harbin ice festival

harbin, china hosts an ice/snow festival every year, this is the 27th year, i think...over the years i've seen the photos in the news, and they've always been incredible...even though the plane ticket was expensive (especially with the visa) i decided to see it for myself...i left work an hour early, hopped on a bus to the airport, and landed in harbin at 2120 local time...i was seated near the front of the plane, so i got out fast...the windows in the gangway into the airport were completely frosted over, with an inch of frost!! that was my first indication that harbin is COLD...soldiers were waiting at the plane door, and walked with us as we walked through the airport to immigration...as it turned out, the soldiers were also the immigration control officers as well...they stepped into the booths and started the computer problems while everyone lined up...there were only two lines, four officers took care of the whole plane...i didn't have anything to declare in customs, nor any baggage to claim, so it didn't take long to walk into the arrivals hall...that arrivals hall must be the quietest arrivals hall ever...maybe it was because it was around 2130 or so, but wow, it was QUIET...there were people holding signs with names, and others waiting, but no one was talking...and no one tried to get my attention to take a taxi, or send me to a hotel...quite a difference from most of my travel experiences in asia!! it took me a while to find an atm, i was starting to wonder if there was one in the whole airport; i would've been in trouble if there hadn't been an atm there!!

this is the first thing i saw when i walked out of the airport in harbin, china

the taxi took me to the hotel i had booked, thank goodness i had thought ahead (one of the few times i've done so)...and thank goodness i had printed out the directions/address in chinese, otherwise that could've been another disaster...the taxi driver spoke absolutely no english, and my chinese amounts only to saying hello and thank you...according to the guidebook there is public transport from the airport into town, but i didn't see option, and at that hour, i didn't much care...and thank goodness i had printed out the reservation as well, because the hotel clerks didn't speak any english either...i wasn't at all upset that no one speaks english, given that i was in china, and i think it's ridiculous to expect the rest of the world to speak my language...yes, it makes things more difficult, but that's part of the interest of traveling...they had me in a "couple's room"...just like a love motel in korea, complete with mirrors and a red, heart shaped pillow...hee hee...the room was warm...really warm...it felt too warm at first, but then i loved it...

sculptures all over town, including along the main pedestrian street

the next morning i got up and ate breakfast in the hotel...a typical chinese breakfast, buffet style...soup, eggs, various dishes...(only western cultures have specific breakfast fews)...some fruit too...there were other families and couples eating, most of them already mostly bundled up...on the way back to my room after breakfast i read the hotel information board which said that the temperatures of the day were -26C to -15C...(-14F to 5F)...that sounded chilly, but i had no idea what i was getting into...i got dressed with a long sleeve synthetic fiber shirt, a hoodie sweatshirt, pants, socks, a fleece jacket and ski shell on top...a hat and lined mittens as well...i thought that would be enough...but w/in 10 minutes of walking outside, i realized i needed the longjohns i had brought as well...the cold air directly on my skin hurt, even though it was super sunny...thank goodness the hotel was conveniently located:)

sliding down sculptures:)

 harbin was originally a small village...now it's the capital of the northeasternmost province in china...according to the guidebook, the official, modern border between russia and china wasn't settled for sure until july 2008...in 1896 china negotiated with russia, and the decision was made to build a railroad from vladivostok (on the russian east coast) to harbin, then down to dalian, china...so in came the russian rail workers...following them over the years were russian jews, and white russians, all escaping conditions in russia...not surprisingly, harbin shows the russian influence, particularly in the architecture of the city...wider streets too...it's a chinese city, but you wouldn't know it except for seeing chinese writing everywhere...obviously there are plenty of chinese people walking around, but there is a lot more open, empty space than i remember in other chinese cities...

