So Long Halong

(written on 31/07/09, posted on 28/09/09)

So three days in the beautiful Halong Bay and here I am back again and saying goodbye to Hanoi.

Three days of being a tourist and floating around on boats. This is the trip everyone seems to do when they first get to Hanoi and it's worth it. Someone told me it's a bit like being herded around and they were right in a sense. But when you get to your junk there's only a handful of boats near you in this UNESCO site. The only depressing thing is seeing litter float past your canoe and seeing the cooks chuck things into the water. There doesn't seem to be much respect for keeping the site clean and perhaps a bit more education is needed to the boat staff.

The limestone cliffs will blow you away though and if you get a chance get in a canoe to see the caves. The bay is riddled with Jellyfish. Only one person got stung on our boat which is apparently usual. Loads of great people on board which made it for me, a few of which I made good friends with. So a Happy Drunken Birthday was had by T and we were all entertained by a group of hilarious Irish lads. Especially J who had an eye tattooed on each ahem cheek. I cried with laughter when I saw it.

On the second night a group of us who had paid extra were whisked off to our private beach (view from the beach at dusk above). We got there around midday and were looked after by a crew of locals and two British lads who were clearly picked for their ability to get tourists drunk. A and E, two British girls just out of Uni did their best to keep up whilst the rest of us enjoyed watching them. Some of the lads got all caveman and built a beach fire from Bamboo. One of the crew told us it has a habit of exploding in fires due to air bubbles that get trapped inside. It was such a nice chilled out evening. As soon as someone told me there was phosphorescent algae in the water, a group of us got changed and jumped in the sea. It was amazing, swimming along with these gold sparkles travelling up your arms. It was definitely the scene of much drunken hilarity but this doesn't take away the astounding beauty of the whole place.

Britney and Bia Hoi

(written 28/07/09, posted 28/09/09)

Being 4 girls, it's now become shopping and cocktails. Hanoi is a great place to do this. I didn't get much in China. I seemed to do the more serious travelling stuff and now it feels like I'm on holiday. Also a lot of stuff in China felt very manufactures and it somehow feels better here. The best find is a gravestone with a picture of Britney Spears (see pic).

T and I get on brilliantly too. I feel like I've known her for ages. We waste the afternoon chatting and dawdling round Hanoi dodging motorbikes. I'm so confused about the roads until I realise you don't wait for a gap in the traffic. Just walk and the traffic will avoid you. It's pretty hairy by the lake but usually you can find someone local to follow.

In the evening we go to the Water Puppet theatre. Full of tourists, T is making faces as

she thinks it's naff. I actually think it's funny in places but there is so much more they can do with it. The technical aspect and the music is great and at least we're doing something other than shopping! Once outside I drag everyone away to find Bia Hoi Junction. This is my last chance as after Halong Bay tomorrow we get the night bus to Hoi An.

I get lost, then we decide to get a taxi. When we arrive there are the little plastic stools outside shops serving up the beer. You get a glass of beer then just pass your glass back to the server who refills your glass from the keg. Brilliant. Why aren't there places like this back home? The girls are all starving so I get dragged away for food. No-one fancies the pig on a stick being peddled around for dinner. Shame my friend who told me about this place isn't here. I get the feeling if he was there we wouldn't have finished until 2am and we'd have out the world to rights.

Hanoi gets better

(written on 27/07/09, posted on 28/09/09)

I can't check in until 12. After two night trains in a row I'm desperate for a shower but it's off round town and hope no-one notices. Everything is so disorientating until I realise that streets have a theme: leather street for handbags and wallets, clothes street, lantern street and even a smoothie street. I can't wait to get shopping later. I'm loving the look of the food stalls too.

I manage a stroll round the lake and a quick look in the temple. It's not long until my money seems to be running out and I realise that the 300,000 Vietnamese Dong I took out earlier is worth £10. With time nearing 12, I try and get back but everywhere looks the same. Everything feels so much smaller than China too. Even the little plastic stools that people sit on in the street are tiny. I better not mention the clothes too. I'd probably be an XXXL.

Eventually I get back and there are backpackers everywhere. All after Halong Bay trips which are basically supposed to be beautiful but which are essentially a drinkfest. I leave it until later to book. As I rest after my shower, T enters the dorm. She's bubbly and lovely. I'm relieved as I haven't spoken to anyone older than 25 yet today. It's her 30th in a couple of days so we agree to do the Halong Bay trip together. Can't miss celebrating a birthday like that.

