Notes from around the world

‘It’s not magic that takes us to another world – it’s storytelling.’ – Val McDermid.

Telling the smaller stories from around the World.

Some stories aren’t long enough to warrant a full post of their own, but they’re good enough that I want to share them none the less. So I’m going to tell them here. This is a collection of notes and vignettes from different countries around the world, including China, Uzbekistan and Israel.

Around the World: China – My Heart Will Go On.

The now familiar opening strains of My Heart Will Go On filled my ears once more. This had to be the third or fourth time this particular version had been played. Several other versions had also been played, the tracks looping into one another endlessly. I hadn’t known what to expect as we travelled to the Great Wall of China from Beijing that morning. Never in my wildest dreams had I imagined that we’d be subjected to a continuous stream of Celine Dion’s most famous track.

I turned to P in bewilderment. Before I could open my mouth, he nodded and shrugged. He was baffled too. We continued our walk, huffing up steeper sections of the wall and strolling the easier parts.

Visiting Jinshanling.

We had taken a day tour by coach to visit the wall, which included lunch at a roadside restaurant afterwards. We chose to visit the Jinshanling section of the Great Wall, one of the least crowded and most scenic parts of the wall. Certainly, during our hike along this particular stretch, we saw few other visitors. It was a beautiful late spring day and it felt good to be free of the smoggy air of Beijing. On either side of the way, the green hills rolled away into the distant haze. Apart from the perplexing loop of Celine, the atmosphere was quiet and peaceful.

I’d come with limited expectations, but found the lack of crowds, the chance to stretch my legs as we hiked the wall and the fresh air invigorating. Unlike some of the other attractions we’d visited in Beijing, the wall did not disappoint. I paused to take another photo and a moment of quiet alone time. P continued onwards.

‘Maybe just a fridge magnet then…’

Up ahead, he was accosted by an elderly woman who had emerged from the next shadowy watchtower. I saw him shake his head, declining the wares she was selling, and politely move past her to continue his walk. Too politely. Undeterred, she started to follow him.

She was still walking behind him when I overtook and caught up, just past the watchtower. We walked quickly, but she kept up, trying to engage us in conversation, although she spoke no English and we knew only ‘thank-you’ and ‘hello’ in Chinese. Despite vigorous head shaking and firm ‘no’s’, she continued to try and push her merchandise onto us. Finally, in despair, and fearing she’d never leave us alone, P turned and said the immortal words:

‘Well, maybe just a fridge magnet then…’

The woman pounced on the weakness, displaying multiple other items and scowling when P persisted with the purchase of a single fridge magnet. I waited, watching, wishing it didn’t have to come to this. We didn’t have budget spare for silly, overpriced trinkets. We should have been firmer. However, transaction complete, the woman melted away, as if by magic. If nothing else, at least we were alone once more…

The final strains of the latest version of My Heart Will Go On ended and, just like that, the next rendition of the song began. Not quite alone, then… We still had Celine, after all.

A Sidenote:

The lunch we ate at the roadside restaurant after visiting the Great Wall was some of the best food we ate while in China! We were given generous portions and multiple different dishes to try. In addition, there was a brilliant selection of vegetarian dishes to sample too! Looking at Google Maps, I would hazard a guess that the restaurant was called Hongshanzha Farm House, though I cannot be certain as I did not note it down at the time. However, this is close to the Jinshanling section of the wall and a photo looks similar to the interior of the restaurant we visited. If you ever go to China and visit the Jinshanling section of the wall, then I recommend trying this restaurant! Alternatively, the tour you book may take you here…

Read More…

P and I visited the Great Wall of China as part of our Long Journey Home in 2016. See more photos from our wonderful trip here!

Around the World: Israel – Seeking Silence in Masada.

Amidst the babble of the other visitors, I find my own space. In this, a quiet moment, I can hear the louder silence beyond the tourist chatter and camera shutters clicking. Birds, a far distant plane, the great emptiness all around. The heat shimmers, sunshine baking the desert. A brief moment of warm serenity.

Read More: My thoughts on visiting Israel and why I struggled during my visit there in 2017.

Around the World: Nepal – One Beer to Celebrate New Year.

Emerging from the quiet, ill-lit back streets, we were confronted by a sea of people, blinding lights and pulsing music. The heavy beat throbbed through us, the DJ throwing out R’n’B and pop dance mixes endlessly, tune after tune. We joined the surging crowd, full of people wildly dancing, thrashing around, their heads banging, hair flying. They were exuberant and joyful, feet stamping and full of billowing, swelling happiness. Well wishes flew from every direction – ‘Happy New Year!’ So, this was how the Nepalese celebrated the new year. With a massive, all-consuming street party.

This was our first evening in Nepal. We’d not quite gotten our heads around the currency conversions. In our haste to leave the hotel and join the celebrations, J didn’t pick up enough money to buy more than a single bottle of beer. Feeling foolish, but unwilling to miss a moment of the celebrations now we were there, we purchased a sad, lonely San Miguel and decided to share. Back on the street, lasers were shooting into the sky, lights were flashing and strobing across the crowd. Hands in the air. Bodies swayed. Singing. Laughter. White teeth flashed.

Welcome to the Nepalese Year of 2075.

We took up a spot on the sidelines. The bottle was handed back and forth between us, we sipped and absorbed it all, taking everything in. It was mad and busy and noisy and smelly and wonderful. Our senses were assaulted from all directions. Men ran past to join the party, groups of friends took numerous photos. We edged into the throng, dancing a little, limbs tight. Bobbing to the music, but we were still too awkward and self-conscious. We had not given into our inhibitions just yet, like those around us. After all, we only had one beer to celebrate new year.