after redressing myself properly (and nearly overheating in my hotel room once i had all the clothing on) i walked down the main pedestrian street again...there are cross streets with cars on them, so you can walk down the middle of the street, but you have to watch out for cars crossing every now and again...the street was pretty slippery, as there is plenty of ice all over the roads, i wonder if it ever goes away during the winter...i "skated" inadvertantly more than once, lol...the end of the street is at the river's edge...at this particular point there are a number of winter activities set up...the river in the middle of the city freezes up in winter (while i was there the temperatures ranged from -26C to -15C) so there were all sorts of opportunities on the ice...you can rent chairs that slide on the ice, ride in a carriage pulled by a horse, ride a horse, ride a dogsled, and use a snow machine...

 i chose to walk across the river, trying to ignore the aggressive saleswomanship of several locals...they REALLY want you to go in one of the carriages!! walking across the river was fun...and COLD...i couldn't feel the wind, but according to the flags, there was definitely wind...my face was frozen:)...there were flags all the way across the river, a path of sorts had been cleared...cleared only of snow of course, there was still plenty of ice under my feet:)...and my toes could tell, they were numb! i wonder how deep the ice is?

 i love the idea of walking across a river frozen in the winter...(i also could've taken the cable car across...in summer, you have to take the cable car or the boat, i'm not sure if you're allowed to walk across a bridge)...i love the idea of ice and snow and it's beauty...of course i don't love slush and all the craziness of traffic and people who don't know how to drive, but that wasn't an issue for me during this trip...even the taxi driver from the airport drove carefully, thank goodness...he started slowing down WAY before street lights...

 this looked sooooo tempting, just to get out of the wind!!!

 there is plenty of snow in harbin...so much snow that you can see the sedimentary effect!!! i think the snow had been shoveled off the paths, melted slightly, snowed some more, melted slightly again, and you can see the top "dusting" layer...i'm a much bigger fan of snow that actually accumulates, as opposed to snow that only lasts about 30 seconds and just causes slush and transportation problems...

snow sandwiches?

 across the river is sun island...which is part of harbin...on the other side of the river i walked up some steps, then tried to figure out where to go from there...there was a map showing the island, and locations of various park areas...i had read the guidebook, and it simply said that there was a snow sculpture display area on the island, but it didn't give any other useful information...there are two main areas of this festival, and the snow one is on sun island...it turned out to be the bigger area, so perhaps lonely planet will start providing more direction...near one of the snow sculpture areas was a small amusement park...i ended up coming at the snow sculpture area from a different direction than most people, so for a while i was concerned because i wasn't seeing anyone else...normally, i would like that feeling, the feeling of being alone...but not so much in the COLD, w/out knowing how to ask for directions!

closed for the winter, and gorgeous:)

my first snow sculpture...over the rest of that day i saw tons and tons and tons more! and i was thrilled that this picture turned out exactly the way i wanted...i took this same photo for a couple, they returned the favour to me...every time i came to another path, each option offered more sculptures...even though i wandered for quite a while, i'm not sure i saw everything...

 not surprisingly, there were these sorts of "buildings" everywhere...there were tons of people coming in and out...a warm beverage in this COLD is a great idea...around the time i came upon this coffee shop i also chatted with a family from arizona...(who are currently living in dalian, china)...as with every sculpture, i wonder how long it took to build, and how long it stays frozen...

 it's a coffee shop!

 some of the snow sculptures were so well thought out...so intricate...how do people come up with the designs? i'm pretty sure i couldn't do this, even if given a set of directions!! what kind of tools are used? how many people work on each sculpture...and how does one go about being selected to carve a sculpture? 

 my camera focused on the face in the middle, and i just loved this one...its art, and sometimes you just connect with whateva you're seeing, just because...

 i wanted to walk over this bridge, but that didn't seem to be an option...on the other hand, the bridge didn't seem to be leading anywhere either...what do they use to make the red? and how does it not bleed into the rest of the snow? and what does it say?

 this was the first BIG sculpture i saw...WHOA...all the "pictures" on the side were from the shrek movies...it was during an attempt at a self photo with this sculpture that my first camera battery died...i knew it was because of the cold, thankfully i was prepared...with three more batteries...at least, i thought i was prepared...eventually, the camera itself got too cold, and it didn't matter whether the batteries had enough juice, as the camera doesn't work in that kind of cold...i carried it in my mittens, or inside pockets of my coat after i figured that out...and yes, you can slide down this sculpture...