We then meet A and N from California. What then happens is we all go out for drinks, eats, shopping and exploring for the rest of the day. I tried to find the famous Bia Hoi Junction where there are 4 street places, one on each corner of a junction that serve freshly brewed beer for 30 cents a glass. That'll have to be tomorrow then!

Hanoi and a fight with a taxi driver

(written on 27/07/09, posted on 22/09/09)



It's a fag getting through the border overland, which involves getting off the train with bags at 11pm and farting around at Chinese customs for an hour. Back on the train and another half an hour or so later back off for the Vietnam border. By 2am, I can go to sleep in my bunk for a total of 4 hours. I can't actually sleep as I'm too excitied.



I must nod off as the train guard wakes me and asks for my plastic card (they give you this in exchange for your ticket, presumably so they can keep tabs on who is n and off their trains). They usually wake you thirty minutes before you are due to get off. I've been given five minutes to stick my contacts in and brush my teeth. No time to be excited still, I get off the train in Hanoi disorientated and bleary-eyed.

The taxi drivers surround the alighting passengers like dogs hungry to get to their win-a-lot so I escape the pack and go to hunt for a bank. The only bank I can see doesn't accept my card. I had the foresight to think about getting dollars, I just couldn't be bothered. This is something that I regret now. The one taxi driver that I spoke to and who tried to charge me $15 to get me 6km into the centre of Hanoi pulls up with two people in his taxi. I try to explain to them I have no dollars and they happily wave me in. Lucky for me. I try to ask what they have agreed with the driver. They say $4 each. Cheeky barstard! They get dropped outside their hotel and try to pay him $8. He wants another $6 to take me round the corner so I hastily spot another ATM, it works. Whilst he argues with the other two about the now increased price as there were 3 of us, I nip inside a shop with my Vietnamese Dong to get some change.

By the time I get back to them the tai driver is threatening to lamp the Austrian and the younger French guy looks petrified. I step in, calming female to the rescue. No such luck, I try to pay and the driver locks my luggage in the car. It's at this point the Austrian storms off fuming and I lose it. After banging on his car window is an assertive/perhaps slightly agressive way to get my point across that just because I'm a woman doesn't mean he can behave this way. He calls up someone saying they are from customer services. I agree $4 with them after haggling.

I get to my hostel, he tries to give me change for $5 until I point out his lousy exchange rate, then he strangely blames the Austrian for everything. I walk away in disbelief at this point, it's not a good start to Hanoi.

Pandas and Nanning money troubles

(written on 26/07/09, posted on 17/09/09)

I've spent three fun and exhausting days in Hong Kong. I've seen Pandas at Ocean Park, been to a lot of markets and gawped at skyscrapers. Time to go as even though there's more to see I can't stand my cast iron mattress and privacy invasion anymore.

I get the local train back into Guangzhou then amazingly I'm able to book a night train for that night to Nanning. Left luggage, reading in the park and it's off again.

Even more amazingly as I don't particularly want to stay in Nanning, I get there and am able to book another night train into Hanoi for that night. At the bank again, I have a complete nightmare. I type in 300 Yuan (approx £30) which is enough for a couple of journeys and I get 3000 due to an ATM error. There is no way I will spend £300 in 24 hours. I was exasperated as it turned out the staff knew there was an error with the machine so why did they have it switched on? The only suggestion they come up with is change the money but they don't have the service.

At the fifth bank I went to, a group of women were sitting in the lobby. One said in English, change money? I nodded. She made an elaborate display of pulling a calculator out of her handbag, typing a fugire in, showing me and saying is this ok? The other women by now were looking at us expectantly. I said slowly, you don't actually work here do you? She grinned at me. As I walked off to find a member of staff the whole group erupted into a cackling fit. Ha bloody ha. Those old practical jokes again. A member of staff then tells me why no-one can change my money. It's a Sunday. Argh!

So having been in China for over two weeks I'm happy to get to Vietnam and as much as I loved the whole experience it's time to move on. My journey of two consecutive nights on trains is time without a base or anywhere to shower but it'll be worth it. Vietnam it is.

Off to Hong Kong with cash

(written on 23/07/09, posted on 17/09/09)

As I'd started to travel yesterday, I thought I'd give the ATM one last go as having no cash could cause obvious problems. As I was typing the numbers in I'd noticed the keypad looked strange. I cleared the numbers and carefully punched them in one by one. Cash!

