KO LITTLE NAN RAUA KO A GUNG 阿公 LUM SHING ; KO ÕKU TÙPUNA.

I am truly grateful for such a wonderful Universe

2009-09-10T21:29:00.010+12:00

Yes, we've only got a few more days and then we'll be off to China. My Mum and her friend, Lillian went this morning and should be in China tomorrow. They will be doing a shorter trip, visiting Shanghai and Suzhou, among other places. So cool, so my Mum will be there first. I am so happy for her. Another awesome happening is our fabulous Suk Anaru and Suk Reihari will be meeting us in Zhongshan, so that they can take us to our Gung's (and therefore our) village. They're so wonderful. Suk Reihari will be there for a couple of weeks and Suk Anaru will remain in China for a month. More wonderful happenings. I met a co-worker, Annie and after she heard that we were to be charged $2,500 NZD for a limo (mini van) to take us from Hong Kong to Zhongshan, she has arranged a mini van and driver for $391.00 NZD. Incredible. Another co-worker, Marg, lived in Hong Kong for three months and shared so much invaluable info with me about Hong Kong and how to batter and have fun. Marg also gave me her sister, Alicia's email address and she has given me such wonderful hints too. Furthermore, customers have given me huge amounts of information, and contact details of their loved ones as well. Thanks to Matua Gray, Linda and Rose and Bob, among others. Even my doctor had titbits of info, such as 'don't buy sacred rocks that are said to be from spiritual mountain-tops, because her Dad paid $100 NZD for a piece of plastic.' And finally, I went to visit my dear, dear cousin Willie tonight. He has been in hospital for 5 weeks with Leukaemia and although I wouldn't want anyone to have such a disease, he seems to be in better health than when I last saw him. As you can see by the photo, he is a truckie. I love him so much. So considering all of these wonderful things, I am so blessed. I am truly grateful for such a wonderful Universe

Cool, now about Guǎngdōng.

2009-08-18T22:17:00.004+12:00

Feisty, rebellious Guǎngdōng is China’s fastest-developing province and also one of the richest. For centuries it was isolated from the rest of China by its mountainous topography, forcing the Cantonese to rely on their own pragmatism and innovation for survival.

Situated in the fertile Pearl River Delta on the South China Sea, the Cantonese have always looked outward to the sea for their livelihood. It was along Guǎngdōng’s 800km coastline that foreign merchants first made contact with China and the ancient Maritime Silk Road had its beginnings. Guǎngdōng’s exposure to the outside world and the independent nature of the Cantonese has often been a thorn in the side of the authorities. In early times, Guǎngdōng was thought to be inhabited by barbarians; it was where disgraced officials from the north were sent into exile.

History

As China’s southern gateway, Guǎngdōng has had contact with the outside world for over a millennium. Among the first outsiders to make their way here were the Romans, who appeared as early as the 2nd century AD. By the Tang dynasty (618–907 AD), Arab merchants were visiting regularly and a sizeable trade with the Middle East and Southeast Asia had developed.

The first Europeans to settle here were the Portuguese in 1557, who set up base downriver at Macau. They were followed by the Jesuits in 1582, who established themselves at Zhàoqìng, west of Guǎngdōng. The British came along in the 17th century and by 1685 merchant ships from the East India Company were calling at Guǎngdōng. In 1757 an imperial edict gave the cohong, a local merchants’ guild, a monopoly on China’s trade with foreigners, who were restricted to Shamian Island. Trade remained in China’s favour until 1773 when the British shifted the balance by unloading 1000 chests of Bengal opium at Guǎngzhōu. Addiction swept China like wildfire, eventually leading to the Opium War.

Guǎngdōng was a hotbed of revolt in the 19th century. The Taiping Rebellion (1848–64), led by the enigmatic Hong Xiuquan, who claimed to be the younger brother of Jesus Christ, tried to establish his own ‘Kingdom of Heavenly Peace’ and recruit members to overthrow the dynasty. The rebellion was crushed with the help of foreign powers.

