CHINA - big country, sore bums, chicken heads and crazy kids

---

We are more than 6 weeks in China now. Again, time has been flying.

After a long bus trip from Hanoi to Nanning (a 3 million city in Southern China which probably hardly anyone has ever heard of, including us) we were already facing the first difficulties. No one spoke any English, and I mean no one!! So the taxi driver from the bus stop dropped us off at the wrong hotel (not to forget that we even showed him the address in Chinese characters) a nice 4 star place... not the place for us with our big dirty backpacks 😉. However, there was one lady there who spoke a little bit of English and she helped us locating our 2 star hotel which was just on the other side of the city. Great! So we jumped in a cab one more time, this time the driver got his instructions in Chinese and we really made it there. However, there were some more difficulties on the way. This time really no one spoke a word of English (that place was not really in the most touristy area judging by how people looked at us when we walked in, maybe we were even the first Westerners staying there). It took us around 2 hours to check in. The hardest thing was to find out that they wanted a key deposit and it took us even a longer time to explain to them that we didnt have enough money on us and needed an ATM to get money out. But yes, we did manage in the end and even had a nice room... although all the sex toys (picture) in the room were a little confusing....
After successfully checking into the hotel we decided to go for dinner at the restaurant next door. A busy place packed with Chinese people. Again, everyone was thrilled to see us and we even got the special attention of the owner who sat down with us at the table recommending dishes while happily chatting away... all in Chinese, of course. The whole staff was also surrounding us... The menu was only in Chinese characters and so we tried to point at dishes we saw at other tables or trying to show them dishes from our Chinese dictionary. However,this only brought up new questions... like, do you have lemon chicken (because that was a dish in our book) no, we dont have lemon chicken we have lemon and chilli chicken - which of course we didnt understand.
So in the end we just pointed at things on the menu and hoped it wouldnt be dog or birdnest or bull penis. It was actually very delicious and marked my last day as a vegetarian (after more than 5 years). I just decided that I cannot afford being vegetarian any longer. Otherwise I might just starve here or keep ending up eating only chips every day. And I have to say, the sizzling beef tasted nice 😊

The rest of our 2 day stay in Nanning was similar. But we managed to book a bus ticket to Guilin, our next stop and we even saw one or two other Westerners around the train station which actually felt quite good.
We also found one of those notorious driving schools. In China there are special areas where people learn driving on fake roads with fake traffic lights etc. They get their license although they have never been driving in real traffic before... Im not surprised to hear that 😉
At our next stop in Guilin we met Jenny who came all the way from Hong Kong to meet us. Guilin is a rather relaxed city and surrounded by beautiful limestone formations. There we also came across the very wise 1000 year old saying: To the East and to the West Guilins scenery is the best! 😊

The Dragon Backbone Rice Terraces (Longsheng Terraces) which are around 2h away from Guilin were just spectacular. However, there were loads of people at the beginning of the track which rather spoilt the whole experience. The little town Ping An is bustling with restaurants and shops and due to Chinese summer holidays there are people everywhere. Its quite a long and steep walk up there and it is HOT.
However, we decided to walk through the terraces to another village called Dazai. Its about a 5h walk and there is really no one... well, actually there was one. This lady walking in front of us claiming to be our guide and wanting money from us.... mhhh, well we only got rid of her with the help of another foreigner who spoke Chinese and believe me, we tried a lot!!
The views were absolutely amazing! However, as we departed rather late we were getting worried about making it to Dazai in time (or before sunset). We passed this really picturesque village on the way somewhere on a little hill in the middle of those terraces. There we met this German guy who lived around the area for a few years and he made a few phone calls and then we could stay with a local family in the village (there were no hotels, restaurants etc.)
It was an amazing experience to really be part of their life for a while. They even cooked a lovely meal for us. However, that nights sleep wasnt the best Ive ever had. Probably a mix of dust allergy, pigs grunting below our room, stomach problems and smoke from a fire outside. Ah, well. The next day we continued our walk and had some more time to enjoy the spectacular scenery.
We also travelled to Yangshuo, a very lovely town around an hour away from Guilin. With all its little cafes and restaurants it almost feels a little bit like a Southern European town. Well, maybe a little too many shops and too many people. The scenery around Yangshuo is stunning. We went on a bike ride along the river (unfortunately there were also loads of buses and cars on the road- and remember what I said about Chinese driving skills- so the ride wasnt too relaxing). We also visited a mud cave and thats where I took my first mud bath. Quite an interesting experience as ones body is floating on top of the mud.

After Yangshuo Jenny and I took the train to Hangzhou (a city of 6 million near Shanghai) while Ian went to Foshan to see his mate. Our trip to Hangzhou took 18 hours, yes, 18!! Additionally, we had to book those tickets 7 days in advance as due to Chinese holidays everything got booked out immediately. Although we were not looking forward to this trip I have to say it was quite pleasant. The beds were big and we had a good nights sleep (well one guy was snoring and there was this toilet smell but still much better than expected). Hangzhou was nice, especially the area around West Lake - a big lake surrounded by hills (actually thats the only place we've seen there so I cannot say much about the rest of the city). We only stayed there for 2 nights. We went cycling around the lake which was nice but also VERY hot. And the rest of the time we were trying to look for Starbucks as we were craving a nice cold Frappuchino (which took us one time around 2hours). And no, although there are plenty of Starbucks around no one understood when we asked for it... of course...

