Tibet

Hi

It's been a long time since I have posted and WOW there's a lot of spam comments I need to delete, frankly some are sick and people have been locked up for less!

Anyway I have a renewed passion for Blogging and I thought I'd visit it my first :-)

To keep it on topic (sort off) I'm going to publish a link to CCTV footage of the rioting in Tibet. The resisdents of Xinjiang have been told not to follow the lead of the Tibetans.

Of course for people who can't now travel to Tibet a trip to Xinjiang is a very worthy alternative

It is sad to see the news and I hope that human rights for all people in China can be improved. It's funny that I am posting the CCTV footage, I don't speak Chinese but I found it gave a fuller picture of what has been happening, filled in some blanks so to speak, the other side of a complicated picture. All media can be found guilty of being biasesd, and the western and Chinese media have both come in for criticism. Both have there faults for sure, I found it interesting I hope you do too.

Here's to a speedy resolution to the complicated problems which caused the rioting.

CCTV Footage

The China Hands

I've been building a web site for a firm of Consultants specialising in doing business in China. If you are want information about sourcing in China check it out. Also information on mergers and acquisitions in China, if you are a Chinese Business looking to do business in europe you'll find some help in the Inward Investment for Chinese companies section.

Perhaps take a look.

If not you can still enjoy the rest of the Blog ;-)

Beijing Scams

3 scams which you should know about in Beijing

1. Beijing Airport - Taxi Scam. Once through departures people are trying to get you into a private car and over charge you by at least 10 times. Ignore them, outside the terminal join the queue for the official taxi's and get them to put it on the meter :-)

2. Art Students practicing their English. If somebody or some people approach you saying the want to practice their English BEWARE! It's only a matter of time and they will want you to come and buy some over priced "Art". Don't do it!

3. Nice young ladies, inviting you for tea or to a restaurant. Be prepared to pick up an massively overpriced bill.

I experienced all three in my first day in BJ. Luckily I have some knowledge about what might happen. My advice is to be on your guard otherwise you might be parted from your cash. They seem pretty harmless, but if you don't pay you're bill I'm sure you could get into a bit of trouble.

Uyghur Separatism / Wild Pigeon

Here is an interesting Website about Uyghur Separatism:

http://cheznadezhda.blogharbor.com/blog/_archives/2004/12/6/197546.html

Also if you are traveling to Xinjiang you should be aware about the imprisonment of the Uyghur writer Nurmuhemmet Yasin for his book Wild Pigeon. Read it here:

http://www.rfa.org/english/news/arts/2005/06/27/uyghur_literature/

Tips

I don't think I've been the greatest blogger in the world, but It's mildly interesting at the very least (at least for me) and I hope that if your reading this you find something you we're looking for.

Traveling through Xinjiang was like a dream in many ways. The desert and the scale of the country give it a dream like quality. Passing through you see so many different lifestyles, and contrasts it is a truly fascinating.

It left me with a strange feeling of only scratching the surface of this fascinating country. For it is a country. Not one country but in fact many countries that live side by side at one time. History haunts it you can feel that. It is a land which is shrouded in the legends of the Silk Routes and the journey of Buddhism to China. For me it was a fabulous place. The green Steppes inhabited by Kazaks and Mongolians in the north. The large Chinese city of Urumqi, the Chinese new towns and the old centers. Uighur Oasis' that buzz with life and colour. The list goes on and on. Pakistani traders, Uzbeks and Kyrgiz. Russian and Tajiks, Afghans and Westerners. Time does not stand still even here the modern lives alongside the traditional. Xinjiang and it's people have a fascinating history and tough challenges in the future. I hope it can face the challenges and the rights of all it's people can be respected.

I'm going to give a few tips for travelling in Xinjiang. It's a long way, but it's more than worth it.

Here are the tips:

1. Travel on the Soft or Hard seats for maximum enjoyment on your train journeys. Meet the migrant Chinese workers and Uighurs. Take some instant noodles and brush shoulders with the locals.

2. Try the lamb kebabs. You can't really avoid them, but they are fantastic. Lagman (lamb noodles) is terrific. Buy fruit from the street traders too.

3. Go to the markets. Buy a carpet, and Uighur hat and a knife. Enter in to the spirit.

4. Go out into the countryside and stay with a local family if possible.

5. Make sure that beer is cold "Bingda" is your best friend!!

UK Government implicated in Andijan massacre

This is news to me, but it looks like the UK Government just can't help themselves!

Andijan amnesia? India to train Uzbek army with British "observers" present (Source: http://www.craigmurray.org.uk)

Earlier this year, the scandal-hit British government was embarrassed by revelations that UK troops had trained the Uzbek army in "marksmanship" months before they gunned down more than 700 peaceful demonstrators in the now-infamous Andijan massacre. Now, Eurasia reports, British army officers are to "observe" (one of life's great military euphemisms) the training of Uzbek soldiers by the Indian army.

An international delegation of officers from the Israeli and British armies is expected to observe the training of the Uzbek personnel. Officials within the Ministry of Defense in Tashkent hope that not only will such training herald a deeper security relationship with India, but will also remind Western observers of the needs still facing the Uzbek security structures, as well as conveying the political message that Tashkent can secure alternative sources of security assistance.
From Eurasia Daily Monitor

Xinjiang & China Photographs

Hi Everybody

A Merry Xmas to you all.

