a backpack, I found myself on an overnight sleeper train to Harbin. Harbin is a large city in China’s northernmost province. The city rapidly grew in the 19th century with the influx of Russian engineers constructing the eastern end of the Trans-Siberian railroad.
The overnight train was an interesting experience. Each carriage consisted of 3 tier bunkbeds with 66 beds per carriage. During the 18 hour journey I discovered a new talent of mine, being able to sleep for 13 hours in the middle of the day without waking up. Although I wouldn’t do an overnight sleeper train again, the journey went surprisingly quick and I’m glad I’ve had the experience.
When we arrived in Harbin it was -35 degrees, just a little colder than Scotland I would say. We had never experienced that extreme climate before so we needed to make sure we were properly prepared, the key was layering! The purpose of our visit to Harbin was to see the world famous Snow and Ice Festival. The Snow and Ice Festival attracts millions of visitors every winter to see a whole kingdom made entirely of ice, including ice sculpture replicas of many famous wonders of the world. We spent a week visiting the festival and exploring the city. It was so beautiful, and I would recommend it to everyone, but be prepared to have icicles for eyelashes and take a bullet train! I had the honour of spending my 18th birthday in Harbin as well, I’d never had imagined my 18th would be spent there. Now I can say I had my first legal alcoholic drink in -35 degrees.
After saying goodbye to some of the Scots in Harbin, the next stop on my travels was Bali. After a layover in Kuala Lumpur, we touched down in Indonesia. It was traveller’s heaven. It was one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever been. The food was so fresh and more western, which was such a nice treat after spending 6 months eating Chinese food. Bali is full of small villages each bringing something different. We spent a week or so travelling around the areas of Seminyak, Changgu and Kuta. Seminyak is known for its markets and beaches, Changgu for its beaches and health restaurants and Kuta for it’s nightlife. There are rainforests between each area which was so cool because you got to see some monkeys on your travels. We also visited a temple on a large cliff, over looking the coast, which was so beautiful. We then decided to get a boat to Gili, an island an hour from Bali, famous for its partying and Komodo Dragons. Gili is a small island which doesn’t have cars or proper roads, only horses and bikes. The internet was slow and there were few ATMs. It was so nice to escape from normal life for a while and feel free from everyday life on the most beautiful beach. We cycled around the coast of the island in only one hour; it’s very small. We stayed in a cabin house with an outdoor bathroom. It was pretty until a large spider crawled up Claire’s leg when taking a shower. Overall, Indonesia - you were a pleasure.
The next adventure of the holiday was heading back to China to meet my family who were coming to visit me. I had a few days to prepare for them coming after I came back from Bali. I made them “survival packs” for visiting China which included things like chopsticks, tissues and hand sanitizer for the squat toilets and Chinese snacks. I headed to Beijing alone taking the bullet train and airport express to meet them at the airport. Seeing them was so surreal. I’d not seen them for 6 months. It was so fun showing them around Beijing and Tianjin. I’m particularly proud of my Nanna who managed to come all the way to China age 70. It was very funny watching them use chopsticks as well. My family also brought many goodies from home including cheese, chocolate and fake tan. It was Christmas all over again lol.
Finally, after a wonderful two weeks spending time with my family, I was onto my next adventure - Thailand. Similar to my other trips, it was very last minute, so nothing was planned. During the holidays, all the scholars had been in different places but we all agreed to meet in Thailand for the final two weeks. We spent a few days in Bangkok going to the Grand Palace, trying Thai food and going to Chinatown. We then jumped on a flight down to Phuket and began island hopping. After arriving in Koh Phi Phi, we decided to stay there for a while because it was so beautiful. The food was so amazing and there were lots of other travellers. We hired kayaks a few times and went to a hidden beach filled with monkeys. Although the monkeys tried to steal our bags and drank our bottles of juice, it was so amazing getting so close to them. We also went to an outdoor cinema showing of ‘The Beach’, which was set in Koh Phi Phi. It was my favourite place I’d been during the holidays and one of my favourite places I’ve ever been in my life. I’d recommend it to everyone.
Overall, travelling was an amazing experience and I’m looking forward to what the final semester in Tianjin has in store.
