Mon 18 / 10

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Again a long day in the bus of many turns.

GPS is a wonderful device for getting you where you don't wont to go - particularly in a country that is developing possibly faster that electronic computer gadgets. Maybe these things also suffer from the “turn left” when they mean “turn right”

After a good nights sleep adjusting to the new time zone and waking at 03:00 the Crown Plaza presented a vast array of Chinese food for a hearty breakfast. Enough to enable you to get through the whole day!

With the bus packed we were away at 08:30 onto the roads of Changshu that were extensively under construction for a new underground train system - What an impressive site to see the many sites being worked on at one time

It was at the first corner we turned left but then after 1 km we presented a magnificent U turn across 4 lanes of traffic in front of the hospital. Continuing along this road for approx 5 km we again U turned to travel back around 3 before heading out to the right Now some say that is confusing but maybe it was an unplanned city tour

Bering a tourist we travelled to the former residence of Mao Zedong (obviously former as he is now deceased) in Shaoshan, 100 km SW of Changsha. A quiet Monday we joined the queue that eventually took 1 hr to the house - very impressive although only a 5 minute walk through. It is said that 3 million tourist come here each year making this area the richest town in Hunan Province

From here we across the way was the larger than life statue of this leader of the Cultural Revolution.

Travelling onto Water Dripping Cave or Dishui Dong where Mao spent 11 days in his ancestral home in the early days of the Cultural Revolution years (1966 - 1976)

Lunch was a 10 course feast at the Gang Yue Hotel before a long bus ride with at least 2 GPS (that's Great Position stuff-ups) to ChangDe.

Like elsewher in this part of China there is massive disruption as the city is being transformed

Staying at the Cohere International hotel in what appears to be the middle of nowhere that presents a great foyer with rooms that are showing signs of age - however the 11 course dinner was exceptional

NDC 18/10

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