Chinglish!

Anyone looking for a job in China may be able to find one translating public signs, that is if you can read Chinese, for all I know these signs may be well translated, I couldn't do any better, but they do raise a smile. There were plenty others similar.

Canton! Guangzhou and Hong Kong - the end!

Thursday, 12th May - Almost not itching!

I arrived in Guangzhou without problem and set off to find my hotel, according to the directions provided by the website I neede to take the Metro to Yuancun, follow the map up the road and turn right near the top. I did this but there was no sight of the hotel, I walked round and round. Everyone I showed the map to pointed somewhere vaguely. It was getting stiflingly hot, I was just getting to the point that I was going to say; 'Stuff it, I'll go straight to Hong Kong', when a young lady asked if she could help me. I didn't think she could and when she told me that I needed to get a bus I was almost sure of it, but she assured me that she knew the road where the hotel was situated, that it was near East Guangzhou Station and that I needed to get a bus.
The hotel description had said it was near the East Station so I was persuaded, I needed to go to that station to get my ticket for Hong Kong. This young lady closed up her shop and walked me to the bus-stop, the bus stop had moved so she asked for further directions and walked me to another one. She wrote the name and address of the hotel in Chinese, so I could ask for directions, and she waited with me till the bus came and asked the bus driver to see I got off at the right stop. Incredibly helpful.

Eventually I did find the hotel, it was near the station, once again there was nothing written outside the hotel in either English or Pingyin. I had to guess, walk in and ask. I thought I had put money away for this hotel but if I did I don't know where I put it, fortunately I had 50$US that I could change at the bank. I was sure that I had enough money to get me through to Hong Kong, though the train ticket had been more than I expected. It might have been better to go to Shenzhen and cross there, still I did get to visit Shamian Island in the afternoon.

Crossing to Shamian Island

Signs of British occupation!

Two of the bronze statues that depict peaceful co-habitation

One of the churches

I went into, what I thought was a museum, it turned out to be an antique shop. Another nice young lady showed me around some of the artefacts. I think she did want to make a sale but she was not pushy.

I started to worry about my journey to Hong Kong, my case seems very big and I was unsure about luggage space on the train. It is far too big for me to lift onto a rack. I was also worrying about where to change my yuan to Hong Kong dollars.

Friday, 13th May
A thunderstorm last night and still pouring with rain in the morning, though not as bad as Xingping. Still very warm as well. I went to the station early and had a coffee in Starbucks, I left the hotel before the Bank opened so I didn't ask about HK dollars, this was just as well as I decided to put my case into 'consign', it weighed 18.9 kilos so no problem with airlines, not with Emirates anyway. By now I had put my back-pack in the case and had only a small bag as hand luggage. Through Chinese immigration and customs, there was a sign-up saying that our temperatures were being taken, God knows how, I could see nothing. It was quite luxurious travelling without my case, well worth the money though the train was not full and there would have been space, several people were travelling with much more luggage than me.


When I arrived in Hong Kong, Hung Hom station (really massive), I checked on why my credit card was not working, the ATM told me it had been cancelled, this was an HSBC ATM, my bank. When I got to the hotel I was stupid enough to tell them that my credit card was not working as they wanted a 500$ deposit, as well as paying for my room. I got cross as I did not want to be drawing money out unnecessarily, only to be handed it back as I was leaving the country. I decided that it had been a bad idea to change my booking to Friday, 13th! Eventually we sorted it out to our mutual satisfaction.


I went to a branch of HSBC to use the internet to find out why I was having problems, in the first one I was told that it was not possible, later I found one where I could use the internet but the system was different, both to home and to Shanghai, so I had to leave it. (When I got home and phoned HSBC they said my card had not been cancelled, so what that was about I don't know, but it did stop me spending money in Hong Kong!!)
My hotel was in Kowloon, just off Nathan Road, very convenient for getting about. my hotel room was so small that I could barely get in with my case, but I had a bed, a shower, a kettle and a TV with English language programmes, what more could I want.
Despite the initial problems with the hotel I liked Hong Kong, it's civilised, the traffic drives on the left, there are double decker buses, drivers respect pedestrian crossings, there are almost no bikes and no spitting, on the other hand it is still Chinese.
I had my clothes washed in a Chinese laundry and I found a chain of cafes that had internet access.

I found the flower market and the bird park.

Nathan Road

Saturday

I got up late, just as well as I wanted to post a couple of postcards and the PO did not open till 09.30, British influence again! Then I went down to Tsim Sha Tsui for the Star Ferry to Wan Chai.

