Everything 90's

Additional to Australian trip: I've just remembered something. We went with my friend's cousins to ABC studios(where his cousin and his father worked on scenes and set design) to have a look around which was fascinating. I had been to a tv studios before; several times going to the BBC Television Centre in the 80's(in fact I got lost there once trying to find my way back from the fabled BBC Canteen to the video dubbing rooms) We later went to the place where they filmed 'Neighbours' which in the 80's and 90's was huge in this country and shown by the BBC. There is a place they use outside of Melbourne called Pinoke Close(or Court) anyway that was the cul de sac used but when we were there they weren't filming.

To continue the China trip(hope you're not bored ) and another trip we did was to the fabled Great Wall of China. Now this is quite a sight when you see it on television or pictures BUT you have to be there to experience it first hand. For a start we went to some caves where monks had hidden out and worshipped and then for lunch we went to a People's Supermarket. Inside the supermarket was a place to eat and it was the authentic chinese food on a revolving turntable. We and the people we were with were given bowls and the food was placed on the giant turntable and we took turns to fill our bowls with food from each of the other bowls. After that we made our way back to the coach(some pretty girls asked me to take a picture of them, well I couldn't say no could I ) and traveled to the Wall. It was packed there with other tourists but nothing prepared me for the climb-it was so steep and I am ashamed to say I never made it past the first set of steps(in those days I was overweight and just couldn't take the slope) but my father went on to the top which really pleased him. It was a little embarrassing seeing older men and women and kids pass me by while I was waiting for him to come back down. The ultimate climb is to go both ways to the eastern end and the western end-but you need to be supremely fit or just plain mad to do it.

It was interesting to see how many hawkers and sellers were on the Wall-selling all sorts of stuff and a number of times propositioned tourists which got on some of their nerves. I suppose the authorities see it as part of the mystique of the experience but some found it a damn nuisance. It was a hell of a trip. That evening we got back to the hotel to discover CNN was showing a tribute to Frank Sinatra who had died earlier. TBC to a finish.

Another trip we made was to the Summer Palace of Empress Cixi(Tsusi) which was a huge palace with enormous acreage - we didn't have time to see it but we did cross the river by ferry to something called the Long Corridor around 720m long and covered in hand-painted icons depicting scenes from Chinese stories including Monkey-which the television series of the 1970's was based on(if you remember that series). The Stone Boat was impressive too which most people had come to see as well. Later we met Jenny our guide and we went to the Lama Temple where we saw people burning incense sticks and praying on special cushions. Nearby was the largest Buddha statue in the world over 80ft and mentioned in the Guinness Book of World Records-a plaque was below. For a few Yuan you could ring a bell with a large levered pole and my father had a go. We could have gone to the Panda Gardens but didn't have a lot of time.

Like all the places we went to the only sour note was the behaviour of some Chinese tourists. They smoked like chimneys and openly spat both on the ground and into bins-smoking was/is a major health hazard there but some of their manners were less than what you might call oriental. The Lama Temple had been a very peaceful place with tree-covered walkways and one or two monks flitting around and thankfully no hawkers or sellers to badger us.
Next door to our magnificent hotel was a big park, the Grand View Garden Park. It was quite new begun construction in 1984 and completed in 1988 and had wonderful areas with birds, trees and traditional, colourful pavilions. A huge lake was close by and as I looked in I could see it was teeming with brightly-coloured koi carp. Across the lake I spotted this chap banging a drum and suddenly this sedan looking object appeared and it seemed to be carting people back and forth around a pavilion, it was fascinating to watch and again so peaceful.
Next time our final trip to the Temple of Heaven and how I watched a football match at midnight, but also managed to get a really nasty stomach ache!

So where were we. Yes the final trip my father and I made was to the Temple of Heaven, a three-sectioned area with two huge main gates. There were the Imperial Vault of Heaven and the Echo Wall(which was supposed to be for people to whisper at one end and heard at the other(a bit like the Whispering Gallery at St Paul's Cathedral) but loads of people were shouting their thoughts which made it too loud. It was a very long walk to the other set of gates and past those were two exhibition halls. It was a hell of a trip and I managed to find some badges as souvenirs although they were unsure what badges were. Later that afternoon we returned and had some nice cakes in the little cafe. I did unfortunately manage to later get a terrible stomach ache(I think after all the avoidance of ice in our drinks, some of it was left-remember their water is not for drinking and can be dangerous to tourists) I was stuck on the lavatory for nearly an hour in agony.

The strangest thing I experienced was watching the FA Cup Final of that year Arsenal v Newcastle Utd at nearly midnight as that was the time it was being shown live in China. Our trip had been an experience I would never forget and up to 2005 it was also my last trip abroad. Thank you for reading, I hope you found it entertaining and informative.

^^^ great stuff bud,thanks for sharing.

Was thinking about 90's fashion and I think probably the worst thing ever invented was the brightly-coloured and in many case garish shell suits. As worn by celebrities and other people who should have known better, these things were a technicolor disaster and just looked horrible. Some revelled in wearing them but one person who wore it all the time was that ex BBC presenter, David Icke, who want slightly doolally thinking the Royal Family were a bunch of alien lizards!

Ah yes,shell suits.
I never had any garishly coloured ones but I did want the official England football team shell suit from about 1992,my mum ended up getting me a cheap knock off version from a market which I only wore for playing out after my auntie bought me the official one.

(06-01-2019 16:12 )rpj316 Wrote:  Ah yes,shell suits.
I never had any garishly coloured ones but I did want the official England football team shell suit from about 1992,my mum ended up getting me a cheap knock off version from a market which I only wore for playing out after my auntie bought me the official one.

Shell suits - Hideous things. Can say with some pride that I never succumbed to ever wearing one. They look terrible now, and can honestly say that I wasn’t a fan back then. I enjoyed being an individual and going my own way while lads and men walked around looking like proper disasters...while the women, especially the larger ones...(pauses to shudder)..would for reasons I’ve never been able to fathom, would walk around wearing horrendous looking ski pants. If those things could talk they’d have been screeching ‘look at this massive arse and elephant sized thunder thighs that I’m emphasising even more than is needed here’

Ugh.

We were more caring and sharing in the 90's and those accursed Yuppie sorts were a thing of the past once the crash happened-Tarquin and Jocasta came into the real world had to find a job. I was doing a lot of courses back then as a way of getting off the unemployment benefit but all you got was a paltry £10 on top of it but some places also paid your expenses like buses.

(17-01-2019 01:09 )GreenMachine Wrote:  We were more caring and sharing in the 90's and those accursed Yuppie sorts were a thing of the past once the crash happened-Tarquin and Jocasta came into the real world had to find a job. I was doing a lot of courses back then as a way of getting off the unemployment benefit but all you got was a paltry £10 on top of it but some places also paid your expenses like buses.

Is that the Employment Training Scheme you are referring to?

I remember having to go on one of those during a frustrating spell of being overlooked for jobs through being overqualified

ET - Employment Training. We called it Extra Tenner.