I'd been typing in the numbers in the same pattern as I do in the UK. Chinese banks have their keypads with the highest numbers at the top so 7, 8, 9. Ho hum. Lesson number 47 learnt.

Waist pouch filled with the wrong currency I spent over 24 hours travelling on one night train then another train from Guangzhou across the border into Hong Kong. There the nastiest hostel inside an apartment awaited. Luckily I met a 60 year old woman who was on a 4 week trip without her husband (can I have one like that please?) to travel China. She'd been here before so quickly showed me the way to the famous Star Ferry that takes you across from Kowloon to Hong Kong Island (see pic). There we parted and I caught a tram to go up to Victoria peak to catch the phenomenal views of the skyscrapers jammed into every available space.

Having done the first thing I was always do in a city, head for the place with the best views, I then plan the second, sushi. So a walk back through the amazing streets all on hills with signs vying for your attention above the crowded shops, back on the ferry. Octopus card (the HK version of the Oyster) bleeping my way on buses to the night market then conveyer belt sushi and a beer.

A perfect day. Back at the hostel I chat to my three companions and we end up having an argument wit teh Cantonese landlady. She is furious that we all nicked an extra sheet each from the cupboard as her laundry bill we go up. I try and amicably explain we didn't want to sleep on mattress covers. An argument ensues and the Romanian girl doesn't stand for it. After a heated 15 minutes we end up laughing as the landlady storms out of the room and we go to bed. I've never eperienced someone in a hostel barging in to check up on me before. It's such a rude invasion of privacy I think our giggling is more about being shocked than anything else. Hong Kong is an odd but entertaining mix of East and West.

Total Eclipse in Hangzhou

(written on 22/07/09, posted on 17/09/09)

I've been in Hangzhou for three days now and I love it. It was a nightmare making sure I got in the hostel as it was so rife with eclipse hunters. My hostel is lovely and I've met such a variety of people including two English teachers living in China, an American man and an English woman. Ten of us go out for dinner and the two teachers have brilliant stories to tell about Chinese culture. We get some great advice. Apparently treat everything here like a practical joke is being played on you.

This would have helped had I have known this when I arrived. I couldn't get any money out or get my travellers cheques changed. I'd been running around trying to get it sorted before 5pm. I was looking pretty bad and stressed. As I was waiting to cross the road, a coach pulled up at the traffic lights on the opposite side waiting for the lights to change. Two Chinese men saw me and started pointing and laughing. When I didn't smile this only made them laugh more. As the coach pulled away their laughter increased and tey saluted me. Totally bemused at what was so funny, I saluted back before I noticed a police car there. I ran into the air-conditioned bank and was finally relived to get some cash.

With Chinese speakers in tow we order up a feast for dinner and the food is amazing. It's the best aubergine I've ever tasted. Cooked until it's delectably soft coated in a black bean peppered sauce. So hunting that dish down next time I'm in a Chinese at home.

Anyway, the eclipse this morning was amazing. I ended up watching it on my own as my train was only 4 ours after it so I didn't have time to get a taxi out with the others to try and catch the tidal bore wave at the estuary which is a phenomena that happens on the same day. I find out later that it was too cloudy where they were so I ended up with the best option. Due to the cloud before totality I got some great pics. One of the best bits was an elderly woman waving her eclipse glasses at me in excitement as I went to find a space to sit. There was a real sense of the crowd being together too. And I actually enjoyed being on my own as it was a pretty awe-inspiring experience. I was a bit emotional whilst it was happening then was on a complete high for the rest of the day.

Actually time for Sightseeing in Shanghai

(written on 19/07/09, posted on 17/09/09)

Another 6am finish. It was supposed to be a buffet, a beer then bedtime. It doesn't happen in this city. We ended up out drinking beers for a while. As most people headed for home, my friend and I went to a club called Shelter. It was an underground cavern so whilst she did some weird house dancing to beep beep music I went and sat with a random group of ex-pats and got them to buy me beers. Having learnt a lot about Shanghai and drank a lot we got back to the hostel late. Again.

I was supposed to check out today to travel to Hangzhou for the total eclipse but I can't face it. I drag myself to reception to book in another night. There's now four of us hanging around together in the hostel: Fran, Tanja, Robert and I. So we go out to sight see things I have missed due to drinking alcohol and sleeping a lot in the last few days.

