Day 290 (October 28, 2006)Sometime in the morning I started the process of becoming conscious again. Which usually only lasted for a few minutes before I headed back into dreamland. Then again I would feel alive for a couple minutes then fall back asleep. During this period our Chinese friend woke up early to get off the train. He of course had to do his early morning stretching in our tiny compartment. He was banging my bed and annoying everyone in the cabin. Eventually the train stopped and he scurried about trying to get his entire luggage off the train. It took four people to get it on the train so he must have had to make about four trips to get it all off.
Around 10:00 we headed to the dinning cart to meet up with Tom. We had to pass through four other carts to get there and the cool thing was it was a new dining cart. It was funny how they change the cart in the night. The new dining cart was much uglier. Ana and I split a Sprite for breakfast since the Chinese breakfast really sucks. We were back in China that was for sure. I tell you fish or fried spinach in the morning just doesn’t sound appetizing.
The train continued bouncing past the countryside which had now become much more fertile with tons of corn farms and peasant people tending them. It’s really sad to see an old guy plowing a few acre fields with just a hoe. But that’s how many of them do it. I think life for the majority of the Chinese people must be really tough.
We did at one point pass some of the Great Wall and it was nice to see snacking through the mountains. Looking at the wall I can’t stop from thinking what a crazy and simple idea. It was good to see the wall one last time.
Around 3:30pm we finally arrived in Beijing train station. The trip was a little over 30 hours and really nice to get off the train. We met and said good-bye to Tom. It was great traveling with him and sad to see him go. It always feels lonely for a little bit after we leave someone and it’s back to just me and Ana.
We caught a taxi to the hostel and checked in. It was nice to see Apple and to be so familiar with a place. We headed directly to the barber and I got my hair cut by the same guy who had cut my hair a month before. He did a great job and Ana was next in line to get her hair cut. I went back to the hostel to take a shower. When Ana got back her hair was looking pretty short. Ana didn’t like her hair cut but I didn’t mind it. I of course joked with her calling her Mr. and stuff like that.
After knocking the Gobi Desert dust off our bodies we headed directly to our favorite restaurant that served wonderful Peking duck. Man the duck was great and the two large beers helped to set us in ultra chill mode. After duck we had to visit Mr. Donald and have an ice-cream. With our stomachs satisfied we decided it was time for a massage. We headed to the local massage parlor and jumped on the couches for a one hour full body massage. We were assigned a couple girls and we both were happy about that since last time we had two guys and they were pretty rough. Especially to Ana who ended up with a bruise on her lower back.
Too my surprise those little four foot tall girls had strong little hands. Overall the massage was pretty nice but at points it was painful. They would take there little Chinese fingers and dig them into your back or leg and grind them back and forth. I think they were trying to loosen up the muscles but all it did was hurt. In the end I was left with the mixed feeling of whether I enjoyed the massage or not.
We paid and headed back to the hostel to chill and eventually migrate to our beds where the clean white sheets and comfy blankets were waiting. It took me about .002145666485 seconds to fall asleep.
Day 291 (October 29, 2006) We woke up pretty early that morning since we wanted to get some stuff done before we caught another overnight train that night to Shanghai. It took a while for me to say good-bye to my bed but eventually with tears in my eyes we parted and we put our bags in storage.
We took a taxi to a local market called the “Silk Market”. We wanted to buy a backpack for a present to give to Vanessa. When we got there the place looked like a huge eight story mall filled with different floors of everything you could imagine. We headed to the floor with all the backpacks and eventually after some really aggressive vendors we found a backpack for Vanessa.
We started to head out and Ana said she wanted to look at some more of the purses. I told her that we had allot to do and needed to head out. By the way if she bought the purses she would have to carry them for the next month. She started to throw a little fit. I started getting mad with her and said ok let’s meet at the café in half an hour. She then told me she didn’t want to look anymore. I just left her at that point and told her I would see her in half an hour. I was getting pretty pissed and just needed some time to myself. I headed to the craft area of the market and sure enough about five minutes later she came up and apologized for being so moody. She didn’t really want to look at the purses she was just madder that I was telling her we had to leave and she didn’t feel like she had control. We kissed and made up and after a while we headed back to the hostel.
We found a Starbucks right outside of the mall and it was really nice. Man I forgot how great Frappachino’s can taste. Man that was wonderful and reminded me why Starbucks is about to take over the world.
We took the metro back to the hostel and while walking back we tried to find the place where Ana had got a facial before. But to our surprise it was closed down. One thing that was really interesting about the area is that it seemed to change by the minute. We had only been gone to Mongolia for three weeks and there were at least about ten new shops open on the street we were staying. In fact it looked so different we were getting confused on where the stores were that we had religiously went to in the past. Really weird and in the end Ana wasn’t too happy that she wasn’t going to be able to get another facial.
We ate lunch at a really good place near by called “Drum and Fusion Cuisine”. The food was good and it actually was nice to be eating Chinese food again. It felt lighter and it all tasted more similar than the food in Mongolia. Mongolian food was nice but the range was much larger and the majority of the food was really bad. There were some Mongolian dishes that were great but most of them were pretty rough. Chinese on the other hand usually taste similar and there are not that many bad dishes. The only problem with Chinese is it all tastes the similar so there is no sense of variety.
After lunch we watched some of the bands and things happening on our street. They were holding a cultural parade on the street so there were a bunch of little vendors and people. The bands were the coolest and it was really fun to watch them all play Chinese songs with weird instruments I’ve never even seen before. Pretty cool.
Around 5:00 pm we grabbed a local taxi to the train station and got in line with all the other crazy Chinese. The gates opened around 7:00 and the charge was on. Luckily we were near the front and were able to make it to our cart pretty painlessly. I don’t know what it is about being in China now but for some reason I’m starting to not be so bothered by all the people and crowds. I never thought I would say that but getting shoved around and pushing and fighting just seems like everyday now. Before I would be really frustrated but now I can be cool in a huge snarl of people. Weird but kind of cool.
We got on the train and put our bags under our beds. The train looked nicer than other trains we had taken and I was pretty impressed at how clean and nice it looked. Of course the people eventually filled the cart and it was a mess. But overall not that bad.
