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Fail to prepare, prepare to fail.......Yichang 14th April
So i will allow you a brief glimpse in to the mind of genius.................(as in me)
i had decided i wanted to see the 3 gorges dam, and then to cruise along the Yangtze, which was in the direction of my next stop, so it all fitted in rather well.
the cruises run from Chongqing to Yichang, and vice versa, as obviously the ships have to get back.
Speaking to other people who had been, there were many factors to consider, such as English speaking guides, making sure it sailed during the day, the cost of extras as opposed to all inclusive, and most importantly, the standard of the boat etc etc.
Be sure to remember these as tick offs for what i actually booked. So concentrate hard children for later on.
I started to research it on the net, but soon realised it required more than a minute's work, plus the film Snatch had started playing in the bar area, and was clearly a greater priority. (having seen it before as well of course)
Now prepare to be dazzled by my logic, wisdom and genius....
As Yichang was nearest to Xian (where i was) it was obvious that if i get a train there, it is bound to be right next to where the boats are, and there will be hundreds of travel agents, and boats leaving every 10 minutes, so i can just leisurely stroll round these and book something for the next day that ticks all the boxes at a rock bottom price.
Also, if i get the hostel to book me in at the one that is next to Yichang station, when i arrive i will just step outside the station and there it will be. In fact there will probably big flashing lights saying "andy your hostel is this way."
In fact, i did not even need to remember what it is called, or write anything down about it.
I know, you can feel a MBE coming for "services to helping people to travel more in countries on the other side of the planet that could not be any more different if they tried; than the UK".
I hope the queen has my number on speed dial.
So the train from hell, i never thought that Cambodian buses could be trumped, but this did it by a mile, gets in at midnight, and i am stood feeling like colonel custer at the last stand surrounded by the enemy in front of the train station.
after a couple of laps of chinese signs and nothing that looks like a hostel (i.e. no flashing "andy" signs) and a hundred touts and taxi drivers shouting at me,
my, "this time i have really blown it" look,must have crept over my poker face look.
Luckily the hostel called the other hostel from my phone, so i managed to call them. Fantastic, reception was still open, and just as i was about to get directions.................... my credit ran out.
Now i was really fed up. I had no choice but to start asking the few remaining touts if they knew where the hostel, of which i did not even know the name of, was.
Realising i was up the famous "s" creek without a paddle, i asked the single remaining taxi driver where the nearest phone was, by doing a peter kay.
immediately he starts to phone a hotel he knows and puts his phone next to my ear.
I did not know whether to laugh or cry. I hung up and showed him the number on my phone of which i had one bar of battery left as well. He rang it for me, started laughing and pointed to the building behind me that looked like a block of flats and waved goodbye. he did not even ask for any money or anything.
For a start i had booked a hotel and not a hostel and second she said she knew nothing of my booking and only had a single room which cost twice as much.
What a night, then i thought sod it, i am so tired and smelly, it will be nice to have an en suite for once and not have to worry about other people in the room. So i just checked in for one night.
Well check out the photos, it was not fit to wash a dog in. I had no choice but to sleep in my clothes as it was so dirty, but at least i would have a lay in.
Bit of a clue in the name "railway station hotel". Yes at 6 am i had train air horns blowing as they blasted through the station which was right beneath my window. I gave up trying to go back to sleep at 10.
Throwing my back pack on i stormed off in my 3 day old clothes to go and find the streets of travel agents that i had imagined, determined to get a boat that day.
I started losing the will to live after walking for 3 hours. I found one, but they did not speak english, only dealt with their own boats and were full for 2 days.
i found builders merchants, plumbing supplies, bed shops, more shoe shops than you have ever seen in your life, but the shangri la of tour booking travel agents remained always around the next corner.
I found only 1 single travel agency, with limited english, but they could get me on a boat that night at 10.30 and also the dam tour which left in 10 minutes, but i would have to go direct from the dam to the boat, but they would sort it with the tour guide. (promise)
my little voice just screamed the word "disaster" but as you know i live on the edge (am stupid) so booked it knowing absolutely nothing about the boat and ran off to catch the bus for the dam tour.
next installment...........carry on up the Yangtse
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