Seeing as it is now a very long time since I last blogged I will skip over the already covered details, like Beijing goodbye to Yiwu and Hangzhou which were all amazing,
After that we headed to Guilin, where we ended up staying in a ghost hotel for 50 kuai, honestly it was the weirdest experience ever! We were pretty much the only people staying in this hotel, and the people there were really strange, when we woke up the whle hotels electricity had been turned off and apparently that was what happened everyday, including the lifts, and you know how much we HATE climbing stairs, especially with a couple of kilo on our back!
That day was pretty cool went to some caves and stuff and up another chairlift thing maybe even bigger and scarier than the one in Kunming, and when we got to the top we got to Luge down, which was totally awesome although Charl was way too pussy to go down real fast, and I was stuck behind some dude that worked there making sure we didn't rip down to fast. Halfway through Charl was lost behind somewhere so fearing that she had broken a limb he had to hop off from infront of me and wait for her, leaving me to fly down at my leisure.
Another equally weird night in "ghosthotel" before we headed to Yangshuo to meet up with Maddie and Caroline, two of the gappers I spent xmas with. It was great we just bumped into them in Main street, then checked in had some lunch and hired bikes to go to a place we coukld bamboo raft down the river, the bike ride was a good distance, Charl and I were both convinced the girls had got us lost, but eventually we made it and through some heavy negotiation we managed to get a very reasonable price for two hours of lugging us down the river. Charlie and I were not the perfect candidates for a bamboo boat, our tiny dude was having a rough time hauling us heffalumps down the river, our feet were also almost in the water, our feller stopped the boat to get some gumboots.
The boat ride was great a couple of hours in the glorious sunshine (it is so much warmer down south). With a couple of exciting stops on the way, in the form of small waterfalls or more rocky ledges which we had to pass over. each one our punter got out lined us up and shoved us over, we had to lift up our legs and our bags as we entered the water to about half a meter or a meter! A couple of times our butties got a wee bit wet.
On the homeward stretch us hefferlumps got beached, it was quite the drama as our half a stone punter tried to dislodge us from ther rock we were caught on. Finally I decided that we just weren't budging due to the weight of us, so off came my tights and shoes and I jumped to help, but to be honest I didn't really think that through too much because as soon as I was off the boat was free and started moving swiftly away, the punter was nippy enough to jump on, I tend to move in more of a gammy way and managed to get myself undies deep before rolling back onto the boat. To the great amusement of a fair few standers-by!
Left for Guilin the nest morning and spent the day organising our train ticket etc. Train ride to Nanning in the arvo which was about 5 hours long, we made some cool friends that spoke the English very well. We organised a bus trip to vietnam and in the package a guide was to pick us up from the train station in Nanning and take us to a hotel and give us our tickets to cross the border, we thought english speaker with driver who would take us to our hotel. Turned out we were much mistaken, a portly man swaggered up to us, showing my name on a cellphone, then jumped on his motorbike gesturing for us to follow him. We waddled behind with about 50kg worth of stuff each as he cruised along stopping only to light another cig! Then when we got to the hotel he gave us a ticvket, all in chinese and I figured out we were supposed to meet him tomorrow morning, we truly had no idea if he was going to take us to Hanoi or somewhere completely in the wrong direction (Russia was rushing through my m,ind.) But next morning old Smoky-joe was there and again we waddled behind his moto to a place with a couple of other stranded looking chinese travellers. But all of a sudden everything worked out perfectly, we caught a bus all the was to the border without a glitch and now are sitting in the hostel we managed to grab! Its all great! Nam is fabulous so far, Anyway I will update about it the next installment. This was enough to keep me going til my hour was up.
Love to all, we are happy safe and fed! Xx
P.s Mama I am a devoted follower of the blog but somehow the computer wont let me comment! Kor sounds great Xx
Thursday, January 22, 2009
Friday, January 2, 2009
Christmas
Christmas eve after one class of teaching we departed on the 2hour drive to Hangzhou, one in which Peter insisted on accompanying us, and then sleeping the whole way and not actually coming into the airport to help... unsure of why he actually decided to come but thats old Unc Pete for you. After about an hour of delays we were on the plane to Qingdao and arrived at about 7pm, greeted by the 4 gappers, Maddie Caro Tom and Jack, we dropped our stuff and went straight out to a little restraunt with an even littler man serving us. The girls were locals there and he was VERY excited that they had brought 4 friends. Then off to a bar Le Bang, the name being the only thing french about it. Where we spent the countdown to christmas, Qingdao seems to have a lot of westerners, and english speakers, the bar even had a western playlist which consisted of a lot of "apple bottom Jeans" and those kind of songs that are just a little bit too old to be cool.
Christmas morning we waited for the boys to arrive and then ripped into the presents. Case and I had done pretty well to bulk up each others piles, including stockings, so and I must say I had a fair few from NZ as well, so I was doing quite well for myself! For lunch we went to a place called the Diner where they well serving a western christmas meal, and I must say their attempt at roast veges wasn't too bad! We had the choice of steak or a rack of lamb, and it must have been good because it was the only meal I had been able to stomach for the past couple of weeks! (I'm pretty sure I've completely recovered by the way!) We managed to stay in the diner chatting until about 4pm, I'm not to sure whether the empty restraunt and it's waiters were to overjoyed at that, and it was only when they started setting up for dinner that we decided a change of location might be necissary.So after a brisk stroll around the freezing beach we took refuge in baar, for a Christmas toast, and then back home for some stella poker playing on my behalf! A game which Casey contracted the unfortunate nickname of Folds, which seems to have stuck with the Qingers crew!
