Day 65 - Tagong

25.09.09

WHAM! That's the sound of a headache, backache, cold feet, cold everything, neckache, wobbly legs, congested head and feeling like I have a cold. The high altitude bus came along while I was sleeping, ran me over and didn't even phone 999. As soon as I wake up I take some pills, pack some in my bag, rehydrate like I have spent time in the desert and take it easy for the first part of the morning. I try and drink lots of green tea in the hope that's it herbal qualities will aid my aclimitasation and eventually I start to feel better, although I think it's just the pain killers.

Today we take a walk to Jomo Gompa, which is supposed to be about 2 hours away on foot. We get so far along the road and then take a detour onto a path following a stream past herds of yaks. We all know this is not the main way to the Gompa, but hopefully it will end up being the scenic route.









The lesson of today is that my body is not fond of high places and when it comes to altitude I think it bails quite early.

Day 64 - Kanding, Tagong

24.09.09

In our group of 6 Israelis and one Brit I have been designated interpreter and head communication man as I am the only one who can speak any Chinese. I'm quite surprised at how much I can communicate and in all our morning dealings I haven't hit a sizable wall yet, I had to have a peek at the phrase book a few times, but the foundations of the language are sitting nice and steady in the depths of my mind somewhere. The main task apart from the breakfasts, paying and talking about the computer is to arrange a minibus for the 7 of us to head to Kanding. After some negotiations we head out at 11.30 and what I'm told should be a 2 hour journey takes nearly 5. I think the main reason is that now we are past Kanding the roads become the real Sichuan-Tibet Highway and it some places this consists of just a dirt track, the driver is going reasonably fast, but not too bad although we manage to acquire a burst tyre half way through. Once it's changed we are back on the road and when hit a pass of around 4000m the views of the land below are phenomenal and its at about this point that I notice I am out of breadth if I take a short walk and also I am starting to feel a little strange.

When we arrive in Tagong at 3400m up, it is a real one street town and reminds of spaghetti western movies where the horses have been replaced by motorbikes. This town has a real Tibetan flavour and every building is in a Tibetan style and the people don't look Chinese, there are also Monks everywhere and the main Monastery, Tagong Gompa, is huge. Me and the two Israeli guys decide to climb one of the nearby hills to get a view of the town below and the surrounding plains, it only takes about 10mins, but as I get to the top on comes a headache and I'm panting like I've run a marathon. When we get back to our guesthouse I can feel my headache starting to take route and I also feel weak and a little funny, only one thing for it, Ibuprofen. After dinner we head off to our rooms, me and my two hill climbing buddies, choosing the cheapest dorm room which we have to our selves, but the door doesn't close properly and the windows have holes in them, so it is absolutely freezing cold at night and it takes me hours to fall asleep.

Day 63 - Chengdu, Kanding

23.09.09

Getting used to the early wake ups and I'm up and out of bed at about 6.30am ready to make my way to the bus station to jump on my bus bound for the town of Kanding and the start of my high altitude journeys. As I'm milling around the hostel I end up talking to an Israeli guy and girl called Itay and Moran, who are also going to Kanding that day and we all end up on the same 9am bus heading west. Pulling into Kanding which sits at a comfortable altitude of 2616m, it is noticeably colder up here than down in Chengdu, I'm still braving it in a T-shirt as it's not freezing... yet.

We visit a few of the monasteries in Kanding and I want to try and climb one of the nearby mountains, but as it's getting dark soon and a British tourist was murdered on it a few years ago he thinks it's not a good idea. I guess he has a point, although if I was by myself I know I would have recklessly climbed right to the top. In a massive coincidence, there are two people staying in the same place in Kanding who are Israeli... they were also in my room in Chengdu, small world. About 30mins later, we meet two more people in the hostel and low and behold they are also Israeli, it gets even smaller. For dinner we hit a Tibetan style restaurant and sip Yak butter tea, eat a plate of Yak meat and lovely potato dumplings. As we are getting into Tibetan areas and approaching the Tibetan border, the architecture changes and there are a lot of Tibetan style monasteries. The people also change, starting to look different and wear more colourful clothes and seem a lot more eccentric.