The bunks were stacked three high and we were assigned the bottom bunks. I was a little worried about this since it seems common place to assume the bottom bed is a seat for anyone and not really the person’s bed. So to try and keep people from sitting on my bed I laid down and stretched out. But to my surprise my feet did nothing to detour them. They simply pushed my legs a little and sat down. The first guy was really funny and I looked at him like “what are you doing” he just ignored me and stayed there looking at the wall like a sack of potatoes. I don’t know how to deal with these people. I can’t tell if they know what they are doing or are just really dumb. Whatever. I decided just to let him have the space and not to get too worked up. He left after about ten minutes.
After the first guy left I decided I needed to make sure it was obvious I was on the bed and put my feet all the way to the edge. Of course that did nothing and the guy simple moved my feet and sat down. I told him “What are you doing and put my hand out”. He looked at me and shook my hand that was out. It was so funny and Ana started laughing. I couldn’t be pissed at him since he was so nerdy. I couldn’t believe his reaction. He continued to sit there and mess with his phone. I had to just laugh and say man I need some barbwire and landmines to stop these people from sitting on my bed. I keep hoping that I would have to pass some warm air that I had swallowed earlier in the day. Man that would be so cool just to let one rip right on them and don’t even look or move at all. Just keep staring at the wall like they do. I’ll bet though they wouldn’t even care. They would probably just keep staring at the wall.
Eventually I laid down to eat another bag of wonderful pistachios with my new bunk mate by my side. We’ve been eating tons of pistachios since we hit China since they are so cheap. It’s really nice and I love to just sit there like a little squirrel and crack open the shells and eat the centers.
Eventually the lights in the train all went off around 10:00pm and everyone turned into bed. I love that about the trains. A couple people stayed up talking which was annoying but they only lasted about an hour before they were quiet. I drifted off to sleep really easily to my surprise.
Day 292 (October 30, 2006)I woke up sometime around 6:00am in the morning after a really good nights sleep. In fact I actually sleep as good as if I was in the bed in the hostel. I was really surprised at this and it was a nice break from the normal restless sleep you get on trains. Ana sleep the same way and I don’t exactly know why we slept so well but we did. We were both getting pretty excited to see Vanessa and we only had a bus and one taxi to go.
After getting off the train we walked to the local bus station and got a bus to the city where Vanessa was living. The bus ride took about 1.5 hours and went through some pretty country. Allot of construction but there was allot of pools of water and it seemed almost like the area was swamp land they had reclaimed.
Eventually we made it to the city and caught a local taxi to Vanessa’s school. It was great to meet up with Vanessa and we headed to her room where we would be living for the next week or so. The school seemed really nice as well as her room.
We hung out for most of the day and that evening we went downtown to eat some dinner. We found a good little Chinese place. We had been told by other travelers that the south of China has better food and that was true at this place. They had great spring roles.
After dinner we headed to the local store to buy some DVD’s. Since they were only one US dollar I proceeded to buy quite a few. After loading up on DVD’s we headed to the local electronics store to buy Vanessa some speakers for here computer. That way we could all enjoy the movies with good sound.
When we got back to Vanessa’s room we laid out some blankets on the floor and watched the movies we had bought. It was great just to chill and watch movies. Man I miss that.
About two minutes into the movie the Caldera sisters passed out and I was left to watch movies by myself. It was a nice night and I also fell asleep eventually.
Day 293 - 307 (Time with Vanessa)Since the next two weeks were spend not really doing much and just spending time with my sister in law I decided not to hash out everyday and what we did. The few things below are what we did in different combinations while we were there.
Spend time with Vanessa:
This of course was the main goal of coming visiting. It was great to just hang out and joke around. We always love time to recharge our heart and we had a wonderful time with Mani.
Watch movies:During the two weeks we were here I think I caught up on all the movie watching I had missed out on during the year. There were dollar movies down the street and we bought a pile of them. We also got some better speakers for the computer which turned it into a great little movie theatre.
Eat at local restaurantsAt least once maybe twice a day we would walk to local small Chinese restaurants to eat. There was one that became our favorite and served up a mean Kung Pao Chicken. Then there was the one across the street from this place that had great noodles and a beef dish with onions. The amazing thing about this place was the noodles were all made by hand. Even the small noodles that were Top Ramon sized! I didn’t think it was even possible. But they would mess with the dough for a little bit then eventually stretch the dough and half it, then stretch it and half it again, and after about eight times of doing that they had a handful of small noodles. It was really amazing! There was also a restaurant that we really enjoyed that was farther away. There food was really light and of course there was a local Pizza place in town where we could mix things up.
SleepWe definitely caught up on our sleep during this time and I think most days I stayed in my bed on the floor till sometime around 10:00. I felt a little like a bum but it was nice.
Visit local town We did take the bus one weekend to a local city to see one of the gardens On the way there we sat in front of a snoring bear. Throwing small spit balls helped a little to shut him up. Once there we walked around and saw the large leaning Pagoda at the top of the hill. The park was a little crowded but really nice. At night we went into town and got in an argument with the guy taking us there. He was trying to rip us off and we ended up leaving him with only five yean. That was plenty and that situation pissed me off. But after a Mc Donald’s dinner and ice-cream I was feeling better. The trip back home went smooth even though we though we might miss our bus.
Day 308 (After left Vanne)Woke up and spent what was left of the morning with Vanessa. Both Ana and Vanessa were looking pretty sad but when it came time to leave they did great and neither of them cried. I was surprised to see that since it felt like we were leaving Vanessa in the middle of nowhere.
Being back on the road without Vanessa felt empty and sad again. It was Ana and I again and that always feels funny at first. We were back in the middle of the “Bing Ching Ming Ding A Ling Khung King” and I wasn’t really excited about that. I must say China is getting on my last nerves and I cant wait till its disappearing into the distance from the plane window.
The bus ride to Shanghai was pretty smooth. The HUGE complexes of homes on the outskirts of town were amazing. There were millions of them reaching into the sky and they seemed to never end. People were everywhere and they all lived right on top of each other. What a massive city.