Twentieth-century Guǎngdōng saw its share of hardships and successes, being the headquarters of both the Nationalist and Communist parties and enduring untold suffering during the Cultural Revolution. After 1978, with the rise of Deng Xiaoping and the decision to adopt an ‘open door’ economic policy, Guǎngdōng became the first province to experience firsthand the effects of economic reforms, with Shēnzhèn, Zhūhǎi and Shàntóu set up as Special Economic Zones. Guǎngdōng’s continued economic success has made it a leading export centre for computers, clothing and household items.

from Lonely Planet.

More on Dakong?? hehe it's Dayong, Click on picture to enlarge.

2009-08-18T21:59:00.004+12:00

Transport from Hong Kong to Zhongshan

2009-08-16T22:32:00.009+12:00

So now what are the options of transport from Hong Kong to Zhongshan, which would take about three hours (by road)? Darling suggested a Limousine, because of a previous tour she had taken with Bubba and Chicks where they rented a taxi to take them on a tour and when it came time to take them back to the cruise ship. The taxi was nowhere to be found, They were lucky to have the help of a local AND they all spoke English there. They wouldn't have made it back in time to catch their ship, if it weren't for that extra help, and we'll be in a part China where Cantonese is the main language. So hence, my sussing out the limo services.

OPTION ONE:
There is a Limo service, Farrington chauffeur limousines (which is really a shuttle bus) with a lot of Hong Kong credentials, such as:

The International Air Transport Association (IATA)
The Hong Kong Travel Industry Council (TIC)
The Society of IATA Passenger Agents Limited (SIPA)
The Hong Kong Association of Travel Agents Limited (HATA)
The Hong Kong Association of China Travel Organisers Limited (HACTO)
Association of Corporate Travel Executives (ACTE)

However, the driver didn't speak English. The quote for the 5 of us from Hong Kong to Zhongshan (one way) was in a limo was HK $3360 NZD 663 OR between the 5 of us = $ 132.00 each.

OPTION 2:
The hotel we would be staying at offered to arrange a limousine service for us (again a shuttle bus). We were to give them two days notice of our intention to hire. The upside is that the driver can speak English. The downside was that we would have to pay HKD 7,250.00 (NZD 1,432.00)
OR NZD 286.49 each.

OPTION 3:
Bus from bus Stop to Zhongshan Hotel HKD 100 (19.80 NZD) per person. The Hotel offered to buy the tickets on our behalf with a 10.00NZD. per person charge on top.

Public transport : Wing Lee Travel Bus. Company. Tel : 852-2397-0335

Ticket Selling Place : B shop. 155, Sai Yeung Choi North Street, Prince Edward, Kowloon.

OPTION 4:
The Ferry from Hong Kong to Zhongshan would cost $245.00HKD OR $47.00 each. However, from the Zhongshan pier to the Zhongshan city more travel arrangements have to be made.

OPTION 5 and 6:
By Air and by Train from Hong Kong to Guangzhou. Options that at this time we would not be taking.

Yeehaa, I found it.

2009-08-15T21:23:00.010+12:00

Would you believe that SAA-TEEN was SHATIAN 沙田 hehe. I cannot believe it, I think that the sooner I learn how to speak Cantonese the better. About a month ago, I went to see Uncle Anaru and was fortunate enough to be invited to lunch with his cousin, on his Mum's side, for lunch. Meeting Aunty Huhana, her sister and one of her eight children, Karaitiana was awesome. And so was lunch. :) Unfortunately, she spoke only a little English and I spoke no Cantonese. What I found out was that my grandfather came from a really large family, and didn't have only 2 (or3) brothers as we thought, but had about 12 or so siblings. Wow.
Anyway, Aunty Huhana said Zhongshan and then wrote in Cantonese 中山 (I wrote Zhongshan), then Aunt said Shiqi and wrote 石岐 (I wrote Set-Key), Aunt said Dachong and wrote 大涌(I wrote Die-kong/Daa-kong) and finally Aunt said Shatian and wrote 沙田whilst I wrote Saa-teen!!!

So I have been searching and searching AND searching for Set-Key, Die-kong/Daa-kong and Saa-teen :( With my mis-spelling and then trying to read the Cantonese language. I was sooo rapt when I found 中山,石岐,大涌,and沙田. Guangzhou Highway, 105, just past Dachong, still more looking 2 do...

