CHINA CHINA CHINA, bye

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Getting off the plane from Shanghai to Xiamen we were fully clad in our winter attire only to be whacked by a torrent of warm air when exiting the airport. OH OH the sun. So nice. It is amazing how one takes sunlight for granted. Having bounced from hemisphere to hemisphere for the last 8 months I have only had summer. So China came as quite a shock to me as well as Ryan. But darling Xiamen was a temperate 23 with blue blue sky.
Caught the hour long bus for 1 RMB to Gulang Yu island. Caught the free ferry to the island. Walked into a beautiful youth hostel with high ceilings and sit down toilets. It really is the nicest hostel I have stayed in so far. Very airy and light with terracotta tiles and thatched roof. Put our bags down and went for a stroll along the waterfront as well as in amongst the buildings. Being a former European trading post it has some very quaint buildings. It's a beautiful little island filled with fish mongers and people trying to sell you the latest in "Gucci" fashion. I did end up buying three very very nice Burberry shirts for 10 bucks. Ryan went on a bit of a spending spree and also bought one.
It's pretty crazy in some of these fishy shops they have bags full of dried sea cucumbers, starfish, sea horses, eel, shark fins, you name it and I am pretty darn sure they will have It. It's pretty expensive and I kept thinking too myself, do people think, 'oh gee its so and so's birthday this Friday let's really treat them and buy a bag of dried sea slugs for dinner' ???
Ryan and I walked around the entire island the next day whilst periodically pausing for lie-downs and cornetto beautiful beautiful chocolate ice creams. (i may have a bit of a problem)
Bought some really tacky Asian boxers which I love and adore. Spent an evening walking around the streets tossing the new roll of toilet paper we had just bought to each other. Ryan kept asking me how people got to their fishing boats and how amazing they must time the tides to not get stuck. I kept replying 'let's lay on the grass for a bit and think about it, maybe get an ice cream afterwards and really mull it over.
Caught the ferry back to the mainland. Climbed upon a ridiculous bus that was jam jam jam packed. Ladies kept standing on me with their stupid high heels. The airport has automatic dust bins. Food was really expensive. We ended up walking all over and finding some 2 minute noodles for a cool 20 RMB (most expensive noodles we have ate to date). Met a gentlemen by the name of David Archiball who is from California and studied at UC Berkley. Fascinating man. Spent the last 7.5 years travelling. His wife died 8 years ago and told him that he must travel and that is all he has done since. Has been to over 150 countries. I looked at his passport. It puts mine to shame.
Had a hilarious Liberian guy sitting in front of us who is studying in Beijing and is obsessed with 50 Cent.
China, you have lots of growing pains to endure and such a bright future ahead of you.
See you soon.

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Photos

Chinese Leg room
You must be joking!

This is a Picture of the Sun
Very very nice.

Xiamen Airlines
At least the people were not spitting on the floor.

Fat Cats
Lots of fish on this island and they don't eat cats to the best of my knowledge.

Drying Fish
Everywhere

Mainland
The city itself.

Lady Construction Worker
Their are many in Asia.

Boiling water on Demand
They have these everywhere in china so that people can get their noodle fix.

Jam Packed bus
To the airports, it was ridiculous.

Mission Accomplished
These were my last, but we ate noodles every single day in China.

Tsai Tse China
I intend on coming back.

Comments

[dani]

no it's not mainland, still island
i mean xiamen island, which you named it 'mainland', funny