I have a very interesting chat with Robert who is here to do a course on Buddhism. We chat about the different branches of Buddhism and religion in general. We're all heading to the Renmin Park as he spotted these pieces of paper hanging on the trees yesterday and we found out what they were so we're off to investigate further.

Due to China's one child policy, which has been in existence for around 20 years, there are rather a lot of men around. Their parents come to the park to post up their son's and daughter's credentials whilst other parents wander around shopping for suitable partners for their offspring. I discreetly try to take a pic and it's quickly clear I'm not being inconspicuous enough as a woman comes over and tries to wallop me with her brolly. A sharp exit was required.

Shangers

(written on 18/07/09, posted on 17/09/09)

I got to Shanghai yesterday, did what I normally do when I've had a long journey. Get a hotel, see a couple of sights and relax. Next day, I moved to a cheaper hostel, met up with a lovely German girl, who know a lot of ex-pats here and before you know it I'm dragged out in my flip flops and we end up out until 6am drinking and dancing. There was a lovely crowd out of ex-pats from Germany and Japan and some locals, oh and us couple of backpackers wearing the only things that might pass for going out gear.

Walking back at 6am, the taxi got lost, we go exasperated and we recognised some landmark and got out. As we walked past Renmin Square we saw kites gliding through the air above the trees. This peaceful surreality at 6am was broken by a strange sound. As friend and I look around approximately 100 policeman appear, march down the road and turn off. We look at each other stunned. China never fails to surprise.

Off out again tonight with the ex-pats for an all you can eat buffet. Perfect hangover food!

Juihua Shan to Shanghai

(written on 16/07/09, posted on 17/09/09)

Up at 6am and I'm racing for the bus. The 13 year old girl who helps out on the hotel reception had told me that the bus left at 7am. I grab a taxi and say bus Shanghai! He says you need to pay more, it's further. Not quite understanding and sure I'm getting ripped off, he gets an agreement out of me on price that I'm not happy abut then flies down the winding mountain roads. I'm slightly concerned but enjoying it. The drive has certainly woken me up in the same way that you can't fail to be awake when you fear for your life.

We get to the bus station, I pay and he frantically points at a bus. I run over and I realise this is my bus. The taxi driver has risked the police and possibly his safety to get me this bus station at the bottom of the mountain. Now I feel bad I suspected him and therein lies my next lesson on Chinese people. If they understand what you want and they are in a position to help you, they will go completely out of their way to do so.

Feeling sheepish and trying to wave my thanks to my taxi driver, I board the bus to the usual stares. At the next stop the bus starts to fill up. Who should get on but my Buddhist monk who sits next to me. I'm not sure I'm going to enjoy this journey for the next seven hours.

By hour two he's virtually proposed. He keeps trying to hold my hand and compare our palms. I desperately look in my phrase book and there's nothing that might fit this situation. I make up a boyfriend by drawing pictures with hearts that look like some crush-struck 7 year old's scribble but he's not having it. I take to reading my book and pretending to be asleep to which he seems quite offended.

It's the longest seven hours I've had in a long while and it's a relief to hit Shanghai.

Juihua Shan

(written on 15/07/09, posted on 17/09/09)

Yesterday I travelled into Hefei then onto Juihua Shan, one of the four famous Buddhist mountains. Again the only Westerner on the bus out of 60 people. As I wondered round Juihua on the mountain, I came to realise I was actually the only westerner in the village.


The two hour walk up the mountain steps was entertaining as people would either stare, say hello or chat me up as was the case with one Buddhist monk. Something made me think he wasn't a very dedicated one.


Back at my hotel I'm likely to be thought of as the mad loner as I've somehow ended up in a 'family hotel' where many of the rooms are let out over a longer term to larger groups. 'Ended up' is probably an elaboration as I was practically dragged off the bus and into a car that dumped me outside the hotel. At least I haggled. Although I later find out the locals price was quite a bit cheaper still!

Terracotta Warriors and more Trains

(written on 13/07/09, posted on 17/09/09)

Night train tonight booked this time through the hassle-free but slightly more expensive hostel option. So it's check-out and off to left luggage at the station before getting the bus up to the Terracotta Warriors. I'm accompanied by French Man who later on today is checking out to go and stay with someone he's hooked up with via http://www.couchsurfing.com/.