Pearl River Delta 珠江三角洲

2009-08-15T18:29:00.010+12:00

The Pearl River Delta covers nine prefectures of the province of Guangdong, namely Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Zhuhai, Dongguan, Zhongshan, Foshan, Huizhou, Jiangmen and Zhaoqing, and the SARs of Hong Kong and Macau. It had a population approximately of 60 million people in 2008.

The Pearl River Delta has become the world's workshop and is a major manufacturing base for products such as electronic products, toys and garments and textiles and plastic products, and a range of other goods. Much of this output is invested by foreign entities and is geared for the export market. The Pearl River Delta Economic Zone accounts for approximately one third of China's trade value.

Zhongshan 中山(jūng-shän) or Shekki (shĕ'kē') , town (1994 est. pop. 341,200), S Guangdong prov., SE China, near Macao. It is situated on Zhongshan island (sometimes called Macao island), and has sugar refineries. Sun Yat-sen was born there. The name sometimes appears as Chung-shan.
The dialing codes are: The country code is: 86 The city code is: 7654

Dachong Town 大涌镇 is about 47 kms or 1 hours drive south of Zhongshan. It is known that when villages were built since the Yuan Dynasty (14th century) and situated next to a river or stream which flowed towards the ancient sea of Shiqi, the region then was named after the river stream. The central region of the town was hilly, and the highest peak, Zhuoqishan (卓旗山), is 164m high. Flat land is located at the south and the north, and rivers flow at the east and the west region.

Zhongshan is a prefecture-level city of the Guangdong province. An uncommon administrative feature is that it has no county-level division. The city government directly administers 18 towns, four district offices (corresponding to the urban area of Zhongshan proper) and a development zone:

Districts
- East District (东区)
- South District (南区)
- Shiqi District (石岐区)
- West District (西区)
- Wuguishan District (五桂山区)

Towns
- Banfu Town (板芙镇)
- Dachong Town (大涌镇)
- Dongfeng Town (东凤镇)
- Dongsheng Town (东升镇)
- Fusha Town (阜沙镇)
- Gangkou Town (港口镇)
- Guzhen Town (古镇镇)
- Henglan Town (横栏镇)
- Huangpu Town (黄圃镇)
- Minzhong Town (民众镇)
- Nanlang Town (南朗镇)
- Nantou Town (南头镇)
- Sanjiao Town (三角镇)
- Sanxiang Town (三乡镇)
- Shaxi Town (沙溪镇)
- Shenwan Town (神湾镇)
- Tanzhou Town (坦洲镇)
- Xiaolan Town (小榄镇)

Development Zone
- Zhongshan Torch Hi-tech Industrial Development Zone (中山火炬高技術產業開發區)

Information from Answers.com and Google.

Our turangawaewae is where???

2009-08-15T16:50:00.008+12:00

What we knew was that our Grandfather came from 'Canton' or rather Guangzhou in Guangdong. Speaking with Uncle Anaru we found out that we came from a place called Saa-teen (my spelling). So after giving the 'shout out' to the many travel sites that I'm a member of, I was told that:

**I'm not sure this is the one you're looking for, but there's a Sha Tin in Hong Kong, which is also in the Pearl River Delta. And;
**There is a small town called "Fuwan", on the banks of the widest branch of the Pearl River (Xi Jiang). It is just north of a small city called Gaoming Qu, which is just north of Heshan (a larger city). But I don't see any village called "Saa-teen" nearby.

The place I was looking for was Shekki, the capital? of Zhongshan and Foo-waa, is a hotel called FuHua. Now, all I have to do is find the village called "Die-chong?" or Daa-chong? This is 20 - 30 minutes south of Shekki? The photo is of Shekki in 1930.