The best bit about today is seeing so many monks all walking around dressed in their robes and the prize has to go to the two who were playing pool on the road side.

Day 62 - Chengdu

22.09.09

I'm not going to lie, not so fresh this morning. Eventually getting out of bed at around 10.30, I put on some washing and make my self my porridge breakfast before heading over to the local WANGBA! (Chinese for Internet Cafe), where I spend a good few hours answering emails, getting music, writing for this page and general non intensive activities. After my bash at the internet, it's a walk around Chengdu for one last time to have a look down it's old back streets as I am heading off to the wild west of China next and taking the Sichuan-Tibet highway as close as I can to the Tibet border without angering the local police force. To actually get into Tibet it seems you either need to pay over a thousand pounds for less than a weeks tour or sleep with the Chairman of China to get a permit for the area, both of which aren't really possibilities for me. Come the evening it's time to grab a bite to eat at the local kebab stall just outside the hostel and I go wild on grilled meat, tofu, dumplings and vegetables.
Today was a rest day.

Day 61 - Leshan, Chengdu

21.09.09 (24 today)

Awaking a new man and at 24 with a whole new set of skills and knowledge bestowed upon him... or just seriously tired as I need to catch a 7.30am bus from the station in the south of town and so have to wake up at about 5.30am. I get to Leshan nice and early at around 10am and take a walk around the complex, The majority (99%) of tourists go straight to the giant Buddha and that's more or less it, which means I end up having the rest of the complex more or less to my self which I take full advantage of. The temples and gardens are very peaceful and although it's quite sad I brought some Moon Cake (a type of Chinese cake that is extremely popular and originates from the moon festival in October) and sit down with around 100 Koi Carp beneath me and tuck in. When I do reach the big Buddha is it is a colossal statue chiseled out of the side of a cliff over many many years. It was built to try and calm the river beneath it and the process of dumping thousands of tons of rock into the river during it's sculpting, actually filled in the hollows of the river bed and did indeed tame it. A person can comfortably sit on it's big toe nail it's that big. Leaving the Buddha and the complex I jump on a bus back to Chengdu and run into an Aussie guy and his partner called Andy and Lauren who are also staying in Mix hostel. He is interested in organising events back in Australia and so we end up having a lot to talk about, his aim being to throw big outside events in tents! When he finds out it's my birthday today he says I can't celebrate it on my own and from this point on (about 5pm) the fun begins.

When we get back to the hostel we head straight to the beer garden and Andy gets in some beers. We are shortly joined by some more people from the hostel, some of whom Andy met yesterday and before I know it there are 9 of us all sitting down outside finishing off beers and about to head to the local hot pot restaurant for a large meal. It's a fantastic meal and we end up doing shots of a Chinese spirit which is distilled from rice and sits at a comfortable 50%. After the meal where we are joined in multiple toasts by people from other tables the route back to the hostel is via one of the Chinese outside communal gyms and we have a slightly drunken play on the machines. The night ends with drinking until 5am and Andy even gives me a gift, a stubby holder for bottles of beer that keeps them cool if you're in hot countries, he designed it himself and is for the promotion of his events company.

It has turned out to be such a great day and so unexpected being so far away from home. It's all thanks to a random meeting with an Aussie couple, maybe the visit to the giant Buddha did indeed bring me a great birthday...

Day 60 - Chengdu

20.09.09

The train gets in late at about 3pm and I make my way to Mix Hostel, the only reason I chose it is because on the flyers it says that there is free music exchange for mp3 players and you can load up on tracks. A short hop on the bus and it's into Mix Hostel which is like a Tardis, it looks small on the outside, but has an outside beer garden, large inside restaurant bar two floors of rooms and a roof terrace. After dropping off my stuff I check out Wenshu Monastery which is just around the corner. It's a massive complex and is the biggest in Chengdu, with lovely gardens and several big prayer hall/rooms, monks shuffling around in red an orange robes, it's a great place to spend a few hours. After my religious excursion I get in the thick of it and walk to the middle of the city in search of a Sichuans famous 'Hot Pot'.

