Laurie was arriving in Liaocheng today so after work I took a taxi.As the taxi stopped at traffic lights some Chinese people opened the passenger door and started yelling at the driver!I was a bit scared but then I realised they were trying to get him to take them as well.Some taxi drivers take several customers at once to make more money.But when the girl saw I was foreign she grabbed the boy and they said sorry and closed the door.

I got to the train station and was circled by Chinese men trying to tout their taxis.I just ignored them while I was waiting for Laurie.We hadn't arranged a meeting place but I didn't think he would be too difficult to spot as the only other foreigner, with a large backpack, in the area.I soon found him and we haggled with another taxi driver to take us back to my apartment.

When it was time for dinner I suggested we go to the place I had taken Ashley a few months before.However, when we got there I discovered it had closed down.I had been hoping to say goodbye to the waitress there as she had always been so friendly despite the language barrier.We just went into a random place nearby I hadn't been to before.We had the usual chaos I often experience when eating at a new restaurant, trying to explain that I don't eat meat but the other person does eat meat.The restaurant staff got some of the other customers with limited English ability to speak to us and work out what we wanted to eat.Between us all we managed to agree on several different dishes plus some tea, and the food turned out to be very nice in the end.