Hong Kong

2009-08-11T23:02:00.010+12:00

The China Club is an excellent link about Hong Kong and China, from hints about just about everything to how to write your name in Chinese.
The airport is the gate way to Hong Kong. Would you believe that there is a shower and pay-in lounge where you can relax and indulge yourselves at the first arrival pay-in lounge, the Plaza Premium Arrival Lounge, located at the central access way(non-restricted area) between the two terminals. Offering a wide range of relaxations, including hot showers, all day food and beverage, beauty and massage services, the brand new lounge is the first lounge tailored for all passengers and airport users. It is easily accessible from Terminal 1 via the newly opened central access adjacent to the Airport Express Station (To City) or from Terminal 2 near the Coach Station Hall on Level 3.
This unofficial Hong Kong Guide has extra tips about Hong Kong and the airport. As does this official Hong Kong guide, which gives you the choice of reading the info in at least 10 different languages. The blog which is written by taip_babe is so filled with knowledge. Then more Hong Kong tips given by China Travel. As well as these tips. Ex-pats also leave their messages via their blogs.

If you wanted to leave your luggage anywhere, you have the choice of leaving your luggage at the Hong Kong station, airport and the ferry terminal.

I've found this link that answers a lot of questions about Hong Kong. Such as Airport, Visa and transport questions among others. Also the different modes of transport from the airport to your hotel. And should you want to know the street directions I've included this map. As well as that, I've included the urban transport photo library. Then there is the Library, woohoo.

ShopCite is a link so that we could compare prices for electronics, in Hong Kong with those from home, such as Price Spy. If you are going to spend money, it might be useful to know what the money looks like.

Finally, I've added this awesome map, it not only is a road map but it has links to show CCTV of some of the main roads. WOW I was looking at the roads and even thought that I could drive on them :)...maybe on the next trip.

Hong Kong

2009-08-11T21:55:00.007+12:00

We'll be in Hong Kong for four days and staying in Kowloon. On our first day we will be visiting Victoria Peak, Standing at 552 metres above sea level, the Peak is the highest mountain on Hong Kong Island and a natural signaling post for incoming cargo ships in the nineteenth century. The more privileged early residents, however, found it the perfect retreat from Hong Kong scorching summer heat.

Then Stanley Markets which is one of the must-go places for tourists when they visit Hong Kong. You will find an interesting array of little shops selling silk garments, sportswear, art, Chinese costume jewellery and souvenirs. While a bit "touristy" if you are a tourist it will certainly help you to cross off all the items on your souvenirs-to-buy-Aunt-Jane shopping list. A hard morning of shopping is also nicely finished off by a good lunch at one of the many restaurants, which are the reason that Hong Kong locals also frequent the area.

Aberdeen Fishing Village The harbor home consists of 600-odd junks that house over 6,000 of the boat people in Hong Kong. These brightly decorated trawlers, which double as floating homes for Aberdeen's fishing folks fill a sheltered harbor with hillsides decked with woodlands, Chinese cemeteries, and residential towers.

Mark is getting married.

2009-08-11T20:34:00.007+12:00

A work colleague of mine, Mark is getting married to a beautiful woman from Mongolia. He will be travelling there very shortly going via China. So we're sharing heaps of travel tips, that we've come across. He's shown me his IPOD and how the translater application works, it's awesome, and I'm jealous, but I've just bought a new cell phone and I do have a note book as well. So I think that an IPOD would be going a bit over the top with my toys. :) Mark has looked into whether he will need a visa to get into Mongolia, however, his travel agent said that he wouldn't need one. It makes one think though, that since I've got a multiple entry visa into China, then I'd be sussed with going into any area in China. It appears that when I go to Tibet (sometime in the future) I'll need a visa to go to Tibet. I know that Mark and his new bride may be going as well. I wish him all the best...and I still reckon that we could meet up in Beijing and I'd make a really 'prettiful flowergirl.' :)

Guangzhou tour

2009-08-10T20:05:00.009+12:00

Another day trip that interests me is the Guangzhou (Canton) tour, which costs about $255 NZD for a eight hour tour that includes pandas, terracotta soldiers, and of course Guangzhou. I like the different modes of travel as well. Train, Bus, and catamaran.
This was one of the reviews about the trip:
I was very wary about going on this trip after reading some of the reviews. I can only say to those people, what is wrong with you? The trip was fantastic. The panda is an old bear, but she is being well looked after in her old age. She could hardly move around much. The trip to the kindergarten was magical. The children were beautiful and sang us a beautiful song. The Terra-cotta Warriors - there were only three and a horse - but they were magnificent and well worth the visit, the whole museum is lovely and full of beautiful relics. The bus trip was relaxing and the guide very informative. The lunch was lovely and then the Temple of the Six Banyan Trees was beautiful. Everything was wonderful, followed by the train trip home. You can get hot food and drinks on the train. I had lovely beef noodles. Thank you for an amazing experience for my 60th.
Of course there are many other tours to Guangzhou. Another reason why I liked this tour was because the tour company Viator which is supported by trip advisor.

