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.