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Published: December 27th 2008
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So! We are here, but it took alot it must be said.
Our last dinner with the group was great. Lots of chatting and laughing but we all said goodbye, had a group photo and then realised that we would be seeing each other again so said goodbye to Melicia and Travis again later that night. Mauro kindly offered to take us to the market in the Old Town the next morning so we went. It was amazing. The meat and fish couldn't have been fresher, mainly because it was living until you purchased it and they would then butcher it in front of you. There were all kinds of weird and wonderful fish, eels, meat, dog, vegetables. And yet again it didn't matter that we were visitors to the country, for all intent and purpose and in the best of possible senses we were ignored!!!
We then said good bye to Mauro and gave him the half barrel of water we had left. After a slight miscalculation with the metro that ended up with us going five stops in the wrong direction...i blame rob, we eventually made it to the transfer station onto the magnev. This bad boy
train runs at an average of 400km/h and levitates off the rail by the two norths of the magnets facing each other and thus repelling. AMAZING! The train we were on hit a massive 431km/h and the journey was over shortly before it started.
We found no queue at Shanghai Pudong airport check in, so we checked in! Security again had no queue, but we caused one because we had to empty our bags to prove we weren't nasty terrorist types... we then waited, and waited, and ate, and waited and went to the toilet and were delayed by half an hour, then boarded. Ah! We were in teh exit seat so for two hours i had enough room to unfold my legs from behind my ears and stretch!
We landed in Beijing and walked across the tarmac in nothing but a short sleeved shirt and a pair of trousers. It was minus one. But thats not cold...is it! We were going to do the express check in but couldn't so we killed some time (three hours) while we waited. Had some tea and beer. Wrote some stuff in a Cafe, looking like the artists/travellers we are, before
i saw they opened check in early and were first in the queue. Thank goodness. We found out then that there was a problem with Rob's vias, well, he didn't have a visa to have a problem with was the problem...no sweat we'd buy a new one...he got declined...shit. Shit! Shit! Shit!
Chiense Check in Staff: Cardiff?
I: Yes...
Chiense Check in Staff: Cardiff?
I: (again and obviously without there being a change to my previous answer) Yes...
Chiense Check in Staff: (starting to get confused) Cardiff...is...United...States?
I: No! (naturally seeing how they had got confused with the whole british passport and british city name thinking it was in America...) UK. Great Britain. United Kingdom. Wales. England. Ring any bells?
Chiense Check in Staff: AHHHHHH! (the penny drops) UK!!!! Try again.
I was confused by this statement. "Try again". I didn't want to. I was right. Not wrong. I don't need another go. I scored full points!
Turns out they had input the first application in wrong and were trying again. The result of this one was of course accepted. Finally we could proceed to the shag and hassle of being
stamped out of this country and going through security, all of which ran relatively smoothly. Nothing could go as badly as check in.
How good it was to hear her voice. Lyn. She was to become my go to lady. She stood at the door with that warm smile that deep down every man believes says "i love you, i am devoted to you and only you". She wasn't young, i won't lie, nor was she old what mattered was she was nice and attractive and friendly. A rareity it felt after our time done in China.
Lyn (in her soft aussie accent): Welcome aboard, Mr Richards.
Then came the smile and i am sure she winked. At that moment i felt a million dollars. I was bloody James bloody Bond! Even better, i didn't have to sit next to Rob!!!! Not that it would have been an issue but there were enough seats for us to have two each. Hello sleepy time!
I zoned out as soon as we had taken off and had dinner and didn't come to until it was time for the lovely Lyn to serve me breakfast. I needed to fill my immagration form in, she gave me her personal pen and asked me to take good care of it....and i did. I then also gave it back to her. Ahhhh.....
We were the first off and were hit by the wall. The wall was invisible but it was still tough. It was heat. 30 degrees of the stuff. Our last recolection of outside temperature was when it was negative something stupid, now it was positive something stupid. We had a few problems going through customs, but nothing unmanageable. We didn't know where we were staying exactly (by exactly i knew we had a bed somewhere in teh city, but the name and street name illuded us.) But they let us in. We stood around a tad bewildered but soon had a plan. We were meeting Mat at central station. So thats where we went and eventually met him.
He lead us to Central YHA and the internet where we hoped, from Rob's emails, we could source out beds location. We couldn't. No biggee. We went for a steak and a pint and came back. But still it defied to be found, until we searched for hostels in the future and took lucky dip on the name and number of the street that rang a bell. It paid off, and after a half hour walk, in the burning heat, equalling very sweaty armpits, back, crack, scrotum, we reached our double room...again no biggee at least we had a bed.
After Mat left us we had a quick shower, each, seperate. I feel i have to reinforce that for some reason and i washed my clothes. The colour of the water, after the 10 days of wearing, can only be descrived as reddy brown. Lush! I know im an attractive bugger. Then the storm started. I had noticed the black clouds of course and called out to Rob but it seemed of little significance. then the rain started lightly. Then heavy. Then the lightening started.
Fuck it! We came to see Sydney. So lets see Sydney. There is something very refreshing about a tropical storm. It is hot but the rain is cooling. And while we were soaked through, we were dry soon after. It was amazin. We got the harbour and saw the bridge and some sort of hedgehog shaped builing (the opera house, i know what it is i'm just yanking your leg). Had a burger, bought some shit from the local Woolworths!!! I am as baffled as you. Last time i checked they were bust. And are heading back to the hostel to get down and dirty with 96 clean pages of paper that are dying to be filled with some story of epic proportiong. We will venture out to the abrs tomorrow but are just going to crash and burn tonight. The Welsh Way.
Peace out!
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