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Published: September 8th 2006
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This article is dedicated to Yuki and her parental units, for easing the burden for our wallets and route plan making. Actually they have done nearly every thing for us over the last couple of weeks, booked our trains, organised places to stay, fed us extremely well.
We set off to China via the very efficient Hong Kong underground. We had heard tales of extremely long waits getting through the passport control at China's boarder, so we went with time to spare to meet Yuki. We was through the control point in under five minutes, and it would have been shorter if they did not pass my passport around, believing that the short spiky haired and chubby faced picture it held, may not be me. So we was here in China.
First up Shenzhen. We stayed in Yuki family's house during our time here, and it was bliss. We didnt have to lift a finger. Clothes washed, belly fed, soft bed, hot showers. Its a polar opposite to the dirty, stinking, MacDonald eating time we spent living in Hong Kong. The first night there, we got taken for the best feast of my life. A private room in a restaurant,
about fifteen dishes to pick and choose from, including toad placenta, in papaya fruit, they wouldnt tell us what it was until we finished it, not like I would have passed if I had known.
To say we were here to relax, we have seen and done an lot. Visited a russian navy boat that China purchased, a park full of miniature versions of asia's landmarks, not that they were that small, the great wall was still long, and hard to climb over. The greatest thing we did here, and it was grand, was to take part in a huge, huge water fight. Three television stations were there to capture the occasion. We did have to endure a long introduction, all in Chinese, so we had no idea what was going on, then we had a pry to Buda, and so came the soaking. It was one hell of a soaking. Yuki had to move away from us, because being the only westerners there, we attracted an onslaught. The onslaught at one stage had me on running away in order to cough up a bucket of water from my lungs and wait until the rainbows around all the lights disappeared
from my eyesight.
Apart from taking in the attractions of this city, we had time to plan our movements across China. After a few hours planning what we though was a full proof brilliant strategic plan, with time scales and budgeting. Yuki's dad returned, laughed, and scrapped it all. He even changed the entire direction we planned to go in. Tibet was now out of the question, and a giant loop through china was created. Beijing, Shoaling, Xian, Kunming, Dali, Leijiang, before what would be our longest train journey of four days and nights to Shanghai, to jump on a 2 day boat to Japan. My 23rd birthday even came and passed on a two night train to Beijing. Yuki mum did make up for that up and coming disappointment with a marshmallow cream, birthday cake, that I ate half in one fat bastard helping.
I am not going to talk about Beijing for long, as the pictures basically sum up what we did, but essentially it was just days of sight seeing. The great wall, which was spectacular, bending and climbing up down and inbetween the mountains, made all the most spectacular by the morning mist. I
did laughed to myself at the idea of paying a little extra for insurance....just incase I fell off. The Forbidden city, definitely not the place to play hide and seek, it was huge, even a few days wondering around could not get you use to the sheer vast expanse of this place. We even had trouble locating the main ticket office. The heaven temple, ming tombs, Tioman square were just a few other day ventures we undertook with enthusiasm. Yuki dad has a flat here so he cleverly took the odd hour long plane to meet us at the end of our tediously long train journey. He, once again, kindly made sure that we did
not have break a sweat, booking tickets, going to restaurants, or even transport to the sights. He took care of everything. He took us to an absolutely brilliant restaurant, that had men with split second ever changing colour face masks, a women on her back kicking and spinning metal jugs containing people (one miss kick and she would have definitely been a goner) and a women who could bend and twist into positions that you could not imagine (apparently if they eat before a performance
it would be her death).
I will finish with tales of Shoaling, our next night train journey stop. It was a whirled wind one day and one night stop, but we crammed the hours. Even though we had left Yuki's dad back in the capital, he made sure via his directors role in an insurance company, that we were looked after. The three of us were met by a police jeep, that was going to be our transport for the day. It was a little unnerving, speeding through red lights, and watching the other traffic move quickly out of the way with out a horn beep, even though we were driving on the wrong side of the road, but thats communism power for you. We had our lavish day entirely paid for. From the hotel to the sight seeing entrance prices, to the banquets. If fact I must have saved a load being here, the only things that we have forked out for, are our train tickets and the forth coming Japanese boat crossing. After a visit to the longmen grottoes, numerous and epic stone budas carved straight into the mountain side, to what we made the trip for
the temple of the Shaolin Monks. As we drove up to the temple, you could see the groups of monks training. Sword fighting, wood carrying, kick blocking - it was like a training camp for a sublime and unstoppable army. The temple itself was not the most inspiring after viewing the forbidden city or Thailand's grand palace, but its graves were worth a look, and the Shaolin show was very entertaining.
That evening heading into a restaurant up some stairs and into a private room. We were greeted by the biggest names in the insurance companies division. Its not what we had expected and it kind of unnerved me a little, especially when you have 12 faces around the round table starring at you, and you have no way to communicate apart from Yuki's translation. We did attempt to use all the Chinese we had picked up like hello, Thank you and I dont want thanks. Saying I want a train station, and swearing would not come in handy here. Dinner with Yuki's parental units had got up use to the words 'Gamba' or Cheers in English. You lift your glass, say it and take a sip, just like
in England....not quite. In this Chinese province, if you say it, or someone says it to you, you have to down your drink. We initially said it with a full glass of super strong larger. After that first glass, came the amusement of the companies big names, with one after another saying gamba to us. The waitress barely had time to pour the next glass. Yuki Wisely avoided alcohol that eve, I wish she had warned us. With under an hour gone and with no food to soak up the alcohol, I had at least four pints. It is safe to say that my chop stick coordination was not the best, even though they did complement my abilities (they are good liars). They even purposely ordered the well known hard dish to use chop sticks with, to see how we would get on. That night I hit the pillow and did not move until morning burst through the curtains.
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Andy
non-member comment
Good read - keep it up
Good read keep the reports coming!