Our next stop was Shanghai. There is a bullet train from Hangzhou to Shanghai, departing every 30 minutes and within 40 minutes at a speed of 340km/h you are in Shanghai. In Shanghai I already had my first bad meat experience after being no longer vegetarian for over a week. We ordered a chicken dish and found all sorts of unrecognisable meat in there, well one thing we actually did recognize: the chickens head!! Yummy!
Shanghai is a really modern city. In comparison to the other cities we had visited before it is quite possible to get around without speaking Chinese. Ok, maybe not at the airport where the lady in the tourist information didnt speak a word. The skyline is stunning but there were loads of people so one almost had to queue up in order to take a picture. We also visited a Chinese Propaganda Poster Exhibition. Not sure if the government knows about the place but quite interesting to see the propaganda material during different times (a lot anti American, Russian and UK material). We also visited the Urban Planning Museum which has an amazing model of Shanghai exhibited. Makes you realize how big it actually really is (23 million people).
In Shanghai everything is about business. Thus, we didnt find that much cultural things to do. It does have some nice relaxed area (e.g.French Concession - a very green suburb with loads of little cafes and boutique style shops). It was nice to see it - but for me not on the list of places where I really have to go back to.

Our final destination - or more Jennys final destination- was Beijing. We took the bullet train from Shanghai to Beijing. The train takes 5 hours and covers a distance of roughly 1500km. Actually, the first time we found out about this I thought the lady at the ticket counter misunderstood where we wanted to go ... but no, those trains are just REALLY fast.
On our first day in Beijing we visited the Forbidden City. Already on the subway to the Forbidden City we could tell how busy it is! The subway was packed and so was the rest. We got an audio guide, Jenny one in German and I an English one. We found out that the German one was not getting the same signals at the English one when moving around. So when I listened to a description Jenny was sometimes listening to another one ... definitely a good idea those audio guides but they do probably need a little bit more adjustment.
I have to say I was really amazed by the Forbidden City. First of all it is BIG. Its right next to the infamous Tiananmen Square. Second its really like described in the movie "The last Emperor"; you cannot see the world outside and the world outside couldnt see whats happening inside. All buildings bordering the outside world are elevated and the walls are high. Its just amazing to walk through this maze of little alleyways. The buildings are beautiful and in a very good condition (most of them being called something like hall of middle harmony, supreme harmony or preserving harmony). Again, it was HOT that day and after 4 hours we decided to leave although there was still a lot more to see. We then climbed up a little hill from where supposedly you have a great view. Well, no. It was sooo smoggy that you could hardly see the buildings next to you. It was that smoggy that even my lungs started hurting... I think a chain smoker back home has a much healthier life than a very healthy living person here.
We also visited the Great Wall which was GREAT. Thankfully we didnt go to the most popular spot Badaling (where people queue up to enter a watch tower) but to Mutianyu, still a very busy place but not too crowded. We walked all the way up to the wall (yes, you guessed it... it was HOT) and then kept on walking until we got to the last restored bit of the Wall... after there are only ruins left. Not to forget that most parts of the Great Wall are in very bad shape but of course these are not the places you can visit easily. Everything under control in China, thats what everyone is supposed to believe. It was still very impressing, parts of it are very steep and it just leaves you wondering how on earth they could build this Wall in such terrain especially during those times.

After a few nice days in Beijing with loads of walking (Jenny loved it😊) and loads of good food Jenny had to go back home. I spent another few days in the hostel meeting some lovely girls and we went to the Summer Palace and explored a little bit Beijings night life.
This pretty much marked the end of our travelling adventure - at least for a little while.
As soon as Ian came up from Foshan to join me here we started the job hunt and within a day or two we both found a job working as teachers. Yes, demand for English teachers is just overwhelming so it is no big deal at all to find a position here - even for non-native speakers with no teaching experience at all. After staying a few more days in a very cool suburb called Gulao (or similar) which reminded me a little of Berlin with its alternative bars and clubs we found a room in Sanlitun. Sanlitun is probably one of the most popular neighbourhoods with expats. There are loads of bars and Western shops and all of a sudden you see so many Westerners (which you usually dont). We share the flat with a very sweet Chinese girl which really helps us translating things no matter in which situation we are in (e.g. being lost, when shopping, at the doctors).
So now we are really part of Chinese work life. Get up early, squeeze into the subway (there are actually people who push you into the subway because it is soo crammed- and yes, that is their official job!!) working from 9-5 (well, that is me) come back, go the gym (which is very expensive) and go out for a few drinks.
However, Ian and I have very different working hours at the moment so in order for us to remember how we look like we might have to change our schedule a little.

Ah, yeah and the teaching itself you might want to ask me. Yeah, well my school isnt opened yet so we try to get customers by organising demo classes. However, the kids will be very young (3-7) so there is a lot of singing and games and all sort of jumping and dancing involved. A good workout I can tell you but quite full on... I think I can definitely wait for another few more years to have some of them myself...) Im not even sure if those kids speak their own language yet. But the pressure is already on. Those poor things even have to go to English school on the weekends and in the evenings after kindergarten or school. Ah, life back home was nice!!!
Ian teaches some older Korean kids and with 11 years of age they write essays in English about Free Trade Agreements between Korea and Europe. Yeah, well, not so sure if kids in Germany or even England could do this - but at least we had a very fun childhood!! And I think nothing can replace that 😊
We will keep you posted about our life in Beijing

---