 these faces were awesome...so detailed...if i had seen someone around at that moment, i would've sat on one of the stumps and asked the person to take a "family portrait"...(by the way, sitting on snow is really cold...i figured that out really fast, even with two layers on!)...another battery died here...

 who would've thought the mona lisa could be made out of snow?!?! you can't tell, but there is a base of snow under the "portrait" so even the bottom of the "frame" was above my head...i tried to get a photo of me with this, but it didn't turn out well, and another battery died...i was rather worried about that by this point, cause that meant 3 of the 4 batteries i had brought were finished, and i still had 1.5 days of picture taking left in the trip!!...thankfully, i learned that having the batteries back in my warm hotel room made a big difference, and it turned out they all had some juice left after all...

 this photo doesn't show it, but this face was amazing...the 3D effect was incredible...i wanted to try to take a profile photo, but i couldn't get high enough to do it properly...how does one go about carving something this big w/out destroying what you've already carved? what kind of footwear do you wear while carving? how many hours a day do you carve? and how do you get a block of snow big enough?

 two faces/two masks...don't all of us try to hide our true selves from time to time?

 a dutch guy took this photo for me...again, it turned out exactly as i wanted...though the guy said he couldn't see well and wasn't sure about the framing! he and his wife had come all the way from the netherlands just for a long weekend at this festival...WOW...now that's dedication to traveling...they had a 9 hour flight from amsterdam, then a two hour layover in beijing just to get to harbin...

 nothing in particular to say, but this was another one of the bigger sculptures, and i loved it...

 in some ways, it would be lovely to have my very own prince come and take me away to live in his castle...surrounded by trees and peaceful landscapes...

 again with the complicated, big, sculpture...do the artists have a sketch they work from? do they do a rough draft? who decides which sculptures get to be big and which are smaller? (all are nifty, regardless of size)

 this was called "forever young"...and the lady in the mirror was clearly "younger"...i wondered whether the old lady still sees herself as young and beautiful, or if the young lady is the way the husband still sees his wife...this was probably one of my favourite sculptures...given that looking young is such a big part of western culture, i found this to be another sculpture that attracted me...i looked at it for a while...(until standing still wasn't such a good idea anymore)

 i don't know what it says, but.....this was only a third of this particular sculpture...i didn't see how each third connected with the whole, so i took the photos separately...the first time i walked by this sculpture, my hands were too cold to take a photo...

 the main pedestrian street at night...thoughout the entire trip, i saw tons of people all bundled up...(of course)...some people wearing ski clothes, some wearing thick warm boots, everyone wearing a hat...surprisingly, not everyone had on gloves or mittens...WHY NOT? i know i would've lost fingers to frostbite if i hadn't had my lined mittens...my fingers got really cold really fast (as in, after about 10 seconds) when i took off my mittens for any reason, so i can't imagine not wearing them at all...

 i opted to go see the ice sculpture section at night, when i knew everything would be lit up...ice during the day didn't sound nearly as amazing as ice, lit up with colourful lights at night...

i fell flat on my ass walking across this ice bridge...so of course i took a photo:)

 the ice sculpture section of the festival had ice gates at each entrance, as opposed to the snow sculpture section, which had nothing in particular to denote an entrance other than ticket booths...it made for a much more impressive entrance, walking through the frozen gates...what do the park entrances look like in summer, w/out these massive gates?

the gate through which i entered the ice sculpture part of the festival

 while trying to take a photo of myself and this sculpture, a local guy offered to take one for me...he communicated that, w/out using english...i loved it...when i get my own castle, i want this sort of an entrance...with a moat, of course...

 the colours in all the sculptures stood out so well against the dark, clear night...the whole area had lights, even the temple on the top of the little hill in the park...