At the bus station we decided to get a taxi to the hostel. I was getting tired of dealing with the people and just wanted to get to the hostel. The ride turned out to be interesting. Trying to explain where we needed to go was the usual pain in the ass. But what was different this time was that on the way into the town the taxi guy used a device in his car to call and find out directions to where we wanted to go. I was really impressed and that was really advanced. The taxi even had flat screen TVs on the back. It was looking like civilization. Could that actually be the case?
The hostel turned out to be pretty nice and located right next to the “Bund” which was the cool part of town right on the edge of the river. We dropped out bags off and headed out for a little walk to see the city and use up what was left of the day.
The view on the “Bund” was amazing. You got a great view of the city across the bay which was the full of futuristic shaped buildings light up like Vegas. It was really nice to see and was the view you always see in postcards or books. The river was really wide and there were a TON of ships floating down it. I have actually never seen that many ships in a confined area. It was amazing. They were everywhere. It was like rush hour traffic in the States. They were all far enough apart not to hit each other and that was it. It was really amazing to see and the one boat that really caught my attention was the boat with a massive screen on it running ads as it floated by. The screen must have been about one hundred feet long and thirty feet wide. It was huge and light up all the water around it. Crazy Chinese.
The weather was nice that night and the annoying vendors were out in full force. But unlike many parts of China they were particularly pushy and annoying. I was getting really frustrated with them and it was hard to enjoy the night since they were all over you whether you were walking around or sitting down. There was no way to get rid of them. If you wanted to be there you had to constantly bat them off.
Ana’s stomach was getting upset when we started to look for dinner. The places around town looked pretty rough and smelled just as good. Of course there were some nicer fancy places but they were out of our budget. So in the end we headed to old Mickey’s to have one more of there mouth watering and belt busting burgers. At least it was cheap and we knew what the grease tasted like.
After dinner we headed to the top terrace bar in our building to have a drink and enjoy the view of the city across the river. It was a great view and we both sipped our weird watery tasting Corona’s as we soaked in the view. It was beautiful and after I drank the last sip of my knock off fake Corona we headed to the local little store to get some local beer that tasted better and was way the hell cheaper. We drank those two large beers in the hallway of our hostel. The view wasn’t as nice but the beer was way better.
After a few large beers I was starting to feel a little better. As I sat there on the dirty floor in the hallway I started to come up with a formula. It was a moment very similar to Newton having an apple drop on his head. The equation that began to formulate in my head was “beer = surviving China”. Could it be that simple?
I went to bed with my head spinning. Had I discovered a way to survive China? Could it be that easy? I was going to drink my breakfast the next morning and test my theory again.
Day 309We got up in the morning and I slammed a few tall cans and we headed out to see Reminam Park. There was a museum and it would give us a chance to see some more of the city and its five trillion “chicken feet eatin” people.
The walk to the museum was a battle. Vendors were coming at us left and right will the same lines. There were selling fake DVD’s, fake purses, or they were students wanting to practice there English (The old Tea scam). We were getting pretty good at ignoring them but after about seventy of them it was getting to be too much and I was getting pretty rude. I had a few of them cussing at me. I don’t know what they were saying since it all sounded like Chinese to me. I’m sure it was something about my mom or my family name.
Once we were in the museum I was glad we gone through all we had to get there. The museum sucked and it was a nice cherry on top of the huge shit pie we had been eating since we got there. The collection of antiques consisted of small jade artifacts, pots, or scroll paintings. I don’t think anything in the entire collection took over a day to make. There history really sucks and shows how they really have no great sense of creativity or the desire to build great things. If you go to any other part of the world like Egypt, Mexico, Europe, etc. you will find at least a sense that people thought and spent time building things. Maybe I’m being hard on China but it just seems like they build and live like the products we receive in the States. Everything is cheap, built fast, and disposable. But I guess that’s there culture. That’s how there different.
After a sucky museum experience Ana and I walked all over the place to find a really bad lunch at a local place. Now we had two cherries on top of our shit pie. I was pretty much done and we headed back to the hostel to hang out for a little while.
In the evening we headed out to the Bund to walk a little more and be pestered by vendors. They were really aggressive and dirty. I didn’t like the people in Shanghai. They seemed more dirty, foul, and aggressive compared to other parts of China. We had been warned by Tom that the people were different and he was right.
We found a little place crowded with locals and ordered an expensive chicken dish with rice. The food of course sucked and another cherry was added to the pie we were eating. I hate the way they serve the chicken. They will take a drumstick and chop it into about ten small pieces. So when you try and eat the chicken everything had tiny pieces of bone in it and hardly any meat. Yum.
Ana couldn’t take it and we had to stop off at good old crowded and loud Mickey’s to get her some nuggets. We were lucky to find a seat to sit down and we didn’t talk much since it was hard to hear each other. We were both feeling pretty off and just tired of all that we had to deal with. China is bleeding us to death.
After dinner I went to get my Chinese spinach at the local market – beer. After six tall bottles of beer we were both feeling pretty good. The hallway floor was feeling pretty soft and the two bags of peanuts we ate tasted normal. We had a great time and it was really fun just to get sloppy drunk with Ana.
Later that night the bed found me and I slept like a champ.
Day 310We woke up late giving our bodies plenty of time to filter out the toxins. This was the day for buying our pirated DVD’s. We had been recommended a place from a local and we were headed there to do some damage. After allot of walking, train transfers, and headache’s we found the place. But of course it was closed. There was another branch of the same place open on the other side of the city. Luckily though another woman arrived and was in the same position we were. She offered us a ride with her and her driver to the other store. Man we scored a free ride. It was great and the lady was really nice and was from Oregon. Her husband was working in town and she was out to buy a couple CD’s.
The DVD store ended up being pretty cool and we got a bunch of movies. On our way out we were asking where the local train station was. They said it was really far away but that the guy was leaving and would give us a ride to the local station. That was really nice of them and sure enough we got our second free ride of the day. Man I wish I knew how to play there lottery. We were for sure going to win with the luck we were having.
Once we got to the station we headed out to the end of the red line. That was where we could catch our train to the airport. We didn’t need to go to the airport. We didn’t even have any plane tickets so why were we going there? But of course to ride the new Maglev train. It was incredible and we had to go on it. It was the cutting edge of train design and reached supersonic speeds. Of course Ana wasn’t that excited but I dragged her along anyways. I told her trust me it will be cool. Any train that can go that fast would be cool.
