Hong Kong to Yangshou, Via Guangzhou

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Hello, and welcome from China,

(Would have been more impressive if I could have said that in Chinese I know, but I can't so there)!

Done a lot of travelling since my last entry and it's been a hard slog I can tell you.

I'm lugging a lot of stuff, (damn the pursuasive techniques of those market sellers in Temple street), and the temperature here is around 27 degrees.

We finally all came together completely as a group on Tuesday Morning.

I still hold that we're a funny assortment of folk, some of whom I just can't suss, but it aint as bad as I first feared and I am developing my own little clique.

We have a Journalist!

She's Canadian... BUT SHES STILL A BLOODY JOURNALIST!

(I'm meant to be on holiday away from such people)!

Other than that you have Stuart and Richard from Bristol, (Richard is a chemical engineer, was at Uni with Stuart I think, who after getting made redundant took himself around the world for 6 months... and oddly enough use to live in Cockermouth cos he was working at Albright and Wilson)?

There are two Irish brother and sister combos travelling together, three girls out on their gap year, two very distant kiwis, and er, I think somone else but can't remember who?

Anyhow, as I go along they might get drawn in to what I'm telling you.

So anyhow set out on Tuesday to Hong Kong station for our train into China.

Real nice train, uniformed staff come up and down offering the chance to buy refreshements and lots of leg room.

(Am discovering that? For a nation not noted for their size they do have a lot of legroom on their transport)?

Our first arrival point in China was Guangzhou, (latter day Canton), which lived up to every image you may have of modern day China in that it was heaving, and noisy and just a mass of people and noises coming from megaphones and tannoys.

I got lost following everyone down a tunnel to the transfer station, literally just stopped for a moment to re arrange my bags and when I looked up there was no one in sight in the throng.

(Was like that scene where they're evacuating Shanghai in 'Empire of the Sun').

Eventually my guide found me and we struggled onward to the luggage area where we all dumped our bags for that nights train journey.

We had a few hours to kill so we then headed to a local park where we were told what time to be back for the train and told we could wander off for a mooch about.

I was kind of ready for that, was hot and grumpy from the travel and the struggle, and still was not too really enthralled with any of my travelling companions.

It would have been helpfull however to have been told that this was in fact the second largest park in China, as after an hour of aimlessly wondering I suddenly realised I'd lost all sense of orientation.

Had a good half hour of mild concern growing into very real panic as I realised the clock was ticking, the train wouldn't wait, no one spoke English and I COULDN'T FIND THE EXIT!!!!!!!

After a while, having got a grip of myself and decided I had to tackle this logically, (Identify the edge of the park and then just follow it round), I managed to find my way out and met up with the group with 5 minutes to spare, looking totaly relaxed as if I'd known where I was the entire time.

Not so for two of our group however, (this is the folk I've forgotten), MerlyAnne, (seriously), a lady of senior years from Canada, (not the bloody journo), and another woman whose name I've not got who is from Cornwall, (spoke to her at Hong Kong station... she was nervous... talked to me a lot about their local steam traction engine festival)!

They vanished without trace for a long time and looked all but lost until running up to us red faced, dripping in sweat, eyes wide open in panic having found themselves in exactly the same situation as me, but not finding the exit as early as I did.

(I didn't admit to having the same dilemma but was very sympathetic and told them it could happen to anyone I was sure)!

The sleeper train was a good experience. Very much like the sleeper I took from Agra to Varanasi a few years ago, but not quite as packed.

Not so much battery chicken class as troop train class!

As yet I'd been unable to exchange any travellers cheques so was very pleased with my advanced planning when it came to those extra provisions I'd brought along. Was very soon settled into my lower bunk, (two more above me, three others across from me), my belongings laid out around in a nice homey fashion, with enough snacks, drinks, and internet bought army rations to last me the evening.

This is where I started to warm to my group.

I'd been lugging with me a bottle of Jamesons Whiskey since duty free, and others had beer and as the night decended and we ploughed our way ever deeper into China the group very quickly divided into the 'go to bed earlies' and the 'stay ups and get slosheds'!

I'm not a big drinker at home, (can rarely afford to justify a night out pub'ing or club'ing), but on holiday I deffinitly increase my alcohol consumption, partly cos I AM ON HOLIDAY, and partly cos on trips like this its the best way of getting to know folk.

(Alcohol is a great leveller)!

By the end of the night there was me, the Irish contingent and the Melborne couple, (ooops, yeah, forgot about them), and eventually our guide, (the mysteriously named B2), who it turns out was relieved to hell to discover there were hardened drinkers on the trip.

(Funny actually, more and more I'm getting that my misgivings about everyone else seem to have been echoed BY EVERYONE ELSE... basicaly we've all looked at each other and all thought... BLOODY HELL WHO THE HECK ARE THESE WEIRDO'S WE'VE FOUND OURSELVES WITH!).