I have finally added my photo's of my trip to Xinjiang to the web. They can be accessed at www.jamesnunley.com

I hope you will find they are worth the wait and you enjoy looking at them as I enjoyed taking them :-)

Many thanks to everbody who's taken time to look at the Blog

James Nunley

Update, Visa Info & 1st Photo's from China

Well it's been a long time since I last posted, an internet user and his dog have been sadly disappointed by the lack of action on these pages.

Now I'm going to stun you with the Administrative journey of how I got my Chinese Visa.

Well up to Manchester it was for the Visa. Location: Denison House, 49 Denison Road, Rusholme, Manchester M14 5RX. The website never seems to work properly whatever browser you use, but you can get the relevant form from: http://www.chinese-embassy.org.uk/eng/lsyw/qzxx/default.htm

The form didn't make the most sense to me, but after a rewrite I arrived at the High Commission to hand it in and 3 days later in a fit of euphoria I had a little piece of paper stuck in my passport which entitled me to see Chairman Mao (deceased) and his 1 billion chums.

In the backward world that is my blog I have now been to China and I am sitting in front of my keyboard looking rather fetching in my Uigher hat!

I'm back from China and will post loads of my photo's online, hopefully on my blogger webspace and a bit of witty commentary on my travel to China. I'm playing with Photoshop which should make the pages for me and of course do a bit of cropping and subtle if not some drastic improvements to the Photographs.

God Blogger is a pain getting these photo's on! Another rant is about the owner of the Oriental List, what a plonker! If you want to here lots of Americans whine and talk about package tours this is the place, if you stand this it does occasionally have a bit of good info as reprinted below. Nut I for one cannot stand either! (Rant over)

I suppose I'll have to give some structure and narative to this Blog at some stage, er... maybe not! I does reflect it's owner in that sense.

Here are few goodies up to whet the appetite. I promise you the rest will be up here soon!

China Photo sites & the Oriental List

The trip nears... 2 months and counting. Have overdosed on reading about China so I've had to take a bit of a break! I love reading about travel and all things related but I think I over did it. It was like I wasn't looking forward to my trip! So reinvigorated again I return. I'm a member of a very useful mailing list that occasionally throws up some gems of information on China. It's called the Oriental List and is ran by a guy who has written one of my favourite guides on the Silk Routes (perhaps the only guide, and it is about 7 years out of date!). For information about the list visit http://members.shaw.ca/pnhpublic/China.html

To the recent gems to be found on the site have been two very interesting photographic site relating to Xinjiang http://www.anthropix.net/

and the rather misleadingly named Mexican Pictures
http://www.mexicanpictures.com/archives/travel/xinjiang/index.html

The later is probably my favourite at the moment and has some great pictures from other parts of China including Amdo and Qinghai. They gave me a real thirst for travel and something to aim for with my photography during the trip. If I'm able to capture just a few good pictures a good as the ones on these sites I'll be very happy indeed.

Another exceptional piece of information to come my way from the mailing list courtesy of Raul of Mexican Pictures is a great looking itinerary for China following the National Geographic's Steve McCurry. He posted the following itinerary that looks fantastic, good information to know. I feel like taking this next year if this trip turns out to be a success, a shame I didn't know earlier. Here it is:

July 22: Xining to Mardo
Mardo Government Guesthouse

July 23: Mardo to Jyekundo (Yushu city)
Yushu Xibeiniu Hotel

July 24: Yushu sightseeing (Jykundo)

July 25: Yushu horse racing festival

July 26: Yushu horse racing festival

July 27: Yushu to Seashuel to Dzochen monastery
Camping

July 28: Dzochen monastery to Manigange to Derge
Derge Cholha Hotel

July 29: Derge to Baiyu
Baiyu hotel or camping

July 30: Baiyu to Ganzi
Ganzi Khamba Hotel

July 31: Ganzi to Daofu to Tagong
Camping

Aug. 01: Tagong to Rilong town
Siguniangshan Hotel

Aug. 02: Rilong
Siguniangshan Hotel

I think by Derge he means Dege as in Reggae! Which is a Tibetan printing centre. Which leads me to this great Blog, with contains some lovely pictures. It follows in the footsteps of Joseph Rock from the National Geographic who first brought this region to worldwide attention in the 1920's.

http://drjosephrock.blogspot.com/

I've also upgraded my camera equipment for the trip. I've purchased a fantastic Nikkon F801 with a telephoto and a portrait lens. So National Geographic here I come! Taking the first shots with it at the moment and looking forward to seeing the results. It should help me take better quality pictures. I have been using a Pentax K1000 which is a great camera but all manual functions. I loved it because it was so hardy, the type of camera that would survive a war zone quite easily. The Nikkon has automatic aperture, shutter speed and focus which is cool.

Hope you enjoy the websites. Looks like instead of overdosing on the reading I did it for photo sites instead!

At the moment the UK is experiencing a wonderful period of warm and sunny weather. Life goes on as normal despite near blanket coverage of the London bombings on TV and Radio.