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China Pavillon
...at the 2010 Shanghai Universal Exhibition In our less than non-functional hostel in Beijing, I had to keep my room key in one pocket and in the other ... the doorknob! The train we would take from Xi'an to Shanghai crashed two days before we took it, killing dozens of people. In Southern China, I spent my nights filling up with linens the one-inch wide gaps between the windows/doors frames and the walls, hunting mosquitos and hamster size cockroaches. Quite frankly, camping in Northern Quebec is like 5 star hotelling compared to the hostels I've been here. I must have more than a hundread mosquitos and bed bugs bites (or others). Finally, I probably took only two hot showers in three weeks ... when they had water! But honestly and despite all these minor problems (when you know it is a round the world trip) it was worth it for the amazing sights they have in China. Plusieurs voyageurs m'avaient prevenu que c'etait un peu frustrant et pas reposant voyager en Chine et je peux maintenant en temoigner. Surtout dans le cadre d'un tour du monde ou tout doit etre fait rapidement. Pour alller du point A au point B, il fallait souvent passer par le
Our good old friend Mao
...at Tiananmen sqaure in Beijing point C et D et des fois Z et meme QKXLSKELX6M7!! C'est tellement difficile de communiquer et la majorite du monde te donne habituellement de mauvaises indications. Meme en parlant avec les gestes, ils ne captent absolument rien. C'est un autre culture et meme un autre civilization. Donc lorsque vous rencontrez un des 0.0000000001%!d(MISSING)e Chinois qui parle anglais, c'est comme une bonne douche fraiche apres une longue marche dans le desert et vous ne le laissez pas partir avant d'avoir sucer toute l'information que vous pouvez obtenir de cette personne. Comme un Quebecois que j'ai rencontre ici et qui a voyage en Chine en 1984 disait : Le contenant a change mais le contenu est toujours le meme. C'est-a-dire qu'il y a beaucoup de signes de modernite dans les grandes villes, mais pour la structure interne et la logistique, on repassera!
And here, we are really at the other end of the world and it is clear that nothing will change these people. In fact, they might be the one changing us. Among these billions of Chinese, I felt like I was the only white man on Earth. Everyone is staring at us non-stop, as we were circus freaks. In a few days and totally submerged by this culture, I was getting used to the farting, burping, eating noices, new smells and the non-stop throat clearing and spitting everywhere. But all of these things made me entirely satisfied! I'm not traveling the world to see people live like it was Montreal. Otherwise I would have stayed home...
...and home I'm not. We took a flight from Seoul to Beijing even if I was supposed to travel entirely by land from Tokyo to Ho Chi Min City, but it was more complicated than it seemed as the trains/ferries/buses were almost every time full and you had to book many days in advance. So this was the first cheap flight out of three. The two others being from Shanghai to Shenzhen and from Shenzhen to Guilin. Did I mention that I hate to fly, especially when the airplanes make weird noises. Anyway, Beijing! Like many other cities in China, the proportions are undescribable and I think you would not have enough of a lifetime to see everything here. But I still had the chance to visit the overcrowded Forbidden City, the Summer Palace and the GREAT Wall of China
which was really something! La grande muraille est dans une classe a part, comme les Pyramides de Giza ou le Machu Pichu (ca s'en vient).
Apres quelques journees a Pekin et quelques nuits memorables, train de nuit pour le milieu de la Chine, Xi'an. Ville ou nous avons ete capable de perdre une casquette, un porte-feuille et un billet de train en 24 heures.
However, it was grand! Especially the Muslim part of the city and the terra cotta army of the first Qin Emperor. The first Chinese Emperor to unify all the kingdoms in China. GEEK YEAH!!
After another night train, to Shanghai this time, we compressed partying and tourism so much that we didn't really slept during my stay there. Shanghai's Expo was great but I think the 1967 Montreal one was better ... just kidding! We were staying at some French expats and I have to thank them for everything they've done for us. And special thanks to Romain for his couch.
Hong Kong!! Some kind of Shanghai, Las Vegas and London mixed together. It is like a huge illuminated circus. In fact, it doesn't feel like China. Given back from Great Britain to China in 1997, some foreign investors fled away and a huge flow of chinese immigration replaced them. I think it is just a matter of time before it becomes totally Chinese and it would be just normal.
J'ai fini la Chine avec la province de Guangxi et je voulais me reposer un peu a la campagne mais comme decris plus haut, meme si j'ai pas feter une seconde ici, je suis plus creve que jamais. J'ai les yeux qui chauffent, ca tourne et CA ME GRATTE!!!!!! Aaaarrrgggghhh!!! Mais sans farce, ce qui fait la difference entre maintenant et moi au debut du periple, c'est que maintenant je trouve ca drole. Je ris, je me parle tout seul, je cris lorsque je me promene en public et je cours apres les chats!!! Ok! Je suis fatigue, vous pouvez oublier la derniere phrase!!
Sur ce, mention plus qu'honorable a mon cher Francais de Tanguy!! Un compagnon de voyage hors-pair. Etre passer a travers tout ca avec lui fut plus que plaisant. C'etait memorable a plusieurs occasions et il n'y a jamais eu ambiguite entre nous, pas meme la plus petite trace. En fait, c'etait comme voyager avec mon best bud.
Oli! On se voit a Bali bro! Hell Yeah!!
I almost forgot my Russian friends, Roman and Ania ... amazing people! Thank you very much. Also, good luck to Tom and Emily for the remaining of their trip. I really had a blast with all of you.
Finally and once again, thanks a thousand times for all the emails and comments. It feels really good to travel with you guys!
Next and after 24 hours of buses, Viet Nam!
Nikolas xx
FORZA AZZURRI!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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Anano
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happy to know you re happy! :)
from time to time i m checking your blog and it is amazing how much energy you have! :) you have talent of enjoying everything, i think :) take good care and keep on! run forest run! :) yours very very friendly, Anano