We got to the station and bought our tickets and jumped aboard the train. It was allot like getting on a ride since so many people seemed to be like us and just on the train for fun and not actually to get to the airport.
We sat down and waited for the ride to begin. The train track wasn’t a normal track. It looked like a large rectangle with flat magnets on the edges. It was really cool looking and the train hugged the track. Once the doors shut you could feel the train lift off the track when they flipped the switch on the magnets. It felt a little organic the way the train moved and we began to take off. The pull in your seat was pretty strong and very consistent. There was a speedometer in the train cabin and we all watched it as it began to build speed. 100k….200k…300k… the train was flying. It was really amazing. I’ve never been that fast in anything on the ground. Things were flying by at lightning speed.
The train continued to put us in our seats. The pressure was just enough to be uncomfortable and leave a weird feeling in the pit of my stomach. Sure enough the train reached it’s maximum speed of 431kph. It was amazing we were going 267mph in a train. The fastest I had been before that was about 135 in my car. This train was going twice as fast as that.
Ana was pretty excited even though her stomach and overall feelings were off. I was feeling the same way as well. I’m pretty sure we were feeling that way because the cabin wasn’t pressurized. In a plane I never feel like that and was going way faster.
At one point everyone jumped when the other train passing in the opposite direction passed. The percussion on the side of the train sounded like it had just blown up. It was pretty funny and caught us all by surprise. The train past our train in less than a second. All you could see was a blur but you could really hear it and see the windows shake. Really amazing.
After eight minutes the ride was over and we were at the airport. Our friend Tom had drove to the airport by taxi and he said it took him over an hour on the crowded streets. But we were there in eight minutes. Pretty cool.
Getting off was nice and we both needed a little break before we got back on the next train. My head and stomach were a little upset. It was a weird sensation. I wouldn’t want to ride that train more than half an hour that’s for sure.
After a coke and some deep fried “thang-a-mabobs” we got back on the train and headed back to the city. The ride back didn’t seem as bad on my stomach but it was still uncomfortable. Ana was pretty excited about the train trip even though I had to drag her onto it.
When we got back into town we got off on the other side of the river and walked around for a bit. It was night and the buildings were really amazing. China builds such monstrous buildings. The scale is always impressive. Got to hand it to them on the buildings.
Dinner consisted of a cone from Mickey’s and a couple bottles of spinach. Ahhhhh they go down sweat and drowned out the “Ming Ching King Ding” shrieking sounds of the city. Perfect end to a day in China.
Day 311We got up early to get packed and eat breakfast at the local Mc D’s. We needed a solid meal before our twenty seven hour train ride to the south of China. You need energy to survive a trip like that. Oh man I wasn’t looking forward to twenty seven hours in a tiny train cart with hundreds of dumb blank starring Chinese eyes on me. Oh the joy that was in store for me.
Breakfast was really solid and we both were really happy after that. It was the first time we had eaten breakfast at Mc Donald’s and we were really excited. I don’t know why we didn’t think of it before but we hadn’t? Breakfast at Mc Donald’s hasn’t tasted that good to me since I was a kid.
The weather was a little rainy and it made it a pain in the ass getting to the train station. We had to walk about a mile then take a local train and transfer once just to get to the station. That is fun with six million other Chinese on the trains and us with our massive pacts and crap in our arms. But we finally made it to the station.
Getting on the train was the usual fun. We sat there in the station with at least fifty people staring at us with a dumb dead looks on their faces. Then there was a dirty old guy right across from us with his hands in his pants scratching himself. After about five minutes he noticed we were watching and laughing at him and finally stopped. Man I tell you Chinese are gross people. Add some peeing babies, and hawking and spitting and were right in the dead of Chinese hell.
The train gates opened and we made our mad dash to the train cart. After taking out a couple kids and old ladies we made it to our bunks. We settled in and tried to ignore the people starring at us. I was getting pretty upset and just tired of the shit. This country has pushed me more than any other country in the world. You just can’t escape it. It’s everywhere! It is impossible to get away and I was starting to crack under the pressure.
At one point Ana and I went to find a center cart where I could just not hear or see anymore Chinese. I just needed a couple minutes alone with no one starring, talking, spitting, or slurping their food. It was nice and gave me a chance to just chill.
Eventually we went to the dinner cart and sat there for a while. At least there were only about five people starring at us in there. The dinner cart seemed to weed out most of the dirty poor people since it was expensive for them. That was nice and we ended up spending a few hours in there till the lights were out in the cart and people were sleeping.
After a few hours we decided it was time to brave the Chinese seas again and we headed back to our bunks. On the way through I noticed I had a little pressure built up in my stomach. I decided to do a drive by. I wanted some pay back and this was my chance. All is fair in love, war, and China. The thunder from down under was released as I walked by a few beds. I got a little “Arrruawaaah” from one of the guys which I was surprised by. Usually they don’t say anything. It was pretty funny and I feel asleep in my little hard two foot wide bunk with a grin on my face.
Day 312I sleep pretty good and tried my hardest to stay in bed facing the wall as long as I could. But at about 6:30 they started cranking the Chinese radio. Soon after that the shrieking talking started, and the kid next to us started screaming and acting like a spoiled brat. I tried my hardest to stay asleep till around 11:00 because I knew as soon as I opened my eyes I would see at least two people starring at me. Sure enough I rolled over and there they were. It was a sign I was still in hell.
I was so tired of the people I was about to get up walk to the door and jump off the train. Help me God – Help me to make it through these tough times. I know I said I would never ask for another favor again the last time I signing “I have friends in looooooooow places” to the toilet bowl. But this time I’m for real. Help me through this and I’ll never ask for help again. Por favor - have mercy.
I think God heard my prayers since somehow I was able to survive the trip. We hid out in the expensive sleeper carts, and had pot noodles for lunch. Then sure enough we arrived in the city and I hadn’t yet jumped off the train. Ana stopped me one time but that didn’t really count.
It was 4:00 in the evening when we arrived in the city and we grabbed a local bus to the hostel. The hostel was like heaven. It was clean and the city in general felt really chill. I couldn’t believe we were still in China. I was so happy. It was like a dream.
