Profile
Blog
Photos
Videos
Nee hao! (Hello).
Today is our last full day of the trip. I cant believe we are flying home tomorrow. I am quite excited for it now though - the last few days I have been thinking about seeing people and getting back to reality and I cant wait! China has been amazing though!
Before China we had a couple of days in Malaysia's capital Kuala Lumpur. This was very much like Singapore in my opinion - loads of nice expensive shopping malls not suited to travellers and not a great deal else to see. It didnt help that the 2 days we were there it rained a lot. However saying that, we had a good look around and went to the famous Petronas Towers (tallest twin towers in the world) and also visited the Lake Gardens where we had to hide under a shelter for ages due to the rain. We also escaped the rain by going to the cinema and had a wander round China town which is where we were staying. I think the heat had got to us as at 1 point we stayed inside this buidling going up and down the escalators passing each other and high fiving on the way past - definately time to moveon i think.
So next was China - what a shock the weather was! We went from maybe 30 degrees to about 4-5 degrees. It was nice though - after all this time the heat had lost its novelty and the cold air gave us a new lease of life.
We flew to Hangzhou which we thought was basically the airport for Shanghai but it turns out its a 2 hour train journey away so we stayed here for a couple of nights anyway. Its a really nice area and the hostel we stayed in was Brill! While here we went to visit the famous Xi Hun (west lake) which was very beautiful and relaxing and very chinese (especially with all the chinese music coming out of the bushes). Back at the hostel we spent time with one of the Chinese guys who worked there called Adam and we played on the Wii - love Mario/Sonic Olympics! We also had our first experience of trying to communicate with the Chinese general public - its hard work. Getting a taxi to the station took 3 seperate taxi attempts before they agreed to take us. They speak no English. We obviously speak no Chinese. Its all about pointing, shouting and gesturing.
From Hangzhou we got a long overnight train journey to Xi'an. The train journey was funny - we were the only non-asians on a massive train and it was like we were famous - everyone stared so much. I'm sure families were walking past us on purpose just to get a look. A bit weird at first but we are used to it now. We tried to order some food but it went wrong and the most we got was a beer (the only english word the train man new) so I had a tea of Oreos.
We arrived in Xi'an at 5.30am and checked into our hostel. By 9.30am we were on a tour to the Army of Terracotta Warriors with an Aussie couple and our tour guide - Jaja. The tour was really good and the warriors was amazing- its hard to believe they have been there for hundreds of years undiscovered until the 1970s - they are still unearthing more now. Apparently they were all arranged to be built by Qin Hin Shuang - the first emperor of China back in 210BC!
The rest of the tour involved a traditional Chinese lunch and a trip to the Warrior workshop to see how they were all made. That night we headed out into the Muslim Quarter and had more authentic Chinese food - and for the first time I did the whole meal with chopsticks - hurrah! Later that night we had a doubles match of table tennis - dont think we gave the Chinese much to worry about really with our skills. A strange ginger cat got fully involved and got on the table to join in. I liked him.
Next was Beijing after another night of stares on the train. Whilst here we went on a good wander around the Forbidden city which dates back from 1420.. or is it 1424? - Anyway it was sometime in the Ming Dynasty. The buildings were all very impressive and was home to many Emperors of China and is all in very good nick considering. Later that night we went to the Night Bazzar - loads of food stalls outside selling anything from sheep heart kebabs to deep fried scorpions and so on. Hmm.. not really for me i dont think! The next day was a tour of the Great Wall - this was ace! First off we had to visit a couple of factories including a Jade, Chinese Vase and Silk factory - these were all ok but unless you have a particular interest in any of these then a bit pointless. After a chinese Banquet we were taken to the wall in Badaling where we walked up 2000 steep steps to get to the 8th Watch Tower at the top - it was hard work but so worth the effort! The views were incredible. We spent a couple of hours doing the walk and after were shattered! On the way back we visited a Tea House where we sampled different teas - the woman squirted Liz in the face with boiling water at 1 point but didnt seem to notice - I had to be very controlled not to laugh as the woman was very serious about her tea. Afterwards she pretty much made us buy some tea - this woman could give Ruth Badger a run for her money. We bought some Jasmine tea and got a free 'Pee Pee' boy thrown in - just what I always wanted!
So from there we travelled last night to Shanghai where we are now. We are just having a chill out day today preparing for our early start tomorrow and our 13 hour flight back to London. China has been amazing - from what i've seen from my trip its the place which has got the most culture and the least westernised place i've seen. Apart from the spitting (everyone flems up on the street, on the train etc) and the not knowing how to queue in line - the people here have been so friendly! Its a place i'd like to come back to.
Right well thats the last blog me thinks - will see you all very soon! Cant wait! x
- comments