Hong Kong Phooey

Bear with me as I try and remember the events that have happened since my last post!  We went to Guangzhou for the weekend and went out both nights to a place called 'Party Pier'- I was a little apprehensive at first due to the 'pier' part. I had images of skanky Wigan Pier (back in England) that was infested with trogladites, Janice Battersby's (Coronation St), druggies and just down right plebs (on the whole- not everybody). Alas we arrived and it was anything but it was great fun, even though there were a few prostitutes knocking about but you can't escape that in Asia or so it seems. We met up with Anna's friends and danced the night away. Anna unfortunately had her bag stolen which had her purse and cards, mobile, camera, make-up etc inside. What a nightmare! Not meaning to sound bad but most people in England would have handed the bag in if they saw it unguuarded for a second, not steal away with it, no matter how hard up they were. It is little instances like this that make me miss England. Good ol' Blighty. Don't get me wong- I know England has its flaws like th benefit system etc but lets not get into a debate or stray off track. Anyhoo, Anna lost her bag and it has been a bother ever since. Th next day was a total write off and then we went out again. I am getting too old for this shit. I would have been happy to stay in with a cup of tea, treats and a book. on Sunday we went to another district of Guangzhou called Shunde to meet up with Poopsie (Dad) as he was visiting China for business. We took a long stroll through the city to an Italian restaurant he knows and it was delicious. Along the way we stopped off to play with all th caged puppies and kitten that were caged up. Dad then revealed to Mike that it wasn't actually a pet shop (I could sense Mike crying inside at this next bit) and that they were actually there to buy to be eaten. While I take a Cruella DeVille attitude to the puppies the kitties tug on my heart strings. I would love to save them all but this is life and how their world works. Other cultures would be just as sickened as England eating Cows or Pigs etc. After dinner we went back to Dad's hotel to wait for his driver to pick us up and take us back to Anna's and had a drink. The next few days were chilled until Anna got home from work and we would go and walk around/go for dinner. We keep going to this place for massages where it feels like they are trying to kill you- it freaking hurts! Although I try my best not to make a noise in case it gives them some sick satisfaction to hurt the pasty white girl (they seem to laugh everytime they do)- Mike and Anna however can be very vocal. Especially when the workers are chatting away loudly so they need to be told to be quiet- which then sets me off laughing at their guts in telling them to be quiet. You have to be there I guess. Below are a couple of photos of a hungover Anna:

 

On the Tuesday Mike and I set off to Hong Kong as we had to sort out a few visas for the next leg of our trip as if w had gotten them in England- tey would have expired by the time we were going. we hopped on the mtro with Anna as she was heading off to work at the Canton Fair, and then we went our seperat ways. Whilst waiting for our train to Hong Kong, we decided to get a spot of lunch at Burger King- I was watching them prepare our food by getting old burgers and dumping them in the microwave for a few seconds- gross! I lost my appetite a bit :/ Not to mention the 'meat' looked grey- it was probably pigeon. The train journy was only 2 hours so nothing major. When we arrived to HK we just jumped into a taxi and went through the underwater tunnel to Wan Chai which is where our hotel was. We thought we would be in a deluxe hotel do to it being redued from £170 a night to £50 but it wasn't. It was nice- but tiny. However, HK is so so expensive and people would pay that price for the room we would have- it was a room you would think £50 was fair/ ok for what you would pay back in the UK. We went exploring that night and went to Nathan Rd which is famous in HK and to Temple St Market. I have been to HK a few times before but it is always nice to b back. We went to an authentic eatery outside on the street that you would avoid upon appearance in the UK but it was so busy.

 

God knows what's in that tank- it was moving whatever it was.

The next day we had a lie in, got up and went in search for the Cambodian Embassy. Me being the massively organised dork that I am, had already researched the address and details back in England and had it stored in my trusty travel wallet. We walked to the ferry terminal and got the ferry to Tsim Sha Sui (TST) which takes 5-10 minutes and cost 50p for two adults. We arrive and have a scout around- I was getting distracted by all the beautiful shops that were surrounding us (Louis V, Gucci, Hermes, Chanel etc) but Captain Sensible Mike reminded me we weren't there to shop and that I a meant to be learning the value of saving money and not just wasting it. So head hung slighty I walk on until we find the building. The visa took no time at all and was quite cheap. Pleasantly suprised. We then went for a walk along TST promenade where the Asian version of Hollywood's walk of fame is. I didn't recognise any of the names apart from Jackie Chan and Bruce Lee, Mike was horrified i'd never heard of Jet Li. We has an average lunch which cost us £40 (no alcohol and one dish each) which made me remember fast that HK is mega rip- maybe it was the Victoria Harbour view that was chilling me out about this, although the view is far superior at night. That evening we ordered to the room to save on costs.