After the tour

2009-08-10T19:44:00.010+12:00

We will be doing the tour, something that we are all looking forward to. I will be writing more about that later, probably during the trip considering how behind I am with my blog.
We end in Hong Kong and will have a couple of free days. I would love to see 'Windows of the World' or rather WOW 世界之窗. From Hong Kong, it is across the border in Shenzen, China. It is a theme park with most of the tourist buildings of the world, in miniture. The one I would be looking for would be a Maaori 'gateway.' That would be interesting. As well, Shenzen is one of the main shopping centres in the area. That's if I've got any money left. :)

Contacting whanau...again

2009-08-10T18:54:00.012+12:00

More about the 'contacting whanau' subject. I've bought myself a 4 band phone and now I'll only have to get a chinese sim card. Another bonus that is happening with vodafone which is $2 for 60 minutes. I will be able to give my whanau the landline phone number (where I'll be staying) and they can ring me and speak for 60 minutes costing $2 NZD. With a Hotmail account you could start a MSN where you can type messages to each other in real time. Or perhaps you could email. Then there is Twitter. I've even found out that there is a 'translater application' for an IPOD I must look into this, although I won't need, because there's a translator link on google. Here is another link that gives more information about Chinese prefixes etc when ringing to and from China.

Isn't he gorgeous...one of Charlotte and Lum Shing's great-great grandsons

2009-07-28T12:36:00.002+12:00

To watch the video, you'll first need to install the flash player.

Calling Home

2009-07-23T23:35:00.011+12:00

How do I contact home without it costing the earth? There is Skype which is ok, if my whanau are connected. Then I may not get internet coverage in some parts of China, although I am taking my laptop so I can write a diary online. That was another hard decision, buying a notebook or an internet savvy phone. I chose the note book because I really can't handle the really, really tiny keys on one of those phones. Although I am open to that option. Firstly, I will have to make sure that it isn't locked to this country (then I'll be able to use it overseas). It also has to be 3G to use in China. My old dunga-lunga just makes it into this category :). I won't be getting 'roaming' because it is too expensive. I'm going to get a sim card for China and on the dream list, I might also get a dual sim card phone. That could cost a bit as well, but then that would save me chopping and changing my sim cards for New Zealand, Australia and now China. The China sim card, I understand will only work in China. Trip Advisor has a blog about sim cards and phones.

Okey, dokeys back to the China info - Accommodation

2009-07-23T22:07:00.006+12:00

Most of the previously mentioned links have accommodation information as well. These are some others, again in no particular order (although Travellerspoint is a personal favourite) ; Travellerspoint has information on budget accommodation. Expedia is a site where accommodation, packages and flights can be found. Venere is a site specifically for hotels worldwide. Hotel Club has discount hotels.Wotif is one of the standards. Asian Rooms has rooms available worldwide as well. Rates to go is about last minute hotel deals, which you can book 28 days previous to your requiring a room. Owners direct is a site where you could rent holiday homes or apartments. Holiday Truth allows you to read hotel reviews from some hotels world wide. Booking com where you could book online. Hotels combined brings all the hotels of a chosen area together and displays the various prices. Agoda is a site that combines different hotels as well. China Home Rentals can be found on this site. Sometimes it might pay just to contact the hotels directly to see if you may be able to get a cheaper rate.

Sakura is our new mokai

2009-07-20T01:17:00.005+12:00

Our new mokai. Sakura or so she was named. I now call her Sooky. Because she screechs and squawks whenever anyone goes near her. I think it's her way of saying kia ora or hello. :) She's a semi wild cat, so she looks after herself most of the time. Which is pretty brave considering how many angry dogs we have in our nieghbourhood.