We dropped our bags off in the room and headed out to walk around the town. It was crowded but seemed more civilized. It was clean and it didn’t seem like many people were spitting or picking their noses.
At night we walked around and it started to rain a little. It was really beautiful near the lake. There was a really nice garden and lights. There were also to really beautiful Pagoda’s on the edge of the lake. They made the setting really magical and I was starting to feel more human and relaxed. Man the last few days has been tough and it was wonderful to be there.
In the downtown they had a bunch of stalls set up with people selling different goods. We dodged the rain and in the end bough a bunch of Christmas presents. It was time to start shopping and getting stuff to take home.
That night we stayed up late and tried to call about getting our tickets. It’s a HUGE pain in the ass in China since we were about exactly on the opposite schedule of the States. Our days were pretty much there nights. In the end I wasn’t able to call and I was pretty pissed about that. I had stayed up till 1:00am in the morning to make the call for nothing. Damn it.
I went to bed pretty pissed and tired of dealing with problems like that. Can’t anything just work! It feels like all we do is deal with problems. Oh well life of the road.
Day 313Ana woke up at 5:00am to go try to make the call to Kristina our airline ticket broker. She had to wake up the receptionist and connect the internet to do it and in the end Kristina was bitchy and unhelpful. Man I hate that we have to put so much energy into something so simple. What a waste of time. Arrrrrrrrggggghhhh. That’s the furious pirate noise I make when I’m mad.
I read in the book we have that there is a small craft village right next to the last bus stop on the 231 bus. So of course we went to the last bus stop and got off. Sure enough we were there all alone with the sounds of crickets in the background. Arrrrrrrrggggghhhh.
We ended up walking for about an hour and asking countless people that couldn’t speak English. In the end we got a taxi and told her we wanted to go to the market. We had someone write down the market in Chinese for us. But of course she turned the car around and headed back to town. In the end we got dropped off at a mall right next to our hostel. We had done a big circle and got nothing out of it. That trip was such a great explanation of how China works. You spend hours doing nothing and all you have to show for it is an empty pocket and a mad look on your face. Oh China, China, China.
Since we were at the mall we decided to make the best of it and at least see what they had inside. The mall was packed with vendors all selling the same things. Knock off purses and clothing that would fit on a little boy or girl. It didn’t take long to see there was nothing in that five story pile of junk we wanted so we headed back to the hostel for a little mid day nap. We were tired from the last two bad nights of sleep.
In the evening we hit the city again to try and do some more shopping. The rain was off and on and it made it a little tough to get around and see the stores. I wasn’t super excited about what products they seemed to offer as well so we didn’t end up getting too many things.
The last part of the night consisted of me smiling with a cold beer in my hand and watching TV. The movie was appraise for China – Silence of the Lambs.
After that soothing movie we headed upstairs too count a few sheep’s. Or were they lambs? …..Boo!!
Day 314We woke up early that morning to get online and buy our plane tickets to Bangkok and we were headed to another town that day. After getting the tickets we headed to old Mickey’s to get some more delicious breakfast. But this time it wasn’t so amazing this time. I think the power of China had finally gotten into the only sacred thing left – Mc Donald’s. It was a sad moment to experience because at that moment we knew there was no escaping the black hole gravity of China. I don’t even think light can escape China’s wrath.
We headed back to the hostel with a blank sad stare on our faces and packed our bags. We headed to the station and began our lovely journey to Pingain and the rice terrace fields.
Of course the ride was interesting as usual. The final bus included lots of locals, lumber and even a washing machine. But the view was nice and the rice fields were really magical. The buildings had also begun to change and were more like I had imagined them to be all over the country. They were large and built out of really dark brown wood. They were old looking and you could tell they had been handed down for generations. Really magical and for a moment it felt like all the crap we had been through might have been worth it. That lasted a microsecond though.
As soon as we got to our stop the door opened and a crowd of people ran for the door. Of course there was a washing machine just inside the door and no one wanted to move it. The people outside of course didn’t want to wait for us to get out or move the machine and they started coming in the bus. That really started to piss me off so I grabbed my pack and took out about three of them on the way out. They were about half my weight and I smashed one of them pretty hard against the door on the way out. Idiots. I cleared the way and Ana jumped over the washing machine and made it out as well. Oh China, China, China.
Of course it started to rain when we got out and we had to take a few minutes to reorganize our bags so that nothing important got wet. During that time we were hounded by female touts wanted to take our bags up the hill in their wicker baskets on their backs. We had made friends with another couple traveling on the same bus. We decided to head up the hill with them and see if we could find a nice place to stay.
We hired a short strong lady to carry Ana’s pack up the hill. We both felt bad but Ana wasn’t feeling totally well and this was a good way to support the local community. Our walk up the hill was really magical. We were walking through an old village built on the edge of mountains. They had transformed the hills around them into terraces so they could grow rice. We could only see small amounts of the terraces since the sky was really foggy. Still walking up the small path through different old Chinese houses was really magical. I was starting to feel like we were in a place that wasn’t a massive city. It had culture and history and you could see it and smell it. It was great and I was starting to get excited about traveling again. This was what I wanted to see in China not the massive cities.
Eventually we negotiated a four dollar rate for the room in a nice little place. No other tourists were there and it was really old and magical. I loved this little town and it was the first place I really was enjoying in China.
We had dinner downstairs with our Australian friends Ricky and Lisa. It was great talking with them and they were good people. After decrypting the English on the menu we ordered fried spinach with tomato and egg. The dinner was spectacular and the vegetables were really fresh and I think grown on the hillsides outside. I had to slow down eating so fast when my wooden chop sticks started to smoke.
With a full belly we all sat around the table and talked and listened to the rain and thunder outside. Ah it was magical. The smell of the old wooden house and the sound of the rain outside. Really magical and I was so happy. Finally a memory I can treasure from this country.
Eventually the lightning cut the power and we had to use candles the rest of the night. That though even added more magic to the place. It was like we had stepped back in time a few hundred years ago and was living like the locals did. Really “Killer Bro”.
I feel asleep easily that night because I knew the next morning I wasn’t going to wake up in a Chinese version of hell.