Mike has found his hand twin- Jackie Chan.

Victoria Harbour by day.

The following day we got up and set out to go and obtain our visa for Laos. After the metro and walking we found it and paid double the price to get it done in 20mins instead of 3 days. It was still only £40 each but it all adds up- especially on a travel budget. We then went to the famous Victoria's Peak to get the tram to the top for stunning views, however we saw the queue and decided against it and headed for HK Central Harbour where we would be catching a special Chinese Junk Boat complete with red sails to go and view Victoria Harbour by night at the time when they do their 'Symphony of Lights' show.

The Aqua Luna boat we went on.

 

 The view of the harbour from th boat was out of this world- but I was a bit disappointed with the laser show. I think it is better from a higher point like Aqua restaurant on the 30th floor. It was still lovely though and a nic experience. Below are a cople of snaps of our view. Victoria Harbour at night:

After this we went back to our hotel and waited for Anna to arrive as she had Friday off work. When she arrived it was quite late but we headed out to 'bar street' anyway in HK Central. We ended up getting quite tipsy and having a great time- despite the fact I had a 35 year old lecture me on life when I probably had more life experience than him and an old millionaire sugar daddy who gave his email address to Anna and I and said if we ever need anything to get in touch and he will sort it (at this point that gorgeous bag from Louis V and other deliciously beautiful things popped into my head- every girl needs a little frosting- joking) but I already have everything I want in life to date and none of it is materialistic.

Th next day we got up and headed for DISNEYLAND HONG KONG!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Anna and I felt like we were young again. It was magical. Mike got into the spirit too! There were a few new attractions from the last time I went but on the whole the Paris one is superior- yet to go to the Orlando one with Gemma and Anna- it is very important to keep in touch with your inner child, it provides wonderful escapism from the real world filled with stresses and responsibilities. Whether it is going to Disney, rolling down hills, water fights etc.

So as we entered through the gates we were greeted to the soundtrack of all the great Disney songs. The air smelt of pure sugar which is probably on purpose to hype the kids up. We had such a fantastic time! I went  bit mad with shopping and got myself a special Jack Skellington made out of glass-very delicate but awesome. We went on every ride near enough- even the baby ones. We gathered round to watch 'The Nightmare Before Christmas' parade which was good but in Chinese which upset me. It could have been a lot better in all fairness. Anna and I managed to get Mike to go on the Cindarella Carousell and the Whinnie the Pooh ride- which was freaky! We didn't know it took a picture at the end and it truly was a sight to see! Mike looked possesed, Anna looked scared and you could tell I was thinking 'what the f**k?!)

Anna and I recreating  a pose from home. Mum will know it.

The whole park was decorated for Halloween

All hyper off the sugar air, standing in line for Space Mountain ride.

Mike loving the carousell

Anna and Mike at Pooh Corner

Jack Skellington

Nightmare Before Christmas parade

Mad Hatter Teacups- we were all dizzy after we spun it that fast

Enterance to 'It's a Small World'. We had to go on this for Dad- it brought back memories of him wanting to go on it all the time when he took me and my 3 big sisters to Disneyland Paris.

There is so much to tell about Disney but I shall save that for some other time maybe.

We stayed overnight in the Disney hotel and headed back to China the next day to go and meet Dad and some of his business pals for dinner and drinks. Since then it has been quite chilled. Anna, Mike and I went to the cinema last night to watch the only English showing called 'Bait' about a shark. It was so comical- it as terrible. It was also hillarious that everytime someone got hurt or died the Chinese would burst into laughter- as you can imagine I felt quite at home with this. I wonder if they laughed when Dobby from Harry Potter died too?! They probably thought the film was a cooking show with all the sharks and fish. Tonight is our last night with Anna but I don't want to think about that. I'll end this post here :(