After a well deserved rest we were back to the Diner the next day, to try out the infamous "homer's basket" which aquired its name for having enough grease in it for Homer Simpson. The girls had heard of it but never dared to try it, but with Casey and me there we ordered three of the most amazing basket in the world. Filled with chips,nuggets, onion rings and popcorn chicken, and eaten with a generous helping of mayo and ketchup, I really was suprised that my heart was up for it!
Apart from good places to eat the one thing that the Qingdao crew prided themselves on knowing was good bars, so off we went this time to a bar with a bouncy dance floor, another of China's greatest inventions, we do have one in Yiwu as well, which some of you may be lucky enough to have a jump on. The floors are great because even if you don't feel like dancing you can actually just bop without moving!
Next day the girls had one for class to teach which we sat in on. Then off to what had become our local by then, the DINER! When we got there we had already picked out what we were to have, only to find that they had added things to the menu. Now we were all confused and torn, I personally almost cryed when I had to cut eithter Lasagna or chicken burger. As you can all imagine the Lasagna got cut, I think the tipping point was the chips! Then back home for another evening of poker, where to all of our shock (embarrassment) Fold's cleaned up!
Last day in Qingdao was no warmer than the first, so we met the boys at the "australia hotel" which again besides the name didn't have much else true blue about it! Everyone was hoping for a bit of boxing day test action, (everyone besides me, who didn't actually know who was playing, but I think I had the excuse of if NZ isn't playing why would I care,) but much to some peoples horror and others relief, the Australia Hotel let us down again, so we had to settle for what the best hot chocolate in China. Then we went to a few markets where Caro And Mad were opened to a whole new dimension of China, the junk to buy, all the while that we in Yiwu had been buying up in bulk on little Mao watches and cute keyrings, the girls had been doing serious clothes shopping, so although the shops had nothing on Yiwu, the girls had a ball finally shopping for what china makes best JUNK! The only thing that could stop the girls from their rampage was that snow started to fall. A delicious restraunt for tea, with spicy chicken and garlic veges, and then home for the nightly poker, which this time ended at 3am, and I came out with a towering stack! Then up at 6 to head home!
So ourt Christmas had NOTHING on 44 Union's their was not a pea to pod in sight, but it was definitely an experience, and we had the best chinese christmas we could. I don't know if you can call it a white xmas, I mean there were puddles of muddy slush like snow everywhere... that story might get romanticised when I get home to NZ.
Anyway hope everyones Christmas was good Xxxx
Christmas morning we waited for the boys to arrive and then ripped into the presents. Case and I had done pretty well to bulk up each others piles, including stockings, so and I must say I had a fair few from NZ as well, so I was doing quite well for myself! For lunch we went to a place called the Diner where they well serving a western christmas meal, and I must say their attempt at roast veges wasn't too bad! We had the choice of steak or a rack of lamb, and it must have been good because it was the only meal I had been able to stomach for the past couple of weeks! (I'm pretty sure I've completely recovered by the way!) We managed to stay in the diner chatting until about 4pm, I'm not to sure whether the empty restraunt and it's waiters were to overjoyed at that, and it was only when they started setting up for dinner that we decided a change of location might be necissary.So after a brisk stroll around the freezing beach we took refuge in baar, for a Christmas toast, and then back home for some stella poker playing on my behalf! A game which Casey contracted the unfortunate nickname of Folds, which seems to have stuck with the Qingers crew!
After a well deserved rest we were back to the Diner the next day, to try out the infamous "homer's basket" which aquired its name for having enough grease in it for Homer Simpson. The girls had heard of it but never dared to try it, but with Casey and me there we ordered three of the most amazing basket in the world. Filled with chips,nuggets, onion rings and popcorn chicken, and eaten with a generous helping of mayo and ketchup, I really was suprised that my heart was up for it!
Apart from good places to eat the one thing that the Qingdao crew prided themselves on knowing was good bars, so off we went this time to a bar with a bouncy dance floor, another of China's greatest inventions, we do have one in Yiwu as well, which some of you may be lucky enough to have a jump on. The floors are great because even if you don't feel like dancing you can actually just bop without moving!
Next day the girls had one for class to teach which we sat in on. Then off to what had become our local by then, the DINER! When we got there we had already picked out what we were to have, only to find that they had added things to the menu. Now we were all confused and torn, I personally almost cryed when I had to cut eithter Lasagna or chicken burger. As you can all imagine the Lasagna got cut, I think the tipping point was the chips! Then back home for another evening of poker, where to all of our shock (embarrassment) Fold's cleaned up!
Last day in Qingdao was no warmer than the first, so we met the boys at the "australia hotel" which again besides the name didn't have much else true blue about it! Everyone was hoping for a bit of boxing day test action, (everyone besides me, who didn't actually know who was playing, but I think I had the excuse of if NZ isn't playing why would I care,) but much to some peoples horror and others relief, the Australia Hotel let us down again, so we had to settle for what the best hot chocolate in China. Then we went to a few markets where Caro And Mad were opened to a whole new dimension of China, the junk to buy, all the while that we in Yiwu had been buying up in bulk on little Mao watches and cute keyrings, the girls had been doing serious clothes shopping, so although the shops had nothing on Yiwu, the girls had a ball finally shopping for what china makes best JUNK! The only thing that could stop the girls from their rampage was that snow started to fall. A delicious restraunt for tea, with spicy chicken and garlic veges, and then home for the nightly poker, which this time ended at 3am, and I came out with a towering stack! Then up at 6 to head home!
So ourt Christmas had NOTHING on 44 Union's their was not a pea to pod in sight, but it was definitely an experience, and we had the best chinese christmas we could. I don't know if you can call it a white xmas, I mean there were puddles of muddy slush like snow everywhere... that story might get romanticised when I get home to NZ.
Anyway hope everyones Christmas was good Xxxx
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