The meal involves a big pot full of oil, stock and lots of chilies, where you throw in various ingredients of your choice and allow them to be cooked in a kind of Chinese spicy fondue. I end up empty handed and settle for a meal in a standard Chinese cafe before visiting my local mega mart and getting some shopping. Chengdu seems like a pleasant city, but with nothing I really want to see here I make the call to head out to the giant Buddha at Leshan tomorrow and make my birthday day trip one of seeing the biggest seated Buddha in the world. I'm a bit sceptical of the day ahead and don't think it will turn out to be one of the best birthdays, being away from home with no one around, but we shall see.

Day 59 - The Train

19.09.09

Saying goodbye to my new friends and heading off to Guilin to start my train journey north into Sichuan province for the penultimate stretch of my China journey. On board I know that the train leaves at 1.30pm and arrives at around 2.30 the next day, but in my head it's just over 12 hours. A woman who lectures in psychology back in the UK promptly puts me right and tells me that we have a 25 hour journey to Chengdu and I realise that I'm back approaching trans Siberian train journey lengths. I spend my next day chatting to her about her travels and mine and then meeting a Chinese man called Han from Chongqing, about 4 hours away from Chengdu. I think he wants to speak to me to practice his English and he tells me how he works in Guilin selling minerals and rocks like Quartz, Granite and Marble to people in America, France and Germany and is travelling to Chongqing as that's his home. He has learnt English by listening to a tape in the same way that I am trying to learn Chinese and considering he hasn't learnt it from a teacher his English is extremely good. When he finds out that it is my birthday in a few days, he offers to take me out in Chongqing and says I will not have to worry about anything while there. I am tempted, but I need to get to Chengdu and then move on to other parts of Sichuan Province and Chongqing would mess with my schedule. He's on business trips to America next year and also France and so wants to learn English so his travels and business will be easier. He is definitely up there with the business men of China and I think he isn't joking when I said he would sort my accommodation and everything else if I went to Chongqing.

Lights off at 10pm and the sleeper carriage becomes a bedroom on wheels transporting us 50 or so sleepers north back into the mainland of China and up away from it's tropical south.

Day 58 - Yangshuo

18.09.09

None of us could get a room in 'Giggles' for tonight, so we all head into Yangshuo town and manage to get a hostel with a room for all of us. Albert decides to stay and do some more work, joining us later, while me, Wolfram and Muriel head off on a bus to Yangdi for the 24km trek to Xingping. When we reach Yangdi we manage to avoid being scammed by a woman who tries to sell us a one way ride across the river to the start of the trail for 15 yuan, when we can buy an official trail ticket that gets us three crossings for 16 Yuan. She's a menace.

The start of the trail leads alongside the river and past small villages, farmers and their animals, rice fields and the peaks of the area. We stop off for some lunch that we packed with us and then continue on towards Xingping meeting Albert at the last crossing. He hired a bike and travelled in the opposite direction to walk back with us, we catch him chatting away to the locals at a shop, improving his seriously impressive Chinese language skills. It turns out to be a power walk back to Xingping as nightfall is setting in and we need to make it back for our 7.30 bus or face being stranded in Xingping. On the route back we pass the famous scene which is on the reverse of the 20Yuan notes. In the sun set it is beautiful and there is even a bamboo raft on the river to make it exactly like the picture.