Day 315The night turned out to be pretty cold but I slept well. Ana was feeling a little sick in the morning so I let her hang out in the room while I went to explore some of the small rock trails around the village. It was really nice just to wander and get lost in the little villages around the area. The fog was thick and it created a magical movie like feeling to the villages. It was quiet and the noises of the town were muffled by the fog.
I ended up walking and exploring the city for about an hour. It was so nice just to get lost and find new little people and houses along the mountain sides. I’m really going to miss this sense of adventure. It made my heart a little sad to think I was getting near to the end of our trip. I so love adventure and new things. It makes my soul feel alive and makes me feel like I’m living life to the fullest. It’s so important for me to feel like I’ve lived life to the fullest. There is nothing sadder than me imagining myself at the end of life feeling like I didn’t take advantage of life and live it to the fullest. I’m for sure more afraid of that than I am of dying.
Feeling more energized and more loving towards the crazy Chinese people I headed back to the hotel to see how Ana was feeling. I got her an ice tea from the local store and that made her feel a little better. She loves that tea.
For lunch we had the same food as we had the previous night – fried spinach and tomato and egg. We didn’t want to take a chance on getting something bad. Although the food was the same as before it was still great.
Around 2:00 we headed out to go to the terrace viewpoint number one. The walk was really nice but unfortunately the fog was so thick we couldn’t see anything. The walk kind of sucked but at least the walk was really nice and the village was really chill with hardly any other tourist.
On our way up to the viewpoint number two the fog opened up for about twenty minutes and we got a chance to see the terraces below. It was really magical and an amazing feat to accomplish with no machines. It was a great moment.
It was starting to get dark when we reached the viewpoint so we pretty much turned around and headed back to the village below.
On our way back we saw a small graveyard build on the side of the mountain. It was a old terraced graveyard and really interesting to see. They must have lived their entire lives in these mountains. They knew built and knew these terraces so well. And in the end they were buried in the terraces. What a life. So different from my life.
The evening consisted of eating dinner and heading off to bed early. It was pretty cold so we were all ready to get under the covers and warm up. It was a nice day.
Day 316It rained all night and I woke up hoping the weather would clear enough for us to get another view of the terraces. We hiked back up to viewpoint number one but no luck. It was just another nice hike with no cloud clearing. Oh well. We headed back to have breakfast and head out to the next town.
We caught the 11:00am bus in the morning and arrived in Yangshou around 4:00 that night. Not bad for three different bus transfers.
When we hit town we headed to a local place that was recommended to us by some other people. It ended up sucking and I was too tired to find another place. Damn I hate that. It was expensive, smelled, and the room wasn’t really clean. I made my mad pirate sound at the end of that day.
After resting for a little bit we headed out to see the town. We were able to drop our laundry off at a local place and ate dinner at a place that supposedly had the best burritos in China. I think I was able to prove that claim since I was actually able to eat the whole thing without yakking.
The environment seemed to be really beautiful. The mountains were draped around the city like you see in painting. That was really magical and something I had to see while I was in China. I’ve always wanted to see those kinds of mountains. Another check off the list of things I need to do before I die.
The environment was really magical but the city itself kind of sucked. It was loud, ugly in areas, and packed to the brim with tourist. Oh well we were only going to be there one day and that was enough for me.
Ana and I stayed up till 2:00am to try and call about the tickets AGAIN! We were lucky this time and she was able to get our ticket agent and purchase our other plane tickets to Panama. It was nice to finally have that done and we were both relieved. Man what a mission just to get some tickets.
We crashed pretty hard after that.
Day 317We work up early after a short nights sleep to move our hotel and to catch our boat ride. I was pretty excited about the boat ride so it made getting up after only a few hours sleep much easier.
Our guide met us at the hotel and we headed down to the water bank to get our boat. He swung the massive boat around and we jumped on. It was a HUGE boat just for us and we would have invited some other people had we known that. But oh well we had a private massive boat. Pretty cool.
The next couple of hours consisted of us floating down the river watching the beautiful mountains pass by. They were really magical and I was so at peace. Ana and I got in a little cat fight towards the end but it didn’t damper the trip too much. Man she is always picking fights with me. I never do anything. I’m just the victim.
After the amazing boat ride we headed back to town and had some a western style breakfast. It was a gamble but it turned out to be really great. They had bacon that even tasted like bacon. That was a miracle in itself. Man we were getting lucky in China the last few days. What a great way to end the trip.
Most of the rest of the day we spent wandering around and doing a little shopping. We were pretty much burning time. The city didn’t have a ton to offer.
In the night we decided to get lost in the backstreets and see if we could find a little out of the way bar to have some beers. Sure enough we came along a nice little area filled with backpackers and it had a nice vibe to it. After a few fifty cent beers we were feeling pretty good and headed back to the hotel.
Ana found a little bar playing Latin music and had to go inside. Once inside it was a little awkward since we were the only white tourist in there. Ana was pretty buzzed and couldn’t contain her Latin feet. She jumped on the dance floor and tore it up with some other goofy Chinese. They all looked pretty funny but they seemed to be having a good time.
After a couple songs the dorky Chinese men were bothering Ana and we headed out. Falling asleep was as simple as going from the vertical position to the horizontal position.
Day 318We woke up early feeling a little of the effects of the previous night. But overall we were doing pretty good. We packed up and caught our bus back to the town of Gillan. The ride was pretty painless even though we got the slow local bus and there were a couple verbal fights over price.
Once in Gillan we headed to the post office to mail my DVD’s home. They were pretty cool about me mailing them and didn’t really say anything. I mailed half there and planed on mailing the other half in Hong Kong later. That would give me better chances of getting them home. I didn’t want to take them in my luggage.
After mailing the contraband we headed to a local place to get my hair cut. They all laughed when I came in and keep looking at me all through the process. But in the end I got a pretty nice hair cut and it was only four bucks. The great thing about the haircut was also that they massaged my head for about twenty minutes before the haircut. Ana was jealous about that.