Tolsa, Rascal and Bird

2009-07-20T01:07:00.002+12:00

RIP. I got to missing Tama, Bonnie and Guppy, then I started missing our mokai, Tolsa (dog) Rascal (cat) and Bird (dog).

RIP - Tama

2009-07-20T00:32:00.015+12:00

Tama died today. Mum found him unable to move, she thinks that he may have been run over. She laid him in the passage way and he was still alive when I went to see him today. But tonight Mum rang to say that he'd died. So sad, he had been with us for so long, about 15 years. Now, he's gone with the rest of our 'old home' mokai. Our Kuri are on the left, Bonneville and Guppy on the right.

Suk Anaru

2009-07-19T23:35:00.006+12:00

I am so lucky to have Suk Anaru, he has been helping me with all of my trillions of questions about China and our whanau. From my 'small' knowledge of barely nothing, that my Grandfather came from 'Canton??' or rather Guangzhou. I was to find out that we come from the village of 'Saa-teen' and it was on the Pearl River Delta. Suk Anaru was and is patient to let me write all of the names the way that I hear them. He is New Zealand born, so we can talk with each other, however, he can speak Cantonese and this is where I get confused :) He is still concerned that we will be utterly lost once we get over there. He says that on main land China mostly everyone speaks Cantonese and may not be able to understand us...especially if we only 'kinda' know where to go, and then that is just in the general direction. :) He is so lovely. The photo (from left to right) Aunty Kath, (my grandfathers brother) Lum Young Hoy (d) 1960, (at the back) Uncle Jock, Uncle Windy (d) 1986 (small boys) Suk Norm, Haki and Anaru (Ropata (d)1944 and Rihari (not yet born) are missing from the photo) their mother and the wife of Lum Young Hoy or Nana War, Lum Lee Way Hing (d)1965 and my Mum, Jean. *Nga Suk have nom de plumes.

More bits of knowing about China.

2009-07-18T22:12:00.010+12:00

WOW there seems to be tons of these bits of knowing about China. So these links are about China info, again in no particular order. * Temperatures in China. *China Travel Guide, tons of little hints from what type of electricity voltage (220) to Festivals such as October 1st being National Day. *Virtual Tourist, a site that has blogs, advice an accomodation. *Trip Advisor is one of the favoured sites. *China Spree another great site with excellent links. Interpreters and guides are available with this site, *Freeiva. *China Maps, from old ones to modernk, and some more. Then some more Excellent Maps on this site. Favorite *Lonely Planet Blogs. *Duckling seat blog has really beautiful photographs. Forums, travel info can be found on *Fodor's. This is one EXCELLENT site for finding locations called *Traveljournals.net. Another blog from someone teaching in China. *eChinacities is a site that is mainly for expats and is a great source of information. *Holiday Truth, a site that evaluates hotels and holidays around the world. Up to date blogs on Travel Pod.

Shared experiences and advice from the net.

2009-07-18T18:50:00.011+12:00

It would be so amazing if I came up with all of these wonderful ideas and hints by myself...yeah right. I found these links through being on the computer for long periods of time and book marking heaps of URL's. I found alot of the sites so informative I thought that I'd share them and at the same time delete them from the enormous amount of favorites stored on my pc. :) So in no particular order; *China Highlights travel guide, facts and figures about China *National Tourism for China
the site for regulations relating to China *China Facts *Price Spy, this is a really great link, prices can be compared with electronic items between NZ and China. *Journeywoman a travel forum for women. *Thorn tree - Lonely Planet heaps of info from the famed Lonely Planet. *ctrip cheap airfares etc. *Best Senior Travel Links for the over 50's, not any of us of course :) *Timesonline 100 if the best websites *Frommers another good travel website *Shiqi Travel Post - Map, Time *World Travel guide, an easy read and excellent advice. *Travel fish a website constantly updated by travellers. *Wikitravel a general info site about China *Travellerspoint sharing really up to date information, an awesome site. *Travelblogs filled with heaps of blogs *Top 25 websites from cheap travel to accomodation. Teaching in China information *webcam a site which allows access to webcams over the world *China Travel and finally *Trade Me Travel, where people from Aotearoa share their experiences and advice.

