Chongqing - The Off-Beat City

When we arrive at Chongqing train station. It looks like we've got off at the wrong stop. I had pictured postcard like views of city amongst the mountains. WRONG. The train station was surrounded by a slum and was flat as a pancake. Worse off, we hadn't got off at the wrong stop.

We are walking up and down the rubble trying to find an internet cafe for the address of our hostel but there isn't one. We ask a guy who leads us down a back ally and into this super modern computer cafe (was quite a surreal experience). Eventually we find the address and find a cabbie but she can't read, write or speak english so I spend the next 20 minutes on the phone with the hostel who speak pigeon english. I just give the phone to cabbie and we're off. Minutes later I look at her permit to realise her picture is of a bloke with shaved hair. She then sees a police car and opens the door (whilst driving) and slams a piece of newspaper in the door so that the police can't see her face. A convict is driving us. Great. She drives like one too (100 miles per hour in a 60 limit).

She drops us off in the middle of the market and shoos us off. It's Sunday and the market is booming with people and worse off, it's the "Asian Shuffle". The Asian shuffle is where it's so chocca blocca that all you can do is shuffle. But it's so typical of China. With our packs on too it starts to get a bit too much. We're completely lost.

I ring the Hostel for the 3rd time and they have no idea what I’m saying. It’s all a bit hopeless because we have no idea where we are! Anyway, they send out a search party and, hurrah, we’re soon at the hostel. Luke flops out, exhausted from his hangover. After an hour or so I can’t wait any longer and give him a good shake so we can go out and have a look around in the ancient market of Chongqing.

It’s pretty amazing really. There are little bits of everything for sale: a man will make you a toffee lolly in front of you, and if you’re lucky, he’ll let you make your own design, all for 2 Yuan (10 pence). There are also making weird recipes: there is a flour-ish like substance only it’s made with sesame seeds and a hammer. The market is also filled with Red Chinese knots (for luck) as well as live bands playing in cafes and women sculpting portraits from play-do. It’s all quite exciting!

We go to bed with our hopes high with what tomorrow will bring.

We wake up and Luke is ill with numerous things. After some persuasion we nip down to the pharmacist who gives Luke antibiotics and some cold relief medicine - although things look to get worse as his temperature feels a little high. I spend the day looking after Luke and the following day, I’m ill. It’s sods law - I swear. So the rest of our time in Chongqing is spent in bed!

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