When we get back to Yangshuo safely on the last bus, it's the feast of the trip so far and we end up having eels, snails, rabbit and beer fish (a catfish cooked in beer). It's a great meal if not a little pricey, but it is Yangshuo tourist central and is a lot better than my bill at the Giggling Tree, which turned out to be quite large considering I was only there for two nights. I thought the buy now, pay later deal would get me. After dinner it's off to the local bars where we drink until the early hours and meet some Canadian girls and a guy from Manchester called Frank. My fellow Brit was the best of your obnoxious and sarcastic home grown talent and opened his introductions with true British Sarcasm towards Canada, Germany and Switzerland. Me and him ended up having a good old English sarcasm insult death match and I am embarrassed that the only British guy I meet while in out in Yangshuo is an arse. To everyone else it just seems as if we are having a quirky conversation, and Albert is loving it and said he wished he could speak English well enough to be sarcastic. The night ends well and it feels good to have a good night out, they say it's a pre birthday celebration and I hope the 21st turns out just as good.

Day 57 - Yangshuo

17.09.09 Today it's bicycle time. With Wolfram and Muriel, we rent mountain bikes from the Giggling Tree and head up to the Dragon Bridge on the Yulong River, which is about 3 hours away with a leisurely cycle and a few stops. The scenery along the way is outstanding, rice fields, peaks springing up from the ground in a way they can only do in Asia, ducks wading around in the streams and the river winding off into the distance. When we reach the bridge it's just in time for lunch and we feast on beer fish, various vegetables and some stir fried pork, washed down with an ice cold beer or two. What makes it even better is the fact that we are eating on several bamboo rafts tied together and are floating out on the river, it couldn't get better and the surroundings have to be up there with the most beautiful scenes I've ever seen. After lunch, it would be rude not to have a swim in the river and so we jump in and for some reason the local children either like me a lot or hate me and decide that they are going to play with me. 'Playing', entails jumping in and bombing next to me so I get splashed and then teaming up to splash me, I'm not the strongest of swimmers by a long shot and at certain points I catch mouth fulls of water and am severely outnumbered, so I retreat to the shore and away from my attackers. We are shortly joined by Albert who cycles up and then we make the journey home, leaving a bit too late so we are cycling in the dark. My head torch comes in mighty handy.



The evening sees many beers and a meal in the 'Tree's' restaurant/cafe/bar. It's deceptive as they don't take money off you there and then, instead charging it to your bill, so when you leave you pay it all together. It's a nice system as you don't worry about it, but at the same time you could run up a costly bill with out realising it. Watch this space.

Day 56 - Yangshuo

16.09.09

In the morning I have the Chinese breakfast of noodles and vegetables with Wu Ming, which actually goes down quite well, although quite heavy for early morning. She tells me of how she is studying and training to be an air hostess, which in China is a top job for a girl. She also explains how her parents have an arranged marriage for her to a man who is nearly ten years older, their view is that he is a successful business man and she will not have to worry about money or anything once she is married to him. Her view is quite different and she doesn't want to marry someone she doesn't know or care for. It turns out she has started travelling so she will be away come her marriage date and so avoiding the ceremony, she is in a massive dilemma about what to do and it sounds like an extremely hard situation to be in. For some reason arranged marriages is not something I associated with China, but apparently it happens quite a lot.

In the afternoon I make my way to the 'Giggling Tree', a converted farmhouse run by a dutch couple located around 4km away in the the countryside which is where I am staying for the next two nights. I decide to walk all the way and absorb the scenery, in total it takes just over an hour and I'm glad to get my pack off my back when I check in. It's a lovely place and the wood trims are all painted in a vibrant sky blue, the dutch couple seem friendly and there are lots of dutch people staying who fulfill the stereotypes perfectly. It turns out that Wolfram and and Albert are also staying here and along with Muriel (a Swiss girl) and Unai (a Spanish guy), we go and take a swim in the Yulong river which is nearby and beautiful. A great day and I think I have hit one of China's most beautiful places.