Scottish lassie sings the three crow waiata

2009-07-18T10:44:00.000+12:00

Isn't she soooo prettiful and talented. I like the little nod of her head when she has finished her song. Another little cutie

Insurance, Health hints, and suitcase security.

2009-07-18T00:26:00.011+12:00

After scouring the net and getting advice from travel agents, whom I came to believe were just trying to flick off really expensive travel insurance policies, I came across 1cover. The premium was $350 for 12 months, with no excess, and multiple travel world wide. Excellent when I considered what was on offer, in some cases, about $300 for 20 DAYS! The reason I chose my particular policy of 1cover insurance is because of the huge benefits, such as unlimited medical/hospital attention, family emergency, death, disability, resumption of journey and the usual loss of luggage etc. On top of all this is the personal liability cover of $5 million.
A HINT and to be on the safe side is to bring medication from home, because China may have different varieties which may not have the same effect.
If you take prescribed medication, it may be wise to bring your medication in the packets/containers with your name on them. Don't transfer into other containers that have no reference to your name. You could be accused of bringing drugs into China.
Imodium is a diarrhoea medication that works (for me). I suggest that a couple of packets of this product wouldn't go astray. Not because the food in China would necessarily be bad, but because our stomachs might not be able to handle REAL Chinese food.
For women, there is an item called a 'Shewee' It is invaluable for rural areas. Another awesome item would be a neck cooler scarf, by wetting the scarf the crystals expand and keep your neck cool . Finally, when it comes to suitcase security, I always thought that by bringing the zips together and adding a really secure padlock, my suitcase was close to impenetrable, and if someone did try to open it, I would know. That was until I watched this 'youtube' video. So now, Tell Tags, I'm going to buy some
Tell Tags.

Passports, Visas and Vaccinations

2009-07-17T22:44:00.019+12:00

Our passports had to have six months validity on our arrival back to the country we left from, in our case Melbourne. It would be too costly to sort it out whilst overseas, were we not to have that six month 'window'. Another safety step would be to contact the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, just to let the government know that you are in China. Or the Australian Ministry. Obviously let family and friends know of your travel plans. Make photocopies of your travelling papers; passport; insurance and anything else that you think is important. Carry a couple of sets with you, put a set on the internet so that you can access it. Leave a set at home with whanau and if you are travelling with others, then give them a set too. Because if you lose your suitcases etc, they will have copies of your papers with them. I know, I know, but more is better.

Chinese Visa; Would you believe, from NZ it costs $140 for a single entry, $210 for a double entry; $280 for a 6 month, multi pass! Unbelievable. The Multi pass one was the one that we were going to need, because we would come out of China and then re-entering, perhaps more than once. Thankfully, I would be leaving (and paying) from Australia, so it would only cost $85AUD = $105NZD plus postage (back to me), which would mean that I would end up paying about $125NZD. Far less than $280 NZD.

I would come to rely on the 'Currency Conversion widget.' Bouncing between NZD, AUD, CNY (Chinese yuan) HKD (Hong Kong dollars) and MOP (Macau Pataca).

Vaccinations: So many, so many. After reading about what was required, I went to 'Worldwise' a company that could give me my vaccinations. I had the Tetanus/Diptheria = $20; Typhoid = $65; and the triple visit Rabies shots =$195; the 3 appointments and administration of the vaccinations in total cost $90. Thankfully I had Hepatitis A and B immunities. I did consider Malaria. However Malaria seemed to be more prominent in the African countries. Were I to get medication I would have gone to an ordinary doctor and got a 3 month prescription of Doxyclycline, (an antibiotic) this would have cost $12, and I would have taken a month ahead of my leaving as I did with my innoculations. Because mosquitoes just love my blood :) What I am going to do is take Deet, a recommended mosquito repellent. Lanacaine, if one of those things gets to bite me, it takes the itch away. I'll take Vitamin B, beginning a month before I go as I've read that mosquitoes don't like Vitamin B blood :) and I'll buy Avon 'Soft and Silky' body moisturiser (another handy hint), I think the mosquitoes just slide off :). And when all else fails, I've read that I could go to a pharmacy and buy a bottle of Qingliang You 清凉油 - a cool & refreshing oil, which is said to work. Finally, mosquitos are said to be attracted to perfume and dark coloured clothing. NOW, that's where I draw the line, I like dark clothing and I love nice smells. :)

Wendy Woo

2009-07-17T21:04:00.007+12:00

The trip seems awesome. We would be leaving from Melbourne on Cathay Airlines. I've joined Asian Miles, so that I can reimburse my 'fly miles' should I be travelling to Asia again, but then again being a member of Asian Miles brings rewards with their partner groups, within accommodation and transport.