 i love patterns...there was a pink line, a blue line, a green line, and a yellow line, but i liked this one best...i tried to stand on one of these ice blocks, but slid off, and again fell on my butt...between this and the other fall, i had bruises that lasted a couple weeks...sitting down didn't feel so great...lol...i'm blaming the falls on my shoes, for not having proper traction...

 again with the patterns...how are the lights rigged so that they look as if they're coming from inside the ice? how much electric power is used during this festival? and how do they keep all the power lines from freezing? what time are the lights turned on?

 i have no idea who the face is, but just before i took the photo there were three guys hamming up photos with the guy, so i figured he could be important...or maybe not, who knows...china has such a long history, and each province has it's own history, this guy could be one of a jazillion people...the rest of the world probably doesn't know his name...

 not all the sculptures in this area were ice...some were more like the blowup lanterns i remember seeing for buddha's birthday in korea...

 the entire pavillion and walkway were ice...fortunately, there was some hardpack snow on the pathways, so for once i didn't fall...

 i'm a mystery:)

 walking through this area i passed at least 6 people who make their living taking photos of the tourists coming to the festival...they all carry boards showing the photos they can take...i can't help but wonder how many people use these guys, and how much they charge? how many batteries do they carry around each night? how long does it take to print the photos? where do they print them? i saw one lady who appeared to have hired two of the photographers, they had her posing numerous times in front of a number of sculptures...

 outside of the snow/ice festival, st sophia is one of the only sights harbin has...it was formerly an orthodox church...the outside obviously still looks the same, but the inside isn't a church anymore...the walls are covered with photos of harbin in the past...

st sophia church

 again with the wide open spaces in the city...

 an ice sculpture on my way to a couple temples...can you see the faces? i loved that there were sculptures all over the city, not just in the designated festival areas...i never knew when i was going to see another sculpture...just about every time i saw one, i stopped for a minute, just to stare...one building i also noticed on the way to the temples had a sign in english and chinese...haerbinxiede...the harbin sterility hospital!! what exactly does that mean?

 i loved the flowers at the base of one of the trees in the temple area...i wonder who put them there, and why? how long had they been there, and how long would the flowers stay? the snow had been shoveled up into piles in various places in the temple complex...some of the piles are actually pretty big...

 yes, that is a ferris wheel in the background of a lovely temple photo:)...there was a whole amusement park back there, but, like the other amusement park, was closed for the winter...

 the centrepoint of the 7tiered buddhist pagoda...the temple hall in front of this pagoda was surprisingly small...i had expected something larger...and i would've loved to go in the pagoda itself...i wonder if it's possible to go up inside? what were the two pagodas off to the sides?

 the temple hall in the background of this photo was probably my favourite...along three walls there were numerous standing buddhas lined up...and in the middle there were a couple altars as well...i can't say what it was that attracted me so much to this hall, but i stayed in there a while...if it had been warmer, i would've sat down and meditated for a while...as it was, if i had done that, my butt might very well have frozen completely...the guy watching over the room noticed that i was cold, and told me about a vegetarian restaurant in the complex, and said i should go there to warm up...no, he didn't do the talking in english, but through his motions i figured out that was what he was saying, as i remembered seeing the signs for the restaurant in another area...i love nice people...

 i loved the blue sky with this pagoda...and it's height...

 there was a monk walking around and around the base of this pagoda...i wonder how many times he walked around? he was chanting to himself the whole time...how many times a day does he walk?

 another entrance to the ice sculpture section...

 who doesn't love winnie? and piglet, of course!!

 where were all the vendors? there were tons of nuts available...just down the street from this set of stalls was an area where couples were dancing...ballroom style...there was traditional chinese music being played, and it was really sweet to watch them dance...mind you, it's absolutely freezing outside, and yet everyone looked like they were having a great time...there even a few solo dancers...

 as i took this photo, the temperature was -25C...somehow, the palm trees were just the teensiest bit out of place...hee hee...on the other hand, i spent each night in a cozy warm hotel room, so the cold never seemed so bad...i hope everyone who lives there has a warm place to live...