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Hotpot and hospitality
I arrived in Chongqing sort of by mistake. I didn't get on the wrong train but it hadn't really been my intention to go to Chongqing not having enough time to head down the Yangtze for 3 days. I had intended to go to Chengdu, to cuddle pandas (I'm not sure they do actually let you cuddle them), but in a misreading of train routes and timetables it appeared a better and quicker route to Guilin via Chongqing.
So I arrived Chongqing early morning, my first solo train journey of this trip had been a success. Filled with confidence I queued with the locals to buy my next train ticket to Guilin and thereby avoiding the commission charged by hostels to book them. My miming of soft sleeper transpired not to be so great and I had a hard sleeper ticket but not bad for my first attempt. On to the hostel.
My first day at the hostel wasn't so interesting, I caught up on sleep and Facebook (the hostel use a proxy server to get round the ban). In the evening I took a 2 river cruise on the Yangtze and Jailing rivers and this is where the hospitality began. With seemingly no spare seats on top deck I noticed a middle aged Chinese man sat on his own. We exchanged some gesticulations and he offered me the seat opposite him and his nuts (I took one to be polite but didn't really like the taste!) which was very kind.
Back to the hostel and with only another half day in Chongqing tomorrow I was keen to make sure I tried their infamous hotpot (not, as far as I am aware, inspired by the Lancashire hotpot made famous by Betty Turpin in the Rovers but a fiery local dish with Sichuan peppers)
I asked the bartender in the hostel, who had kindly just made me a Baileys hot chocolate despite it not appearing on the menu (I have become addicted), where he would recommend. Not only did he recommend somewhere but also offered to take me with one of the girls from reception for lunch the next day.
In the morning prior to hotpot. I quickly took in the sights around the hostel and centre. I asked to take some pictures of the local fruit sellers who were so amused by me and my camera that they insisted on taking some pictures themselves, all sorts of japery ensued (see photos)
The guys from the hostel took me to the hotpot place by taxi and insisted on paying (for the taxi not food). Once inside they took care of ordering, I would not have had a clue it was all in Chinese! They kindly only ordered western cuts of meat apart from chicken feet which I avoided. The plates of ingredients arrived and we cooked them in the boiling fiery pot in front of us. My first piece of beef nearly blew my head off. It took a few seconds and several sips of some sort of local pop for me to actually get the sensation back in my tongue and lips. (I think it may have also cleared my sinuses which was handy as in a complete oversight I had forgotten to pack my usual trusty vics nasal spray and was a little bunged up.) I was not to be deterred and continued on only this time avoiding actually eating the pepper seeds just like the locals.
It was time to leave the hostel and Chongqing and I headed to the station. At the platform gate there appeared to be some sort of problem but I couldn't understand what. Looking confused at the guard prompted him to get someone to explain to me in English that the train was delayed by up to 4 hours. Nothing had changed on the platform notice board and I was worried how I would know what time it was going to leave. Would a notice appear on the notice board or would I be completely in the dark!?
I returned to my seat where a Chinese man asked if he could help. He had been in Chongqing on business and had 3 hours till his train left. Turned out he had taught himself English and enjoyed reading English novels. We chatted for the 3 hours until his train came with him giving me updates on my train as the were announced (still nothing changed on the board). When it was time for him to take train he said he would find someone to help me. He had spoken to the guards and they motioned me over to sit with them. I thanked my kindly stranger and sat with the guards until they let me through the gate ahead of the crowds to board, my now 4.5 hour late train.
The hospitality shown in Chongqing has been shown all over China, on the whole. Yes there have been some stares and requests for photos by the locals (I've had a good mind to ask them for money, like it suggests they will ask for, for photos of them in the lonely planet but I haven't)
I was told by friends that China's cities were big, dirty and packed. They are certainly big and undergoing massive growth and with that construction. But I haven't found then particularly dirty, they are smoggy for sure and the constant hawking up and spitting by the locals still turns my stomach every time I hear it, which is constant but other than that they are clean. In fact they seem obsessed with street sweeping. I have also found them quite relaxing and tranquil despite being so big, aside to crossing the road which is anything but relaxing. It would appear that the green running man and zebra crossings count for nothing its every man for themselves!
I have 2 more stops in China before heading to Vietnam but so far I have very much enjoyed the scenery, food and friendliness of the locals.
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