After the hair cut we ate dinner and did a little last minute shopping. At this point in the adventure my smile started to turn to a frown. I was now within hours of an overnight bus trip to the next town. The idea of an overnight bus trip was a good one. I haven’t seen any bus like that in the rest of the world. That was what worried me. I think there was a really good reason they were the only country with overnight busses. I was sure that night was going to suck and I was trying to prepare myself for it.
At nightfall we were escorted to the bus station by a “guide” who turned out to be a scam and cost us a little money. But I tried to shrug it off and save my strength for the bus ride.
Sure enough the moment I stepped on the bus I realized why an overnight sleeper bus was a bad idea. It was latterly a joke how tight the beds were to each other. In the width of one bus they had crammed two walkways and 3 beds. Front to back there were people and shit all over the place. I thought Ana was for sure going to get claustrophobic in there. She took the seat next to the window and I got the middle row. I was back in Chinese hell and was so not looking forward to the next twelve hours.
Day 319This day started early at 12:01am with me trying to fit my body in the little compartment they called a bed. Basically it was like a really reclined seat and not a bed. The back of my head hit the metal bars behind me and my feet were jammed into a metal pod around my legs. The mid part of my legs was crammed against the metal bar as well. There was a mother and young baby to the right of me to top things off. FUCK. FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK…..FUCK…..FUCKER FUCK.
I can’t tell you how much the ride sucked. I don’t even want to go into more detail cause I’m getting all fired up again just talking about it. In the end I really didn’t sleep at all. I ended up with bruises on different parts of my body and my back and neck were really sore. The suspension of the bus sucked and we were of course right over the back tires which amplified things. I could feel my intestines and spleen bouncing all over the place all night. It actually hurt my insides and my back. I was in such a bad position.
Ok that’s all I’m going to complain. I just have one note for the three foot tall Chinese guys that invented that bus – F your mama.
Finally sometime around mid morning it was time to get off the bus designed by satin. I was in a pretty bad mood and eventually after some cussing we found the bus we needed to take to get too our hostel.
Of course we couldn’t find our hostel and walked all over hell with our packs and tons of shit in our hands. It was hot and I used every cuss work in English and Spanish at least twice. Finally we found the place. We had walked past it twice. Oh China, China, China.
To top things off we didn’t have enough money and had to go on a goose hut for a bank that would give us money. Luckily we found one without too much trouble. Thank Confucius.
We were both pretty tired but only took an hour nap so that we had time to go to the famous border town shopping area. Supposedly this was the area all of Hong Kong came to do cheap shopping in China.
Getting up after the nap was pretty tough but we did it. It was hard to get up but finally we did and took the train to the shopping area. The shopping area turned out to be six stories of crazy Chinese selling all kinds of ripped off products. We were there to try and get some of our Christmas shopping done.
The vendors turned out to be really aggressive and it didn’t take long for them to drive Ana nuts. They were constantly yelling at you and grabbing your arms to pull you into their shops. Can you imagine that in the States? You go to the mall and people are pulling on your arms to get you into their store. I sometimes don’t realize how different things are till I compare them that way.
In the end we did some pretty good shopping and got ourselves pretty tired. We took the train back and crashed in our room. Our room was really nice and it was too bad we were only there for one night. But we had no choice since our visa expired the next day. Also the idea of getting out of China was a wonderful one.
We were pretty exhausted by the time we hit the room and crashed hard.
Day 320We dragged ourselves out of bed early to pack up and head out. We took all of our gear and hit the train. We were looking pretty funny with our packs full as well as our arms. We had a ton of junk and it was getting hard to get around. Luckily we were almost to our final destination – Hong Kong. It was from there that China would be floating away in the distance.
We arrived at the shopping area and dropped off our bags in the storage area. We were there right when the shopping complex opened up. That turned out to be a big mistake since we were some of the only people there. That meant that the vendor to buyer ratio was way out of proportion. The vendors had also been sleeping all night and were in full force ready to kill.
It only took about ten minutes for us to realize we had to burn a couple hours and come back later. The vendors were ridiculous and would follow us all through the malls even up escalators selling to us and pulling our arms. I got in one guys face after he started bothering Ana too much. I told him to “fuck off” and there was no way in hell I was going to his store to buy anything. I don’t think he understood my words as much as my body language. It’s so funny because it would take so much for me to be that way in the States. But here in China it only takes about ten minutes to go from zero to asshole.
Eventually we made it back to the mall and tried to be as fast as we could in buying gifts. In the end though we were frazzled and frustrated and didn’t care anymore. We were at the point where we would rather buy stuff in the States for twice the price rather than deal with that place.
Ana and I looked like a huge walking pile of junk as we crossed the boarder. We had stuff all over the place and keep dropping things. But in the end we made it across and onto the train that took us to Hong Kong. It was wonderful to be out of China and I was looking forward to seeing how different Hong Kong was. I wasn’t looking forward to the massive amount of people but at least it was a new place and hopefully a new people.
When we arrived in town we found the free bus that was going to take us to our hostel. We had tried making reservations but didn’t have any luck. Call from China to Hong Kong are considered long distance even though it’s only a couple miles away. Also the phones in Hong Kong didn’t seem to work.
We decided just to go to the hostel and hope for the best. Sure enough the hostel was located on a hill in the middle of nowhere. We had to go up this big single lane road to the top of the mountain and the place was there?
To top things off when we arrived to the hostel they had a couple large school groups in the place and it was full. FUCK. I was really pissed since we were going to waste another few hours waiting to catch the bus back into the city. Luckily though the manager came and found a couple beds for us in separate rooms. She said it was going to be loud with all the kids and the dorms were fifty people in each room. I didn’t care and just wanted a bed. Beside I was used to much worse.
We dropped our bags and caught the next bus back to the city to get some food. They had no food in the hostel and you had to bring your own. So we headed down to get the only food we seemed to be eating in China – Mc Donald’s.
After a wonderful fish fillet combo meal from the golden arches we headed back to the hostel. Now that we had a place to sleep and food in our stomachs we could relax and enjoy the environment there which turned out to be pretty cool. We were on the top of a hill overlooking part of the city. Below were tons of huge ships in the bay. I think there must have been over a hundred down there. It was really magical and when the teenagers weren’t around it was really peaceful. I didn’t think there was a place like that in all of Hong Kong. But here we were.