Hong Kong Space Museum, Kowloon

I found a branch of the cafe that has internet access so I stopped for a coffee and checked my emails then went for the tram. I took the first tram that came and went as far east as I could
then returned.
Then I took the Peak Tram up to the Peak, had lunch and walked around the Peak. The weather was poor for visibility.

The weather had looked as if it was clearing but it was very patchy and eventually it just got worse. I got the bus back down to central and the Star Ferry back to Kowloon, I walked along Salisbury Road then through Kowloon Park.

Flamingoes in Kowloon Park

Then I went back through Temple Street market and to the hotel. Unfortunately there was not the same choice of English language programmes on so I went to sleep early!

Sunday Up early, not from choice but because I went to sleep too early! I got up and got the metro to central, then to the Mid Level Escalator, the escalator was coming down, which seemed a bit strange as going up is so much more difficult, still I walked up! I stopped in Soho for breakfast and when I got to the very last escalator it was going up!

When I started to come down I found they were all going up, so I took one back up a bit, just so I could say I'd done it. Then I had to walk down all the way.
Then I walked to Central. One of the incredible thing about HK is that you can walk from place to place on overpasses and Shopping Malls, without actually steeping out onto roads and pavements, what was even more surprising on this occasion, was the number of young females sleeping out in the malls and even the streets, they were in groups and many had laptops with them so they didn't seem needy, I suspect that something was happening at a large Hall that I passed, not sure what, pop group maybe? I passed an Australian girl and we were both astonished by the sight, I confess the weather was warm enough for it not to be a problem. In Central I got a bus to Aberdeen.

I had wanted to see the floating restaurants, with the idea of maybe eating in one, but you had to take a sampan out to the restaurants and as I did not know what they served I didn't feel like taking a sampan out and finding myself stuck. Actually given the enthusiam of some of the sampan owners to get you aboard I don't think getting stuck would have been an option!

I took the bus from Aberdeen back to Kowloon and looked for somewhere to eat, it was surprisingly difficult, I ended up going back to the Shopping Mall, to a cafe, and having a sandwich. There was not much left that I wanted to do, so I went back to the hotel for my luggage and took the bus to the airport. Next stop home! (No, next stop was Bangkok, where we had to stay on the plane, then Dubai, where we got off, then home) My only view of Dubai was when the plane banked, I saw little mud houses and desert, not what you think of when you think of Dubai.

Yangshuo and Guilin, Guangxi Zhiang Province

Photos of Yangshuo town

I was in a room full of Chinese again, this time they all came in at about 10 p.m. and carried on talking for ages. At least in Lijiang I never heard my room-mates. I got up early to go to Xingping for the Bamboo boat rafting. The rafting cost 160 yuan and the receptionist explained that I needed to go to the bus station and get a bus to Xingping. She didn't tell me that I would need to pay for transport in Xingping, I was very annoyed when I got off the bus in Xingping only to be told that I had to pay for a rickshaw down to the raft, they charged me 10 yuan for a jouirney of about 1 km!

My 'rafter' easing us on to the river.

The river was very relaxing, interesting scenery. Only me on the raft, for a while I felt like the queen, as I was the only westerner around and all the chinese wanted to take photos of me! For some reason we seemed to go very slowly and all the other rafts overtook us.

The view on the back of a 20 yuan note!

Spectacular scenery.

Bamboo growing up the side of the river.
The hills had a strange 3D effect as they sat one in front of the other.

It kept raining, I was wearing shorts, because it had been very hot the previous day, so fortunately only my legs got wet. we stopped a couple of times then at 10.45 we stopped on a shingle beach and a woman came and told me that we would have to wait until 12.30 as it was

too dangerous to continue as all the big boats were coming up from Guilin, so I got off the raft
and had something to eat at one of the stalls, it was a fritter of some kind of baby fish from the river. Then I wondered for a bit until I discovered I was being bitten, Why didn't I think to put some anti-bite stuff on? I went back to sit on the raft and watch the midges and be bitten some more.

The porta-loo hiding in the trees!

There were dozens of big boats coming up from Guilin, to Yangshuo, we had to wait until 12.15 then we started off again.

Police boats on the river.

When we got back to Xingping the heavens opened and it just poured, the streets were streams. I waited in the shade for a little while then realised that my feet were getting soaked anyway, from the water bouncing off the road, so I carried on walking. I walked back to the bus station and got the bus. Three hours later it stopped raining! It was too early for dinner but all I had had to eat was a croissant, a banana and a small fritter, so I went to look for food.

