We get up and head out for a traditional Chinese breakfast. It was fantastic. Dough sticks and soya milk, i think it is the best breakfast i have had in China! Catherine is leaving today but only has a ticket for a hard seat and her train is 28 hours!! I wouldn't do that, plus she has never been on a hard seat, I have. So we go down to the train station to try and get her ticket changed. We get a bus to the station and she joins the queue, but when she gets to the window there is no other tickets available, so she'll just have to stick to her hard seat. I get my ticket to Nanning which leaves tomorrow at 9.20. We decide to get a bus from the station up to the north of the city to check out another lake, and then maybe just walk back. Nothing to strenuous after yesterdays marathon.
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After getting on a packed bus, we ask if we are heading in the right direction, turns out we are not. So we get off the bus and ask some people for directions. Every time Catherine asks someone for directions the conversation appears to last a long time. I'm not really too sure why it lasts as long as it does. Back at home if you ask for directions, people tell you, you thank them and move on. Not here, whole heap of talking, I ask Catherine what about, she does not enlighten me. The other issue that we are having is that the map that the hostel has is so bad. It is nearly impossible to navigate yourself using this. Landmarks are not even in the right position. What good is this? We eventually get to the lake, and it has a path that runs down the length of the river, so we decide to walk down that because it should take us in the direction of back in to town. We pass no less than 5 married couples getting their photos taken by the river and surrounding forested area, must be a popular spot. Not too many other people on the walk. We walk for a couple of hours and Catherine is pleased to get back to the hostel to rest. I think she has done more walking in the past couple of days with me than she normally does in a month, ha ha.
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On the way back we stop off at a BBQ place and I get to feast on some more lovely spicy meat! So cheap and so good! We just chill out for the rest of the day in the hostel, having some coffee and just chatting before Catherine has to go. I walk her down to the end of the street where she jumps in a taxi to the station. I head back to the hostel and get something to eat. I just get a night to myself, do a little reading, have a beer and just chill. Then about 11, this group of Chinese come in to the hostel and up to the bar to order drinks. One guy just throws up all over the bar and then collapses back in to his seat. His mates pick him up and take him to the bathroom. There does not appear to be any apology, and no one in the group offers to help clean the mess. He gets carried out a short while later. After this entertainment I head to bed.