We eventually went to bed after the angry Chinese voices from other sleepers got too raucous and threatening sounding to ignore, and though my cot was in no way big on space I had a not bad evenings sleep, waking up yesterday morning with no hangover and some fantastic scenery out of the window.

On arrival at our station we transferred to the town of Yangshou, (where I am at the mo), which is quite simply stunning.

I will have real trouble describing the scenery here, cos it's like nowt I've ever seen in my life.

It's basically mountains, rivers and paddy fields, but not Mountains like we have at home.

These are vast steep outcrops that come out of the ground, (sort of like Mesas you see in Arizona and Mexico), but domed on top and just increadible as geographical formations go.

Our rooms werent ready at this stage so we dumped our bags there and most of us went out cycling for the morning through the countryside.

Like I said just amazing, and breathtaking.

Ended up at a place called Moon hill, so named cos a cave that once was there has been whittled away through the centuries to produce a large circular hole right through the centre of a mountain.

You could walk to the summit which proved a hard task.

I'd done well with my cycling, (may be out of practice but I've still got it), and kept ahead all the way, but the climb up the steep steps to the top in the heat all but did for me and quite a few of the others.

Though initially a pain we were eventually thankfull for the local women who insisted on following us up whilst fanning us and then selling us drinks when we got to the top.

(Again, view from the top was fantastic)!.

After cycling back to Yangshou we got checked into our rooms which turned out to be really quite cosy, and then we had some free time to look around.

Yangshou is very much a focal point now for people travelling through the region, (sort of Knysna in South Africa if your familer with it, or Cairns, or... if you must... Keswick)!

It does mean the souvenires here are more expensive but you can haggle folk down to a fair price, which, (after I got some money), I did, getting a print that was initially 680 yoan for instead 220 yoan, (about 15 quid... maybe could have screwed him down further but I thought it was worth about that).

At 5pm we had a chinese lesson in a local language school.

Didn't really think much of that, felt uncomfortable in the school room environment and they only taught us one Chinese swear word, (which to me was the only thing I was that interested in learning... bound to come in usefull some time in the future)!

I found dinner in a local streetside restaurant, didn't quite understand the ordering system cos I ordered lemon chicken and then chicken fried rice seperate, (as you would in Wigton), only to find the lemon chicken came with its own rice so I effectively had two meals, (but I've not eaten properly really for a few days now so that was fine)!

Then last night some of us went off to a light show on the river, which was absolutely spectacular.

I was so impressed with this in exactly the same way as I was so unimpressed with that light thing they did in Hong Kong Harbour.

I have seen Olympic opening ceremonies less involved and dramatic than this was.

At times it had more than just the feel of Close Encounters of the Third Kind.

With a cast of thousands a sort of musical spectacular was carried out on the river with the awe inspiring mountains acting as a backdrop, (sometimes lit in various colours, sometimes just vanishing without trace), unfortunately you probably have to be there to fully appreciate it, but I have bought the DVD if anyone would like to try.

Honestly by comparison it put all those mega shows in front of Las Vegas casinos in the shade, and this quite obviously is something the Chinese do very well.

The only shame was in the final scene where the entire cast, (spread across different shores, and on boats, pontoons and moving walkways), said goodnight, while a large floating screen sort of ran end credits, everyone seemed to get up and start leaving, (much as you do when the music starts at the end of a film in the cinema).

I mean admittedly there were a lot of folk there and it would be a crush to get out, BUT THOSE GUYS OUT THERE IN THE DARK WERE STILL PERFORMING THEIR HEARTS OUT!

It seemed so rude?

I lost, (again), my group on the way out when I stopped to buy the DVD, (having to swim against the crowd to get back to the woman who having made eye contact implored me to return as it was only 58 youen).

Still, I wasn't arsed about getting lost here, Yangshou is chilled and I knew how to get back home.

This morning there are options to try tai chi, or kung fu, or chinese cooking, or caligraphy, or painting etc, but I'm taking the morning to email, (as I'm doing), look around more shops, get some shots on my camcorder, and generally just chill.

Note to Mum... will probably have spoken to you before you get this anyhow, but have discovered that this China sim card actually charges me 63p a min dialing out, but your 11p a min dialing in, (used up all that credit I bought yesterday really fast). It might be best if we keep conversations down to short and sweet, and if needs be if we need to speak longer for you to give me a quick call back.

This afternoon we are on the move again, leaving Yangshou for Longsheng which I'm told is very rural with no such mod cons as internet and then after that off to the Yangste for a 4 day cruise, (where there might be internet, or there might not).

As such I'll be in contact when I can!

All the best.

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Photos

MY SHADOW UP THE HILL
This woman pursued me up moon hill fanning me and selling me drink

Comments

[mam]

hi
Hope you are having a good time. Everything is O.K at home. x