Day 55 - Yangshuo

15.09.09

Arriving in Yangshuo early afternoon, the town seems very much like Guilin, except smaller and with more impressive scenery. The main street is nicknamed foreigner street and it has your favourite western hot spots such as a MacDonald's and even better, Sally's Bar, Wendy's Place, etc... On the river front you can see mountains and bamboo outcrops, bamboo rafts and it is actually quite lovely. The weather is quite misty, so visibility is poor and I am sure the mist is following me around China, although the epic downpour at about 4pm clears most of the mist and also leaves everything soaking wet. After monsoon season, I take a walk out of the touristy area and to the outskirts of the town and time is just right to see a local school release its students, who are wearing the brilliant school uniform of ... combat camouflage gear, Love China.

I brave a meal in a local 'hole in the wall' restaurant, which I know will be great food and costs me only 90p for as much rice as I can eat and then a plate of vegetables and meat of my choice stir fried up in a wok. It's such a good deal and they are everywhere in China, but you never see tourists in them as there is no English menu and it's quite intimidating if you have no idea what is going on, (I have no idea what is going on). In my room back at the hostel is a Chinese girl called Wu Ming and a guy whose name I have either forgotten or I like to think he never told me. His pictures of Tibet look amazing and although I will never be able to get into Tibet, maybe I can make a journey nearby.

Day 54 - Guilin, Dragon's Backbone Rice Terraces

14.09.09

The Dragons backbone rice terraces are supposed to be one of the architectural marvels in China. Terraces for rice fields have been carved into the side of the hills stretching over 500m the hills and covering a huge area. A bonus before I even arrive is it costs me only 35 Yuan to get there as opposed to the 65 Yuan the hostel told me it would cost, obviously just wanting me to take their tour. The journey takes in some amazing scenery and once there I hike up to the top of the terraces for some amazing views down over the valley and the villages. This is minority village area: the people dress in bright vibrant colours; it seems the women never cut their hair and it curls around in massive buns on top of their heads, when they let it loose, it's longer than them; the houses are built on stilts and seem to accommodate whole family groups, not just the immediate family. I decide to take the trek from the north town of Dazhai to the south town of Pingan, which seemed like a good idea, until I realise I'm running out of time and end up pacing through the countryside to make sure I can catch the last bus out and back to Guilin. When I do eventually reach Pingan if I wait for the next bus I will miss my next connection, so I decide it will be a good idea to run about a mile on a steep down hill road to the main crossroads where I can intercept more transport. As I strap on my rucksack tight and make the descent cars that pass me beep and the people on board take pictures or cheer. About half way down a motorcyclist offers me a lift, but I kindly refuse as by this point in time I think I am some kind of action man marathon terminator, I let him drive on a bit before I start running again as I don't want to overtake him. The plan works and I make a connection and catch my bus back to Guilin, feeling good for the exercise, yet in need of a shower.
On the hills I met two guys who I recognise from my hostel, they are making the trek in the opposite direction and back at Guilin I run into them again and they have moved rooms into my dorm. Wolfram and Albert, from Germany. Wolfram is a cartoonist and has been working on a project in China for the past few weeks and Albert (Wolfram's cousin), is training to be a lawyer and has been in China for 6 weeks studying. They are going to Yangshuo in a couple of days, which is my next destination and mention some treks around the town that we can do, plans have been laid.

Day 53 - Guilin

13.09.09

Pulling into Guilin Station at an early 8am and the town is silent. There are the usual drove of taxi drivers vying for your attention, but once i got past them, it was clear sailing all the way to the hostel. After checking in to my hostel, I decide to take a walk around town and over to the main park. As per usual there is an entry fee to get into the park and then some attractions have an additional fee on top of that. The geography around Guilin is the main attraction and the karst peaks that jut up out the ground from no where are what people mainly come to see. The park has a few of them and I decide it would be a good idea to try and climb up one, so about 30mins later, a few scratches, muddy hands and a feeling of 'was this a good idea', I am at the top of one of the parks main peaks and overlooking Guilin. It doesn't look like anything special and I am mythed at how the city is a number one destination for Chinese tourists, it doesn't look appealing at all. There is also a zoo at the park which is actually horrific. A crocodile sits in a small concrete room with a pool about the size of a bath with less than a foot of dirty green water in it, black bears pace around concrete cells or sit with their heads pushed against the bars moaning, monkeys in cages groom themselves as if they have OCD or sit motionless. All in all it's a horrible place, but still people look at the cages and throw peanuts or seeds at the animals and whistle or clap at them to try and get them to do something. Unpleasant.

