from the success of the first haircut, it was time for a chop for kazza…and a colour! However, the price was a bit different!
here are the before pictures…
and here the after…
ratings on postcard to bungalow 24, some island in thailand (where the sun doesn’t shine), thailand, asia…
To be a little more economical with our budget we decided to take the train from Shanghai to Guilin, a mere 21 hour journey, which is nothing for us hardened TranSib’ers. The train was pretty much the same as the Trans Sib, just with a lot more Chinese people on it. We shared our cabin with an elderly couple and their grandson, which was interesting as the cabins only sleep 4! Dan and me had our usual train food of pot noodles, while our fellow cabin mates tucked into a feast of chicken feet and rice – nice!
After arriving in Guilin and securing our onward train tickets to Hong Kong, we had an hour bus ride to our destination – Yangshuo. The write up of Yansgou in Lonely Planet is really attractive, it’s the “kind of place where people go for a few days but end up staying for weeks”, there lots to do in the countryside etc etc; so we were really looking forward to spending some time here. Off the bus and on foot to the hostel, we were somewhat surprised to discover we had turned up in China’s equivalent of Benidorm, or so it felt! The place was completely overran with tourists.
Having thundered and lightened during the night, the first day in Yangshuo was a bit disappointing as it continued to rain all day, however we took advantage by having a lazy day and I spent the time productively by rewriting my CV and applying for a few jobs in Sydney (well done me!). The following morning it looked a little brighter so the bamboo rafting trip we had organized for the first day was on. Just as we set off on our bikes to the river it started to pour it down so we got a little wet, however this didn’t matter too much as we discovered on the raft when we got soaked from the first mini-waterfall!
That afternoon we decided to make full use of our bike rental and go for a ride in the countryside – the map had plotted out a route along the river so we (actually was my idea!) thought we would just follow that. Hmmm 4 hours later, after thinking I was going to have to camp in the middle of the China countryside as after countless corners we seemed to be no nearer civilization (Dan was pleased the route wasn’t his suggestion!!!), with a sore bum, we made it back into town. As a treat for making it back, we went for pizza, had a proper glass of vino, ow and I had a pedicure!
The weather was a little better on day 3 so we decided to go drifting (a miniature version of white water rafting) however as we were booking we were told the bus was full so we couldn’t. Instead we hired bikes again and set off to see the Big Banyan Tree (1,500 years old) and Moon Hill.
That evening we met up with Matt & Nicole (who we’d met in Chengdu), went for a fair few drinks and played table football / pool – it was a fun night! It was fab to meet up with friends again! Whilst at dinner a young lad approached us and asked: “Can I speak with you to practice my English?” – how could anyone refuse – especially when you see the photo…
On our last day, the weather picked up from the previous rainy day so we took the bus up to Xingping to take a boat trip up to Yangdi Town, or that’s what we thought. As you do in China we bartered with the woman and got her down from 150 Yuan to 50 (a pound!) for the trip, however when we got so far up the river, the guy on the boat turned round. When we explained where we were supposed to go he got his wallet out indicating more money, not falling for that one we turned round and headed back. Although we only got half way up the river, the bit we did see was fab and we got to see the view that is on the back of the 20 Yuan note.
just a quick, short note to say well done Peter on passing his APC exams, suppose some professional organisation had to except him (banardo’s was next choice!) – the hard work paid off and maybe this is a turning point for some good fortune ahead!!!!
So after our jaunt around China by air, we arrived back to Shanghai for the second instalment and more importantly the Chinese Grand Prix. The standing in the F1 championship meant Lewis Hamilton could secure his maiden title if he could outscore Massa by five points and seeing he qualified on pole he was in the best shape possible.
We had returned to the same hostel and had plans to join up again with Adam & Cat (friends we met in Xi’an) who were also going to the GP (plan was to acquire tickets from touts). We met up in the hostel the next morning and decided to seek out the official buses from town to the track, although many people said they did not exist. Sure enough, the next morning we found the buses (dozens of them) and lots of touts so everyone was in a positive mood for the day ahead.
Once we arrived at the track the noise was deafening outside (we weren’t sure if it was morning practice or another race?) but we were excited to get inside. Having exchanged our voucher for tickets we promptly entered and found our amazing seats!
Soon after finding our seats the GP2 race began, after they had passed us once I was immediately reaching for the ear plugs and just before don’ing them Kaz asked if the F1 would be louder – her face when I said twice, if not thrice louder was a picture! The GP2 race was OK, plenty of amateur overtaking at the hair-pin and many a car leaving the track! We then got to see the safety car up close – the noise it makes alone is ‘awesome’!
Before the F1 cars were assembled on the grid, it seems a privileged few got a couple of laps in the two safety cars, the estate car had four people in it at one point!!! Once that and the drivers parade lap were completed we were set for race time!