It's 38 degrees and my backpack actually doesn't feel any lighter despite offloading stuff yesterday. And it's a very sweaty kind of heat. Phew! The Terracotta Warriors are amazing although I get a sneaky feeling they were man-made and then 'discovered' as a tourist attraction. It's amazing to think they could have been underground for that long when they are so huge. There are three aeroplane hanger size buildings that cover them.

So it's a lovely but hot day. I'm back at the station and am trying to source my backpack - there are three unmarked left luggage offices and I can't remember which one has my bag. Of course no-one speaks English and I don't speak Chinese so there are lots of humorous gestures going on. French man is highly amused by all of this being that he's a seasoned traveller. I get the feeling things like this just don't happen to him. Anyway, I wave goodbye and go to wait in the rugby scrum that is the waiting room. People sitting on bags, peasant type farmers staring openly at my 'yellow' hair and lots of chowing down on instant noodles. Every station has a mini-kitchen with boiled water available that is drinkable as the stuff that comes out of the tap isn't. This is also used for super cheap but delicious pot-type noodles that contain about 80% less additives than our version.

Each waiting room usually has two trains that people are waiting for and the waiting room number does not correlate with the platform number. Confusing, I know. The platform number comes up on the display board half an hour before the train is due to leave and this is when the scrum gets anxious and starts to really move. Elbows time. I get on train, all smiles again and I'm faced with three men and one woman in my compartment. I may have given the impression so far that Chinese people openly stare, which they do, but it is mostly open curiosity, like these four are definitely doing.

Once the train moves off out comes the guidebook and the language section is pilfered for questions. I exercise my five items of vocabulary and learn at least two more. I'm really enjoying this. We communicate well due to my (not so great) drawing skills but mostly the woman's English and an internet enabled phone. We amazingly cover topics such as jobs (two of the men are unemployed as they can't find work), family (they all have big families), difference in our countries (countless) and travelling (me planning lots, my companions not).

It's a fantastic three hour 101 on Chinese culture. Although I'm slightly embarrassed by the fact I'm off everywhere and they are not. I'm also ashamed by their sense of family, society and their patriotism. By comparison us Westerners are all a bunch of weirdo loners! I go to sleep on my bunk understanding a little more about Chinese culture.

Paomo and friends

(written on 12/07/09, posted on 17/09/09)

Who said Xi'an was a small town? It's a city and like everything in China, bigger than it first appears. I get a free pick up off the night train to the hostel which is a relief as I would have got lost.

Today seems to be the day for meeting people. By 10am, I've shared the pick up with a couple from Spain, talked to a French man then an American in the hostel reception. Both later turn out to be in the same dorm. This is the worst bit about travelling cheaply: having to share with some very random people including men (sorry!). Of course it can be the best bit too as I've already met some great people. After a quick clean up, I bump into French guy on the net and we go out to explore. Man, that guy could talk. I'm exhausted after a few hours but I've managed to get to the post office to post back 2kg worth of stuff I realise I'm not going to need. I'm looking forward to my rucksack being lighter when I travel on my next night train tomorrow.

American guy had lunch at subway so he comes up for some stick. And the three of us decide to go for beers and a local dish tonight, called Paomo. We get caught up in the bar chatting to two American sisters who spend the whole time moaning that China is dirty and smelly. They've never been to Asia before or actually outside of America. I doubt they've ever been to anywhere outside their home town. My American friend tries to talk to them but eventually we give up, they are trying to book the earliest flight out of China they can get.

We escape having had a few beers and eventually find some Paomo. It's delicious, why don't we do this in the UK? It's like a lamb stew with bread cubes that have soaked up all the tasty juices. Yum. We end up getting ripped off as a plate of random spicy rice turns up which they charge us an astronomical amount for. We argue with the lady who looks like she;'s going to punch me and eventually we settle the bill when a couple of large guys come out to see what the commotion is about. It's not a good end to the night. Our American friend feels slightly responsible as he was able to chat with the waiter as he lived in Japan for a few years. French man and I shrug it off but it leaves a bitter taste to our Paomo.

Censorship, Tourism and Trains

(written on 11/07/09, posted on 17/09/09)

Packed and off to left luggage so I can dump off stuff before heading to Forbidden City. I did Tiananmen Square yesterday, which felt austere, censored and brought back memories of seeing tanks roll into the square flattening protesting Pro-democracy university students. It's so odd to think that the majority of Chinese people will be unaware of this due to the censorship by the Chinese government.