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Taxi Tussle

What an eventful journey. One I won't forget in a hurry. We arrive off the plane and wait for Anna to meet us, we waited about 35 minutes and it turns out she was waiting for us at a different part of arrivals. It was so good to see her- Anna and I hate being apart. We get in a taxi and Anna tells the driver where to go and he agrees. After a while he pulls up at a hotel- we have no idea where we are. Anna calls her Chinese friend to talk to the driver and explain to him he agreed to take us to where we needed to be. He knew where we were meant to go but he didn't have any intention of taking us there. Apparently a lot of taxi drivers do this when they pick up Westerners, they will take them so far and just dump them somewhere. The taxi man was getting really angry on the phone so we decided to get out but only pay him half of what he wanted as he didn't deliver the service he said he would and instead dropped us off in a place we didn't know. He started following us, shouting (over £1 less) and wouldn't give up. We tried to explain why we weren't paying in full as he left us a creek without a paddle- let me stress- he knew where we wanted to go and agreed to take us, just decided no too. He kept going to grab my backpack and take it off me to keep, so my instant reaction was to get him off my property as he wasn't just threatening, he was really trying to take my bag and keep it, so.....I kicked him a couple of times to get him off. He then started trying to hit me so as I defended myself, Anna gave him a punch in the arm and Mike eventually realised what was going on and restrained the man in a headlock and pushed him over to keep him away from me. I am pleased Mike restrained instead of attacking as it would make things so much worse. We darted into the hotel and the security kept the taxi man at bay. Anna's friend got the police to meet us where we were. We thought it would be easier to pay th guy the £1 just to get him away. Mike went out to give him the money but he was just wanting to fight, asking Mike to hit him etc and then scrambling around in his car like a rat in a sewer digging for scraps, we are guessing to find a wapon. He was definately looking for something. Thankfully Mike kept his cool (China is one place you do not want to get into trouble in) and left the money on his car bonnet and walked back. He was more interested in keeping us from harm than fanning the flames. The taxi man was a douche and just kept going, wanting to fight us so the hotel manager got his head concierge guy to drive us back to Anna's- he conviniently had blacked out windows. We saw the taxi driver waiting a few meters down the road but he would be expecting a taxi- at any rate he couldn't see us so he couldn't follow us. It was CRAZY. I'm just not one of those girls who will run away, you threaten me in any sense and I will react. So that was our crazy taxi experience.
We finally got to Anna's and went for a nice dinner. During the days Anna has to work, so at the moment Mike and I are using this for an excuse to just chill and slob- it feels soooo good. We have completed the big boxset of Spongebob and have moved onto Family Guy. We went for a massage which was good- although they were really harsh and the women wouldn't stop staring at Mike- it was hilarious- the one doing his feet mounted him and started massaging his thighs etc whilst staring etc, right in front of Anna and I. The girls were nuging each other and giggling whilst looking at Mike. You had to be there but it was funny. I am sure if Anna and I weren't there he would have been offered extras and a more than happy ending.
Last night Mike went to play touch rugby with some of Anna's friends whilst we went to get our nails done. I got mine with dark blue glitter gel with a crystal skull- in preparation for Halloween!! They are super cool but it did kill my soul a little with the amount of time they took. We then went to meet Mike and the others for some drinks. Tomorrow we are heading into Guangzhou city center for the weekend so that should be fun. We have a few activities planned but will fill you soon!!
Over and out.

Animals, Caves and Birthdays

We went to the gardens as planned and they were great- although a little too packed. Below are a couple of snaps:

 

 I love Chinese gardens. They are a nice escape from all the hustle and bustle, unless you go on a weekend. They mak you feel like you are in another world and can make you imagine them when they were built (yes, built)how they were used and enjoyed. To get to these gardens though you had to go through a street packed full of tourist shops (how convinient) and food stalls. Mike finally got to try (as he calls it) 'meat on a stick'. What meat I hear you ask, we never know. Below are just some of the other delights they had to offer on a stick:

 

 After the gardens we had a walk around. I bought a tea set to send back home and some tea. The next day it was Mike's birthday and so we headed to the zoo. I have heard a lot of testimonies that Chinese zoos are depressing and the animals aren't kept very well, but luckily Shanghai zoo seemed ok. It could do a few improvements for the animals but it could have been a lot worse! We only had a couple of animals before closing time so it was a bit of a rush to get round but we saw some amazing animals such as:

Red Panda

Tiger Cub

Giant Panda

 

White Siberian Tigers

Lions

Gorillas

Golden Monkey

Zebras

And many many more.

Before we went to the zoo- we went to McDonalds for Mike's birthday lunch where he had a mammoth meal- as usual he ordered too much in the excitement of being in the establishment of the golden arches! After the zoo we headed to the World Financial Building where it has the highest observatory deck in the world (on the 100th floor). The views were amazing- the city of Shanghai was all lit up.

After this we went shopping and had a nightmare with my card. Barclays Bank is just filled with moronic workers I swear. We went back to the hotel to get ready for dinner and it was so strange to see myself wearing make-up again after months of not wearing so much as a lick of mascara. We were mega late to dinner due to shopping so by the time we arrived at the Italian it was dead and they rushed us to order but nevermind. It was delicious.