The noise they made as they all came charging into the hairpin from top speed was just amazing. In just 60-70 feet they braked from top speed to almost a halt, the brake discs lighting up like a halo! This was the closest Massa came all race to Lewis, not close as in overtaking, but the distance from Lewis’s brake light to Massa’s front spoiler! Lewis just drove away from the pack. The race itself on the big screen (directly opposite!) didn’t seem like the most exciting in the year, but every time Lewis came charging into the hairpin we wished him well and that Massa would fail! Towards the end of the race Ferrari pulled team orders and Massa passed Kimi into the hairpin to give Massa the slightest hope in Brazil next, and final, race – but it was Lewis’s day – awesome. The sound of the cars is indescribable, it would make your ears bleed! The feeling through your feet and lungs was sensational!
After clapping Lewis around the hairpin for the final time we scrambled to the podium – we got close, mightily close, 30 seconds earlier and we would have been below getting wet form the champagne – but the whole day was so awesome! Truly! And Karen got to hear the National Anthem – it’s amazing the things you appreciate when you are so far from home!
After the race we headed back into town and went off to meet Lloyd – a mate of John’s from Seattle. We found him & James at a expat’s bar and had food/beer there – thanks once again Lloyd for the dinner! After such a fantastic day we were truly pleased we had returned to Shanghai – the second visit improved our impression of Shanghai too. The next day the food had disagreed with Karen so we had a lazy day, the extent of it was a walk to Tesco’s, yes Tesco’s! Again, Kaz loved it!
Our journey from Xi’an to Chengdu went with no hick up’s. The toilets in Xi’an airport were a little interesting (shared squat toilets – nice! – I would rather wee in my own jeans than have to experience that!) The plane food was also interesting – a packet of (c. 20) cookies and a bottle of water – nutritious!; other than that, all was good. We arrived at Sims Hostel early evening, so got settled and had an early night, ready for the pandas the next morning.
The Panda tour was an early start and this proved to be the case not only for us but for the pandas too! The first panda enclosure we went to had 2 adult pandas both of which were still asleep on their raised bamboo bed – hmmm hope this isn’t going to be a theme?! Moving on we went to another two enclosures where thankfully the Panda’s were awake and happily sat eating bamboo leaves! OMG they are so cute.
250 pictures later we moved on to see the red panda’s (look more like raccoons than pandas, however they were still kind of cute) and the baby pandas – the youngest only 8 weeks old (born on Day 1 of our trip!). When the pandas are born they are taken by the keepers and looked after by them until they are ready to go into the enclosures. Apparently there are only 1,000 wild pandas in the world, so at the place we went to, they artificially inseminate the pandas; a) to encourage numbers but also, b) to make sure they don’t degenerate by interbreeding within the same family. You could get your picture sat next to a Panda, which in hindsight I wish I had done, I just thought 40 quid was a little much especially as it was the equivalent to our 3 nights hostel in Chengdu!
After the Panda’s we decided to hire some bikes from the hostel and went for a ride around town – what fun. It took me a few minutes (Dan says hours!) to remember how to ride a bike however after a few blocks of zigzagging, I got into the swing of things and nearly(!) blended in as a local. We generally get looked at walking around (we are foreigners after all) but foreigners on bikes, buzzing around town – now that was a sight! One guy drove past, looking, as if to say ‘what is this’, I just laughed, he didn’t know what to do so he kind of smiled / laughed back! There isn’t much order to Chinese way of life, its’ all for one and one for all, so Dan and me were ringing our bells and shouting at people to get out of the way, if you can’t beat them, join them – it was great.
That evening on recommendation by Nicole and Matt, we went for a Sichuan Hot Pot. Sichuan food is known for being spicy, this is an understatement. With help from the waitress (who spoke good English) we chose the level of spicy-ness for the hotpot (clearly the lowest level), some beef, lamb, and vegetables. A few minutes later our hot pot of simply liquid chilli’s arrived and placed in the middle of our table. Now I don’t mind mild spicy food, Dan can cope with fairly spicy food, however this was on a different level. By the end of the meal Dan was sweating from head to foot. It was an experience and enjoyable nevertheless, although I did see a Chinese guy hack on the restaurant floor – nice.
Yesterday we went for a day trip to see the world’s largest Buddha (we must have seen the “worlds’ largest Buddha” three times now) with Matt and Nicole who we met on the Panda tour. Realising we had come a long way to possibly only see Pandas we thought we should really do something else whilst in Chengdu; so decided we would follow the Lonely Planet book and visit the Leshan Grand Buddha by public transport and do it ourselves. The day can only be best described as a challenge. We were dropped off outside an entrance gate, where the fee was 120 Yuan (each) to get in, now the book hadn’t mentioned anything about entrance fees, so we were a little suspect. Our suspicion grew as more and more Chinese people swarmed around us trying to pull us in. After a little interlude of Dan having to head back into town (see “Lost and Found” post), we stuck to our guns and walked around to find another entrance, where we did have to pay but not as much.
After seeing the Grand Buddha, which was certainly grand (and worth the challenging day trip), we went back to where we got dropped off to get the bus back to Chengdu. When we bought our tickets we asked if they were return, to which the lady behind the counter promptly replied ‘yes’ – great, bargain! Clearly she had no idea what ‘return’ meant, as such we ended up arguing with the guy on the bus back as we thought we had return tickets which in the end turned out to be singles. Regardless we got back safe and sound with all belongings in tow. Although the Chinese are fairly rude and ruthless, generally the majority are doing the right thing – the language barrier just means words get lost in translation.