I decided to cancel my last night in Yangshuo and spend a night in Guilin, that way I could leave my luggage in the hostel until I needed to go to the station, my only problem was that the internet seemd to be playing up again, chinese interenet seemed to do that regularly. I could find a hostel but I couldn't book it.

In the evening there was a video in the hostel so I decided to watch it, I assumed it would be shown on the TV so I sat and watched the TV, it was sound only, no picture, so I gave up and went to bed with a book. I thought it was only me and a Chinese lad in the room, he went to bed with a book as well, more importantly he put on the air-con. I had seen the remote control the day before but didn't realise what it was for. By 10 he had stopped reading so when I finished I turned off the light, when I woke up in the morning there were 4 of us in the room! The other 2 must have been very quiet.

Monday

Another very hot day. I started by wearing shorts, despite my bitten legs. the hostel staff gave me some stuff to put on the bites. At least I didn't feel as unclean as I did the first time, may this be a lesson to me to remember anti-bug lotions.

I had breakfast in a bar I have taken a fancy to, from the window I could see an old man punting a raft with his cormorants. I took some photos, then went for a walk, when I came back that way some Dutch were taking his photo, he was close to the shore so I went to take another photo, this time he raised his hand and said 5 yuan. i didn't take his photo but I felt very mean afterwards, I could easily have paid him the 5 yuan, though I would probably have fallen in trying to get it to him!
I wondered around and then bought an enormous case, too big I think, maybe. Apart from that I had a lazy day, I was harrassed by people trying to sell me things, there are loads of stalls, all selling the same stuff; silk scarves, pashminas, embroidered cushion covers and batik. Anything I wanted to buy I bought in Lijiand and Dali.

When I got back to the hostel I discovered that they did do food, it took me 2 days to discover that! So I stayed in and eat there. I tried to book a hostel again but my credit card was refused, not sure why, I only wanted to pay £2! I also discovered that the video is displayed on the wall opposite the TV, I had been looking in the wrong direction.

Tuesday - I itched!
I got the bus to Guilin and found the hostel I'd been trying to book, it was a bit basic, which was why it had plenty of spare rooms! It was right opposite the main station so there were plenty of taxis around. I believed that my train went from the North station. I was in a room for 4, 1 chinese man and 2 French ladies, one my age and one very young, the young one is doing a round the world tour, the older is spending 2 months in China.

I visited Elephant Trunk Hill and walked around the park and up the hill, there is too much pollution to get a good view. There was a concert in the park, young people performing some Chinese opera and then dancing, what I assume was local dances.
There was very little selling of stuff in Guilin but lots of people saying hello!
Wednesday - still itching!

Slept well with the aircon on. I got up as late as possible. Apparently I managed to leave my passport in reception yesterday! Not sensible. There were workmen around renovating rooms and building new furniture, the place was having a much needed re-vamp. I don't know what wood they were using but it smelt lovely.

I went to the station to check where my train leaves from and discovered that I do not need to go to the North station after all, that was really good news. I went for a wander to kill time, then thought it was after 11 soi rushed back. I found that the cleaners had already been in and changed the bed, what's more they had opened the window as well. I quickly closed it and put on the aircon for a few minutes to cool the temperature down again. After I checked out I discovered that it was only 10.45, so I still had loads of time to kill. I had thought of eating in the hostel but as I had so much time I went out. A lottle man on a bike persuaded me to buy some lychees, then I found a nice restaurant, near the river, with an english menu, they had something called 'green tomato scrambled eggs', I had to try this for the sake of Ling, who ate my green tomatoes last year, it wasn't green tomatoes but green peppers!

When I went back to the hostel I discovered a book that I'm sure wasn't there the day before, it was 'Troublemakers' by Harry Wu. Some brave person had brought it in from Indonesia, I suspect the police would have confiscated it had they been aware. I spent the rest of the day sitting in the hostel reading it. Wu writes about the factories in China that use prisoners as slave labour. he mentions one in Kunming. When I left Kunming I saw 4 watch-towers in the middle of the city, it seemed strange, I suspect that these may be connected to these factories. It left me wondering whether I should have bought anything in China.

Finally I had to leave and go to the station. There I discovered that if you pay 5 yuan you can use the soft-seat waiting room even if you have a hard seat ticket, at least you can if you're a westerner. I wish I had known this earlier.