Perhaps it was our lack of money to buy more alcohol, or perhaps it was that we were unprepared for such an assault on our senses only hours after landing in a new country. Whatever it was, and despite the festivities, the jollity and frivolity, we went back to our hotel after only a couple of hours. Once there, we ordered more beer and some momos, delicious Nepalese dumplings filled with vegetables and flavoured subtly like curry.

Our hotel had a rooftop terrace and we sat in near darkness, chatting, eating and drinking. The party continued to rage in the streets below. Thumping music and beams of light zigzagging across the sky. Up on the roof, it was peaceful. As midnight approached, we heard a count down and then loud cheering and shouting as the Nepalese welcomed the new year. Laughing, we chinked our Corona bottles together and then whooped, joining the celebrations.

A Sidenote:

The Nepalese New Year falls in April each year. In 2020, they welcomed in 2077 Bikram Sambat. The Nepalese calendar is approximately fifty six years and eight months ahead of the Gregorian Calendar. Festivities usually consist of rallies, processions and pageants and street parties are a common form of celebration. We happened to be in Nepal by chance for the new year, but I can imagine it’d be a wonderful experience if you planned your trip around it. And take the correct currency to buy a few more beers than we were able to, perhaps…

Read More…

Visit the Nepal Archives to find out more about travelling in Nepal and how to plan for a trek in the Himalayas!

Around the World: Uzbekistan – Spot the Chevrolet.

Are you even an Uzbek if you don’t drive a white Chevrolet? They’re ubiquitous, found in every corner of the country. They are the car to aspire to. As Nikita Makarenko writes in his article ‘How Chevrolet Ruled Uzbekistan’, you really can choose any car in Uzbekistan, as long as it is a Chevrolet.

Read More: Check out the Uzbekistan Archives for more information on travelling to this gorgeous country!

Around the World: Jordan – Meeting the Rebab Players.

At Yaser’s nod and instruction, sand-filled shoes were removed and we came to sit under the awning, sheltered from the raging midday sun. It was about 40 degrees in the direct sunlight. In the shade, we flicked away flies and accepted small glasses of the ubiquitous, steaming mint tea.

‘Bedouin whisky,’ Yaser pointed at the glasses with a grin.

It was brewed over a small open fire and tasted sweet and strong. In Bedouin culture, drinking tea encourages conversation, collecting people around the fire to talk, share stories and learn from one another. We sipped slowly, waiting for the amber liquid to cool. One of Yaser’s contemporaries plucked at a strange looking instrument that I didn’t recognise.

Lamenting lost camels and tourist girls.

‘This is a rebab,’ Yaser explained, ‘A Bedouin instrument. There are now only eight people left here who can play this instrument.’

Instrument tuned and ready, the man started playing a song. Although we couldn’t understand the music, the words being sung by his friend, we leaned forwards in rapt silence, attentive to the show. Surely, if only eight people could play a rebab, this must be a rare display.

‘We mainly sing songs about camels,’ Yaser said, as the first song ended and the players took a moment’s respite to drink more tea, ‘If we lose our camels, we’ll sing about them, about missing them. I suppose it’s the same as if you lost your pet dog. Sometimes, we sing about tourist girls that we meet too.’

He had a cheeky twinkle in his dark eyes, a rogue smile played about his lips. A second song was struck up and we listened again. The long drawn out notes quivered in the hot air between us. I imagined the men sitting around campfires at night, deep in the desert, under a velvety black sky pricked with icy stars. They played their rebab and mourned the loss of their camels and all the tourist girls they had loved briefly and would never see again.

Wolf skin and horse hair.

‘The instrument is made of wolf skin traditionally,’ Yaser said, answering my question as the music came to an end, ‘With a horse hair string. If there is no wolf skin to use, we use a material from x-ray machines. It makes the same sound.’

‘X-ray machines?!’ I was taken aback.

‘Yes. It was discovered when a local girl had an x-ray, and her father played with the x-ray paper afterwards. He heard the same quality of sound. So now, if there is no wolf skin, we make the rebab from x-ray material.’

Our tea was finished. We passed our empty glasses to our hosts and followed Yaser back to the 4×4, pulling on our shoes as we left the shelter. The sand was too hot to contemplate a dash to the vehicle barefoot. Now, it was time to find a shaded spot for lunch, before we continued our tour of the desert.

A Sidenote:

We stayed at Hala Rum Camp while in Wadi Rum and of the two camps I’ve visited during two trips to the desert, this was far and away the better of the two. It is situated in the lee of a rocky outcrop, not too far from Wadi Rum village. This is comfortable accommodation, with good food (catering for my vegetarian requirements) and clean, well-kept shower and toilet facilities. Our hosts, Yaser and Abdul, were excellent – courteous, knowledgeable, friendly and eager to share their lives with us. We loved the day we spent with Yaser exploring the desert, going deep into the heart of Wadi Rum, and the meal he cooked us for lunch during our tour was the best meal we ate in Jordan! I cannot recommend them highly enough if you’re ever in Jordan and wish to spend a few nights in Wadi Rum.

Read More…

Interested to know more about Wadi Rum or what it is like to travel in Jordan? Read a longer piece about Wadi Rum here. Visit the Jordan Archives to read more about visiting this wonderful country!

Around the World: Queensland – The Sunshine State.

The Sunshine State! It is proclaimed proudly on all the car number plates. It’s ironic, then, that I’ve been in Brisbane for three days and so far, it has rained on all three of those days.

Read More: While you’re in Queensland, you shouldn’t miss the Great Barrier Reef! Learn how to arrange a sustainable snorkelling trip on the Great Barrier Reef.