damned if you chengdu, damned if you chengdon't

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we are still in chengdu.

along with a small group of travellers who we've met over our time travelling so far (including ben, and several israeli women whose names i'd probably only misspell), we're finding it kinda hard to leave.
for my part, i don't really think it's because the city is exceptionally exciting or enticing or whatever. sure, we're going out and getting drunk together a lot, which makes catching early trains a somewhat futile mission, but apart from that, and the niceness of our hostel, there's not that much keeping me here, specifically.

no, it's more to do with the fact that suddenly, we're very tired. we seem to have reached that point that you inevitably reach, where all the different amazing things start to look the same and you need a break. chinese tourism burnout, as i explained in the jiuzhaigou entry (that name still makes me shudder a little). so, we're taking a break in chengdu.

a typical day might consist of this:

10:30* - wake up (too often with a hangover)

11:30 - manage to stumble out onto the street to grab some baozi (steam buns) and hope the guy in the shop understood your mumbled "bu yao rho, de bu yao dan, xiexie," ("not want meat and not want egg, thank you").

12:30 - internet, or play guitar, or maybe go back to bed

between 2 and 4pm - get a bit hungry again and go to one of the eating places (restaurants, gunk, restaurants...... my english skills and brain cells are rapidly disappearing!) on the same street as the hostel. if you're particularly lazy or hungover or just really want some western food (mmm, french fries) then go to the restaurant in the hostel.

the rest of the afternoon includes sitting around, more internet, guitar, chatting with other people at the hostel (we've met a couple more aussies, some americans, some crazy swedes, a kiwi bloke, a polish girl and her american boyfriend, and we're mates with the staff now, too), crocheting (i am teaching mickey to crochet. kt just finished her first glove and is working on the second with tiny neat stitches), playing pool or sitting around upstairs, and smoking.......(kt and mickey are dirty smokers again).

eventually it starts to get dark, so there's the discussion about what to do that night. more food may or may not be eaten. then we go out, eventually, usually after a couple of beers and a game of pool upstairs.

we get home sometime after 3am, as a general rule.


apparently, we're not alone, though. there's a thriving expat community in chengdu, and it's a well-documented phenomenon that many foreigners find it incredibly difficult to leave. maybe this much pollution is addictive? maybe it's not actually pollution, but some kind of drug that entices you to stay? i don't know. all i know is that we seem to have extended our stay at the hostel twice now, and we have to do it again today, so that we can stay for hallowe'en on wednesday night and maybe play a gig at our hostel's party.

i think we're getting a little stir-crazy, though. kt and mickey ended up crocheting and drinking martinis at 4:30 in the afternoon yesterday, whilst i supervised (i was still feeling like i needed to take it easy from drinking after the hangover of the day before)....... they've both been talking about staying here and getting a flat and learning chinese, but i think we're going to keep moving now. the plans to get to yunnan, and then laos, (so that we can help kick howard out of government in the coming election, yeah!) are, if not full steam ahead, at least pottering along nicely. both of those guys still might come back here afterwards and stay for a little while, whilst i'm really not sure what i'll do.......

certainly there'll be no shortage of places to stay, if and when i come back to chengdu. ben and dana and the others are all talking about getting a couple of flats here.
sorted.


* all times stated are give or take two hours (we might wake up at 10:30, but could just as easily wake up at 12:30 or later).

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