Although the whole of this blog was written earlier in the form of journals I couldn't upload any of it until I was out of China due to The Great Fire Wall which is software installed on every computer in China. (I am uploading this in September now I am back.) When talking to people, you get the weird sense that politically they are just completely unaware. It's scary and just all wrong, wrong, wrong.

The Forbidden City that I am at today is packed. I've chosen a weekend so it's rammed with Chinese tourists. All clicking away. There was rumours they'd installed a Starbucks here which is not here thankfully. You can see from the pic above the beautiful architecture. What I've been unable to show is, again as it's in China, the magnitude of the place. Palace upon regal chambers upon meeting rooms - in fact 980 buildings - it just goes on and on around a 720,000 square metre site. The only thing that makes it less enjoyable is the heat and it's the smoggiest day since I've been here. Even this doesn't take away from the fact everything is mind blowing.

It leaves me feeling China and America are more similar than we think but more observations on that later...so to the train. I get cracking on my marvellous book on Chinese economics, Will Hutton's The Writing's on the Wall. It's a perfect read as it's giving me great insight as I travel about observing China. Meanwhile the other four people, all men, seem determined to stare at me for the whole journey. Luckily I've got the middle bunk so I can flake out. I'm not in the mood to strike up conversation and actually one looks like he'd run a mile if a did. A woman? Travelling on her own? Who is also a Westerner? I had a gut feeling I should just smile a lot and relax for the journey. Enjoyable all the same, just wish I wasn't stared at but hey, I'm starting to get used to it.

Train ticket fun

(written on 10/07/09, posted on 17/09/09)

An easy day for sightseeing after yesterday's trek up The Wall. Before I leave the hostel I try and book the train I want to Xi'an, home of the Terracotta Warriors. I'm told the train is full but I could try and get to the station. I've decided not to stay much longer in Beijing as I've come from London and it just all feels too hectic when I want to feel like I'm getting away from that. Getting on the Metro has been a pain, it seems to take forever! Even getting to the train station takes ages. And there's no Metro station near...it doesn't make sense to me.

After a 30 minute walk in heat after six Metro stops I approach Beijing West station. Nothing has prepared me for it's utter vastness. It takes 15 minutes just to find the ticket hall. People are everywhere and so are their elbows. I'm armed with my printed out web guide from the brilliant http://www.seat61.com/ which tells me there should be a English speaking ticket booth in the ticket hall. I don't which one of the 40 booths is going to be it. As people stare, I'm one of the few Westerners trying to buy my own ticket, I wonder up and down. After two turns walking up and down looking at the booths, an LED display flashes up that it's the English speaking booth. Relief as I join the long queue at booth 16. This quickly turns into surprise as a fight breaks out in queue 17 and a policeman comes over to sit on the ledge of the booth to bark down his megaphone at the waiting queue of distressed angry people. Talk about entertainment.

I notice that people are incredibly impatient and I may only get one chance at ordering a ticket before being jostled out of the way. Finally I get to the front, thrust my choice of times I have copied down from the web and get ready to use my guidebook if necessary for language translations. No need, in efficient English I'm told I can book the earlier night train to Xi'an and there is a ticket available for a middle booth in a 6 bunk compartment in a hard sleeper carriage. Perfect. I get my ticket and clutch it to me as I elbow my way past the waiting queue who are mostly tutting and shouting at each other.

Mission accomplished, I am pathetically happy I've managed to get my ticket for my first journey on a Chinese train. Now I just have to find it and get on it tomorrow night...

Birthday on The Great Wall

(written on 09/07/09, posted on 17/09/09)

Up at 5am I head off to the sister hostel for the mini bus. Trying to get some shut-eye on the bus isn't an option as I have met the lovely Sophie and Charlotte, both travelling independently so we share stories (well they share theirs. I don't have any yet). There is also the small matter of Beijing at the loose outside my minivan window begging me to sit up and take notice.

Our guide tells us we have a few options for today. Walk some of the start of our section at Jinshanling, get the bus to Simitai and do the same, walk most of it but use two well-known short cuts or walk the whole 10k section. We, of course, opt to do the whole shebang.

There's also an option to get the cable car up to the wall but we decide to go hardcore. We've walked up a steep slope then steeper steps when a group of three women who've been walking alongside since we started 30 minutes or so ago tell us we're nearly at the wall. It's at least 38 degrees and I've started to wonder if I'll make it in this heat. Sweaty is not the right word to describe it.