It didn’t take long for the weight of my eyelids to build and force me to take shelter in my bed. The light was on in the room and there were about forty male teenagers in the room. It was loud, a little hot, and the lights were on. All of which did nothing to stop me from lying down in my uncomfortable bed and falling asleep like a baby.
Day 321I woke up in the morning only to realize almost everyone was gone in the room. It was a really funny feeling and at first I couldn’t really piece together what time it was or what happened. I was more tired than I thought and I had sleep through them all getting up and leaving. That must have been like a heard of cattle running through the room but I didn’t hear a sound. I don’t sleep the deep very often. I was dead tired.
As soon as I got up my bunkmate walked in. He was a pastor from the States staying there for the moment. He started complaining about the kids and how they were talking and bouncing a basketball at 6:00 in the morning. I told him I didn’t hear anything and he didn’t believe me. Poor guy was just getting used to sleeping with other people and was having some pretty tough nights.
We caught the next bus downtown to do some more shopping. The city was packed like any other massive city. But the one thing that was different was that people seemed more civilized. They didn’t spit and push and shove. They seemed “normal”. That was great and a nice change. Although I must say I did shouldering little kids and forearming old ladies.
We spent the day just shopping and sniffing out the best deals in town. We found some pretty good stuff and in the end we had to buy two new luggages’s to carry all of our crap home.
We caught the late bus back to our hostel and grabbed a couple beers to smooth out the rough edges. Once back at the hostel we sat on the benches outside and drank our three tall cans and caught up on our journals. We were having a great time and it was hard to write because we keep remembering stories and telling jokes to each other. I’m really going to miss those times. Fertile times for our hearts to grow stronger and more entwined.
It had been a good day and falling asleep came easy.
Day 322We woke up early and packed our gear to move. We liked the hostel but we wanted to be more centrally located and not have to depend on the bus to get around. We caught the bus and transferred to the train to get to our new place. I know we looked pretty funny with a massive backpack and each of us rolling a suitcase. I also had a scrolled painting in my hands.
Eventually though we made it to our own room. We decided it was worth splurging the final day with a room or should I say a closet to ourselves. It was nice and we dropped our bags off and hit the town too shop some more.
Shopping in Hong Kong is interesting. The streets are packed with people, lights, and noise. Everything looks the same and we actually got a little lost in the evening trying to get back to our place. There were no real street signs so it was hard as hell to find out where you were. In the end we put a few extra miles on but we did make it back to the hotel to drop off our loot and crash for the night.
Day 323After a pretty good nights sleep we got up and headed to the part of town that had the worlds largest escalator. It wasn’t the actual length of the escalator but that there were about nineteen outdoor escalators continuously linked all the way up the hill. It was pretty impressive and we rode it all the way to the top and walked back down. This was the only excursion in town that we were really interested in. That and going to the peak to see the city from an overall view. That we had planned on doing the next night.
In the evening we went shopping again and had dinner. I was getting really tired of having Mc Donald’s so I told her I wanted to try a local place. That was a bad idea and the food turned out to be pretty rough. Ana was pissed and refused to eat the multicolored meat she was served. I must say it was pretty bad but I took down enough to stop the hunger in my stomach.
After our exquisite dinner Ana headed to back to the golden arches for six pieces of funny shaped chicken in a box. It sucked but it was better than the other food. She was so done with the food. It was pretty funny. She laughed at me in the overnight bus and now I could laugh at her eating Chinese food. We take turns laughing at each other when were at our limits.
Times had become a little tough again so I went to the market for a couple more tall cans of spinach to balance things out. They were nice and helped me glide into dreamland.
Day 324Ana had the brilliant idea to head to the local Jade market early in the morning to buy her mom a necklace. After getting all the way there, hunting the entire market for hours, she finally found a necklace she wanted for her mom. It was perfect and all he had to do was string together some beads and make the necklace for us. Of course though as the guy strung the necklace he realized he didn’t have enough beads. Of course no one in the entire massive jade market had the same color. Ana was pissed and we left there empty handed. Ana keep repeating the F word as we walked down the street. It was really funny and she was really pissed.
We headed back into town to do some more shopping and eat at Mc Donald’s. Can you imagine how tired I was of Mc Donald’s? But after weeks of eating that food it still sounded better than the local food.
In the evening we took the train to the top of the hill above the city. The train ride up the hill was really interesting and incredibly steep. I was really surprised at the steepness. It felt like you were taking off in the space shuttle it was so steep. Pretty cool.
At the top there were restaurants and shops all over. Once we got to the observatory deck it was really magical. The city was massive and in the night looked really beautiful. We sat there for about an hour watching the city move beneath us.
Eventually the crowds and the cold brought us back to our room. It was only in our tiny room you could actually kind of escape the city. We were leaving the next day back to the States and I was really excited about that. It had been six months and that was a long time to be on the road. A really long time.
Day 325 We woke up in the morning and did a few small errands before we headed to the airport. I was so excited and I couldn’t wait to see the country fading in the distance.
We got to the airport about four hours early but I didn’t mind. I wanted to make sure we were there with plenty of time. I didn’t care if I had to wait three days at the airport as long as I was on that plane.
We checked in with no problems and finally got ride of our heavy packs and luggage’s. That was a nice sensation. We headed to the local Starbucks to have a coffee and burn a few hours talking.
We headed to the gate when the time was right and we boarded the plane and sat down. YEAH we were headed out. At least I thought we were until the pilot announced we would have a small delay as they replaced the flat tire on the plane? That was interesting and my hopes started to fade.
Sure enough about an hour later we were taken off the plane because they now had to replace a large piece on the wheel. Oh shit I was pissed. I knew we were in for it when we got off the plane. Sure enough the estimated time of departure keep getting pushed. Then finally we got the great news they needed to change the entire landing gear on the plane. That would only take two more hours. Yeah right. My ass it will only take that much time.
Eventually we were boarded onto another plane and we were now eight hours late. That on top of us being four hours early meant we were in the airport for twelve hours. I was in a pretty bad mood and it was the perfect end to our China trip.
Finally the plane was being taxied to the runway and we were on our way. YEAAAAAAHHH!!!!
I flipped off China in the window of the airplane as it faded off into the distance.
