Comments on: Ghosts of tourism past http://www.brezhnev.net/2006/03/24/59.html Mon, 07 May 2012 09:09:10 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: hojjat http://www.brezhnev.net/2006/03/24/59.html/comment-page-1#comment-7408 hojjat Wed, 13 Aug 2008 15:02:20 +0000 http://www.brezhnev.net/?p=59#comment-7408 i live in iran. i love you.i need to help. i live in iran. i love you.i need to help.

]]> By: Mark http://www.brezhnev.net/2006/03/24/59.html/comment-page-1#comment-58 Mark Sun, 07 May 2006 13:20:37 +0000 http://www.brezhnev.net/?p=59#comment-58 Great stuff, I received similarly nasty impressions from my three-world-heritage-site-pilgrimage to Shanxi province this wu yi. The supposedly glorious Buddha-containing caves of Da Tong were in very poor repair, but I suppose this is understandable after 1,400 years of continental weather patterns. What is shocking is the little care and attention that appears to be being paid at the moment to slow down this disintegration process. At the same time, the cave site is nicely contrasted by a big ugly coal mine on the opposite side of the road. Not only the tourist sites are disturbing, but so are the tourists - three members of our travel group were threatened with arrest after hitting and kicking a young, inexperienced and admittedly not very efficient tour guide in Ping Yao. The hotels, too, were foul, with damp sheets, cigarette burns and cigarette odour everywhere. Most telling of all was the presence of a list of every item in the room, along with its price - should the traveller wish to smash a few things. For example; tv 1,999yuan; teacup, 7yuan; bedsheet, 239yuan. Unbelievable. I originally thought that Paul Theroux was being unkind and unfair in his constant criticism of the Chinese (Riding the Iron Rooster), but my experiences have proven him to be absolutely spot on. Great stuff, I received similarly nasty impressions from my three-world-heritage-site-pilgrimage to Shanxi province this wu yi. The supposedly glorious Buddha-containing caves of Da Tong were in very poor repair, but I suppose this is understandable after 1,400 years of continental weather patterns. What is shocking is the little care and attention that appears to be being paid at the moment to slow down this disintegration process. At the same time, the cave site is nicely contrasted by a big ugly coal mine on the opposite side of the road.

Not only the tourist sites are disturbing, but so are the tourists – three members of our travel group were threatened with arrest after hitting and kicking a young, inexperienced and admittedly not very efficient tour guide in Ping Yao.

The hotels, too, were foul, with damp sheets, cigarette burns and cigarette odour everywhere. Most telling of all was the presence of a list of every item in the room, along with its price – should the traveller wish to smash a few things. For example; tv 1,999yuan; teacup, 7yuan; bedsheet, 239yuan. Unbelievable. I originally thought that Paul Theroux was being unkind and unfair in his constant criticism of the Chinese (Riding the Iron Rooster), but my experiences have proven him to be absolutely spot on.

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