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Published: March 26th 2007
Pandas
Just chilling with your mates! As we've had quite a hectic couple of weeks (seriously, this travelling malarky really takes it out of you!) we've decided that we ought to take it a bit easier from now on! Kunming is a lovely city, and was the first time we'd seen blue skies since we left the Great Wall 2 weeks ago - there is just so much smog in this country! Not only blue skies but it has flowers and grass areas which is a real treat from the usual concrete etc. So we didn't do a whole lot in Kunming other than go to the Shilin Stone Forest which is a 3 hour train ride away (and only 50p!). As the name suggests, this is a forest of stone. It was quite impressive to start with but 2 hours on and you start to think that one bit of stone looks like another - still worth seeing though. The only other we did was to sit on the patio area that had a great view and drink beer.
After note: Having spoken to someone over a cheeky little beer, I found out that he only paid 2 Yuen for a beer in Beijing (approx 11p), and so feel completely ripped off having paid 33p. I don't know.... these locals that take advantage of tourists!
So from Kunming we opted for an 11 hour bus ride to the border town of Hekou (it was either that or a 17hour train journey). I'm not sure what I was expecting from the bus, a bit of air con and a toilet wouldn't have gone amiss though. Instead we were ushered into a minibus full of people. Luckily we got a seat after the conductor woman spoke to a Chinese couple and got them to move from their seats. Not sure why and did feel a little guilty, but not guilty enough to offer the seat back to them!
3 hours in and we stopped at the Chinese equivalent of a Welcome Break service station. However, as I say this is a Chinese service station and so was basic to say the least. It was basically a couple of huts selling noodles and a block of toilets. As most of you are aware, the thing I was dreading most about visiting China was the squat toilets. Now although I didn't want to go to the loo at this point I thought that if it was another 3 hours before we stopped I better at least try.
I could smell the toilets before I saw them and was not keen on what I was greeted by.......
Upon entering there was a pit in which people's 'dooings' were deposited. When I turned the corner there were about 10 woman all squatting down. Oh my god there was absolutley no privacy here. I thought the worst toilets I was going to see were at the Great Wall where it was an open area with a 2 foot wall between each 'stall'. No door - no flush -nothing. However, these toilets didn't even have that. You were quite literally open to the elements. Having stood in the door way for a couple of minutes, trying not to gag on the stench I thought I'd better go. So I found myself a 'hole' and assumed the position. However, nothing happened. I had stage fright- good and proper. It happens to us all at some point in our lives, it just so happens mine was stuck in a pig shed type hut surrounded by Chinese women, staring at white womans white ass! Tell you what, I left there as quick as I could!
It is a shame after passing through some absoluelty stunning scenery of pineapple and banana groves up into the mountains, seeing the locals going about their everyday life that the thing I remember the clearest is those bl**dy toilets!
The remainder of the trip wasn't so bad and reached Hekou after only 10hours which was a nice suprise. We checked into a 2* hotel, which came complete with a/c, living area and friendly Cockroach, that I named Colin. The following morning we crossed the border into Vietnam.
p.s. sorry to have spent the majority of this blog talking about toilets, but when you are as affected I was you just need to get it out of your system!! (no pun intended!)
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kimmy
non-member comment
haha i can see where your coming from id get stage fright to lol xx