At night Guilin becomes a bit more interesting, my first task, printing off pictures to use as post cards turns into a mission with a 10min dialogue between me and the printer trying to work out what size photos I want. I realise that I have over 1500 photos on two memory cards and no back ups, I really need to burn them to DVDs. Walking back to the hostel at, Guilin lights up around the lake, the pagodas and the river and it's a lot better than the day time. The down side to a tourist town however is the seedier side and as I walk along the main tourist street people try and get me to go into their bars or ask me if I want a "massage". I guess it's all good training for what I hear is an onslaught of some places in Thailand.

Day 52 - Hong Kong, Guangzhou

12.09.09

Departure day from my new best city in China and onto Guilin, a Chinese tourist haven. I leave the same way I entered, by train to Guangzhou East station, passing through airport style imigration and customs once more. When I arrive at Guangzhou I queue up to get my tickets and watch as an English guy and his friend buy their tickets onwards to Beijing, the ticket seller speaking a bit of English, but the transaction was far from smooth. When I eventually end up at the front of my queue I realise just how easy it is for me to communicate what I want and I even end up having a basic conversation with the lady behind the screen. I'm suprised that I can now effectively survive as a tourist in China and my Mandarin allows me to complete the essential day to day tasks. I thought I would have to go hard seat, but I manage to snag a sleeper berth on the 23 hour journey.

At Guangzhou station I await my train to Guilin and see what must be a team of beggars individually and systematically work their way around the hall. One an old woman, hunched over and shuffling around with hardly any teeth, a man with no hands who at one point had an arguement with his accomplice who was a young girl who had no arms at all, the last person, a man who dragged himself along the floor as his legs were not working. It may be a booming city in the south of China and one of the country's big economic powerhouses, but it still has all the poverty and bad care for people who have any kind of disability. Once on the train, I settle down on my bottom bunk and enjoy the gentle rock of the train to send me into a deep deep sleep.

Day 51 - Hong Kong

11.09.09

In theory I should be quite productive today, I'm up and about at around 9am showered and ready to go. It's my last day in Hong kong and so I want to have a last whizz around and see what's going on. Depending on your attitude, the first half is far from sightseeing productive as I spend just over 4 hours on the computer, answering emails and writing up entries for this online publication you are reading right now. I eventually leave just after 1 and head outside in the wind and intermittent rain of the storm passing overhead, it's having a nice cooling effect on the hot and humid climate, so as long as it stays at this level I'm quite happy with it. I head over to Hong Kong Park with it's Tai Chi garden, botanical greenhouses and find a massive aviary , with walkways suspended above streams and a man made environment for over 650 various birds. It's magnificent and to have it in the middle of the City is amazing. After the park I make the ascent to Victoria Peak on board the Peak tram, which grants great views over Hong Kong Island, the Kowloon peninsula and the surrounding Islands. I take a walk and circle the peak, seeing what must be some of Hong Kong's top real estate in the form of luxury houses built into the side of the mountatin with fantastic panoramas of the city.

On the journey back to Hong Kong Island I realise that Hong Kong's glitz and glamour may come with a price. In Hong Kong, everyone looks more glamorous and fashionable then on the main land and people generally look wealthier and more comfortable. It seems like a side affect of this is the west's obsession with looking perfect and on the Hong Kong Metro I have never seen as many plastic surgery adverts, ever. Looking around more and the whole area above and below ground features the adverts and a general sense of image concern seems to persist nearly everywhere. I guess all is not rosy and it's taken the worst bits of western culture along with the good bits.