From Melbourne (then probably Sydney and Brisbane) after about 14 hours?? we end up in Hong Kong We will be staying at the airport for a couple of hours and then on to Beijing. On to Xian; Hangzhou; Mt Huang/Tunxi; Shanghai; Guilin; then back to Hong Kong.

The trip is going to be awesome. Found another link about China. And another.

The Tour

2009-07-12T00:14:00.007+12:00

After going through all of the travel brochures...and there were heaps. We settled on the Wendy Woo Tours, which had many tempting tours, from travelling on a 25 day tour to Tibet, doing the 19 day trip on the Yangtze or on the eclipse trip with a visit to Suzhou, many places that I have been interested in seeing. We chose the 19 day Eastern tour, because the tour wasn't too long and it had a mix of cities and 'museum type' places. My cousins and I have a variety of interests, so we had to find a happy medium that covered most of our wants. I got to see plenty of water (I love water) and we would also be visiting heaps of museums/libraries and given 'free time' to do the things that we wanted to do.
There were also many other tour companies to chose from, China Odyssey Tours, China Highlights, China Vista and Intrepid Tours to name a but few. There were tours for young ones and for the older ones and the in between ones.

The Ahi Kaa - Those that will keep the home fires burning.

2009-07-11T23:09:00.025+12:00

Before I go on, I thought that I would mention those of my sisters and (female) cousins that could not come on our journey, for various reasons. There was 'Lin' and 'Rose' (both with nick names better not mentioned if I want to continue to breath) :) and finally Ange, who doesn't have a nick name. All of our brothers and male cousins and partners thought better of it and decided to leave well enough alone and not come with us. Wise move. :) And someone(s) have to stay home and look after the whare(s) and work to pay the bills. :) I'm sure they all will go at another time.
My Mum was seeing to her health, Uncle Jock lived in Aust and My Lovely Uncle Windy who is no longer with us were all not coming. Uncle Windy was a mechanic by trade (or that's what I remember him doing, fixing cars) He couldn't read, however, that didn't mean that he was dumb, he was always kind to me. I remember Uncle Windy cooking and working in the kitchen at hui or drinking. I loved him heaps. I intend on taking some photos of him and my late brother (Karl Yung) and sister Susan (Suzhou) to China with us. RIP Uncle Windy Lum (d) 1986. Karlie (d) 1980; Suez (d) 1986.

Lets start at the very begining.

2009-07-09T20:56:00.015+12:00

Ok, got to get over one of my passions and that's these little cuties (and the bigger cuties...my daughters). Back to the main purpose of the blog.

It was decided at the beginning of the year that everyone who could, would try to get over to China. We were going to do a tour and then we could always say that we had been there. Chicks and Bubba had decided that they wanted to go and gave the shout out, then set the date for September sometime. This was important because we all work and had to make sure that we would have enough leave left to put in for our holidays and that they would be at the same time. Another factor was that in September, it would be Autumn in China. The temperature ranging from 25 to 30 C, a temperature that maybe we could all handle. Scary, when on average Auckland's highest temperatures range between 20 and 22C What a challenge, we'll have to take portable fans :)
By the time that was arranged, there were five of us.

Beautiful little Malaysian singer

2009-07-09T20:33:00.001+12:00

Charlotte and Children

2009-07-07T14:10:00.004+12:00

My Grandmother Charlotte, on her lap is my Mum, Jean and next to her is Aunty Kath. From the left to the right at the back is Uncle Windy and Uncle Jock.

Tamaki Makaurau ki te Pearl River Delta.

2009-07-05T20:00:00.007+12:00

Ko Little Nan
Harata or Charlotte
toku Nana.

Ko Lum Shing
toku
a gung 阿公