By watchtower seven, each involving a steep climb up, we realise the lovely women are hawkers trying to be our guides for cash. Being careful to decline their offers away from other hawkers so they do not lose face we let them down firmly and give them a small tip. We hope we've cottoned on early enough so the Mongolian women can try and make some more money. We found out they walk two hours each way to get to the wall just to sell souvenirs and be guides. That doesn't even include the hours it takes to navigate this 10k section. They do this every day and when they are done it's off home to do a bit of light farming. Amazing.

Watchtower ten and Charlotte cracks open a birthday beer. Brilliant idea. I'd have loved to have a beer at each of the 30 watchtowers. In this heat though that would have been utter madness. Each watchtower provides shade and all the walkers use them for shade and water stops. Despite the heat, you can't help but marvel at the ancient feat it must have been to get this beast constructed. It's amazing to be here and the views are stunning: fields of lush green endless countryside spread out on each side of the surrounding mountains and the wall itself is seemingly endless. Each path leads steeply up to a watchtower at the top of peak then back down and as described to us like it goes up and down a dragon's back.

Second beer at watchtower 20. Only ten to go and my legs have started to shake on each ascent. It's certainly one way to get fitter. More unbelievable views as we navigate each stretch and we've started to lose count by now. I'm pretty sure we haven't gone to far, then we see other people up ahead heading down a path into what must be Simitai. We cross a bridge then it's up even more steep steps. By now I have full on jelly leg syndrome, so much so that I'm not sure I can do a zip wire down across the river. That's until I remember it involves sitting down and hanging on. Brilliant! And what an amazing end to the trek across this section of wall. A great choice as I've heard from others that Badaling is really touristy and Mutianyu doesn't sound as good as this section.

Beers over lunch and congratulations all round. What a birthday! It's a quick beer after a clean up for me tonight. Ker-nackered.

Beijing Chaos

(written on 08/07/09, posted on 17/09/09)

Manage to get the Airport bus and I'm the only Westerner on it. Proceed to get stared at by 30 people for the next 50 minutes. Keep checking to make sure stray items of underwear aren't on show or there isn't any food particles on my face.

Get chucked off at last stop armed only with the knowledge I need to get the number 6 bus. See bus, run and get on. Had the foresight to get change and ticket conductor on bus mimes '1' at me. That, I can understand. I pay, wait for required 6 stops, get off and can't find hostel or anything on the map. Get bus back to town, give up and try to get a taxi. Three hailed taxis later and all have refused to take me as they don't understand the English guidebook address. The third one I refuse to get out of until I call the hostel, hand phone to driver. Then I'm on the way. Proceed to have conversation with driver in the international language of football. Driver then gets lost which makes me feel better.

Finally get to hostel and they tell me I'm in the sister hostel 5 minutes down the road. I get told to hop in this trolley on the back of a bike and get cycled down the road (like blue metal thing on bike in pic above).

By the time I get sorted it's late. I don't fancy any more drama so it's food, beer and bed in the safe confines of the hostel. All my dorm mates have gone out on the razz. Well the three of them have an average age of 20 and they're not up at 5am to do the Great Wall of China tomorrow!

Airport

Get to airport with decidedly heavy rucksack. Tearful last minute conversation with friend and I'm off.

On the approach to Beijing, medical airport officials get on with Men in Black type devices. Wonder if they are going to erase all memory of my homeland but they are taking temperatures to check for Swine Flu.

Another temperature check at passport control sees a small family pulled to one side. Rumours at hostel later say whoever gets pulled is quarantined for 7 days in a hotel and not allowed to see the outside world. Happy to be through and into Beijing for the first step of my adventure.

More packing...

Rucksack has been packed 4 times. I've emptied it, stared at the contents on the bed, removed two things at a time and then repacked it all. I'm sure there's a better way. I've already decided that I'll be posting back the guidebooks when I'm done as I have 3 for the trip round and they're too heavy! Tried to take some cheap clothes too so I can get rid of them if I don't need/they get ruined by weird washing powders/I get bored of them etc...

Thanks to Clare and Matt for taking care of the Mazda. I shall miss her but she'll be replaced by a bicycle in Beijing so I'll be whizzing around still. And thanks for all the last minute texts and FB messages :o)

Right...off to pick up my currency en route to the lovely Heathrow. Luckily I'm not going from terminal 5 today. There is a god.

See you on the other side...xxx