The next day we set off to Guilin for 2 nights. In hindsight I wish we spent a night less in Shanghai and an extra day in Guilin as we had no time to do the beautiful tours along te famous rivers etc. We did get to go and visit 'Red Flute Cave' though which Henry Kissinger loved. The cave is MASSIVE and just so cool. It was very impressive. It was illuminated by coloured lights placed strategically so th photos don't do it justice- I am sure it would if we had one of those fancy cameras everybody seems to have. The photos do look very funky though.

 

Next stop: Guangzhou to see ANNA!!!!!! (my sister)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Warriors and Bullfrogs

Xi'an was a pretty quiet place with not much to do apart from a daytrip to see the Terracotta Warriors- or so we thought. We did a little sight seeing on our second day but it was nothing really to rave about. That night we had an early one as we had to be up early to go on our tour to see the warriors and the Tomb of Qin Shi Huang- who built the Terracotta Warriors in 210BC to protect him in his afterlife. The warriors are a real sight- it is wonderful, but it is the history behind them that make them so special. 8,000 have been found and are still being put together but there are believed to be many more undiscovered. The emperor positioned his 'pits' following rules of feng shui. His slaves that made them copied their own faces on the warriors and when he was done he killed them all- as he wanted the army to remain a secret.

There were 4 main kinds of warrior. This is the most famous as it was the only one to be found complete- the rest are broken and have to be put back together again. At the back you can see a little bit of original colour. The warriors were very colourful but the colour went after half an hour due to oxidisation. According to the guide.

Just one of the pits (the biggest one of the three found so far).

This is Mike with our tour guide called Lady JaJa. She took a particular fancy to Mike and kept picking him for things. Note the uneasy look on his face.

After the warriors we were taken for a traditional Chinese lunch which was delicious and cheap. Then we proceeded to go and see the tomb of Qin Shi Huang. It sounds a lot more appealing than it was. What they don't tell you until the tour is that you can't go inside. No one can due to suspicion that is filled with mercury traps. So all we can do is look at the hill. Ok- so we accepted this and then as we got there- it was so thick with smog you couldn't even see the hill. It was quite funny though. On the tour we met a couple of Irish lads called Paddy and Alan, who were really funny.

We headed back to our hostel and chilled for a bit before going to dinner in the hostel as we thought we would get an early night due to an early flight the next morning. Well- that was the plan and as they say, the best laid plans often go to waste. Paddy and Alan were down there and we ended up drinking, followed by a drinking game which proved to be lethal- especially on poor Paddy and Mike who had to neck their beers and our Swede friend (who unfortunately I can't spell the name of). The more we drank the more it seemed like a good idea to head to Bar Street. We arrived and it was like a ghost town but we heard some warblings and screeches of a kareoke bar which drew us in. The lads went crazy on the singing. We had Alan and Mike wanting to sing Elton John and Kiki Dee but they gave them Black Eyed Peas instead, we had The Kinks, Eye of the Tiger and a few others. All the while our Swede friend was trying to chat up the local barmaid using a translator on his phone as his weapon. It ma have been a tad awkward on her when he tried to sing-a-long to a Chinese song with her. He was hilarious. It was such an amazing night- it is always the unexpected ones which are the best. We left at 2am giving Mike and I about 4-5 hours sleep.

From left to right: Alan, Paddy, Mike and our Swedish friend.

We are now in Shanghai for 4 nights and as I am writing this it is our 2nd night. We are in a hotel with a room to ourselves which seems like a massive luxury. It is Mike's birthday on the 12th so we thought we would treat ourselves. So far we have done a bit of shopping, we found a dvd shop and got about 30 dvds (including a few box sets) for about £40. Win. Lets just hope they work as it is quite hit and miss. We went for lunch at a well known restaurant for being spicy- it certainly was that. I ordered a chicken dish that came on the bone and stone cold. I wanted to cry. Mike ordered a dish which was bullfrog. Yes....BULLFROG!!! I tried a bit and shocked even myself that I had a couple bites more. It tasted a little like chicken with the texture of fish. It was a tad off putting having to pull bits away from the spine. The bits of meat were tinay and I don't know how many bones a bullfrog has but every tiny bit of mat seemed to have loads of bone in so it was one of those dishes which is just a chore to eat so we admitted defeat and left after a while. We managed to go to the cinema to watch 'Taken 2' which was really great- I haven't seen the first one but I really enjoyed it. It was strange to do something that we would do at home. It was nice to do something we would consider the norm. Gutted the sweetie and popcorn counter was closed down though- that makes a cinema!!! Tomorrow we are hoping to visit some gardens as I love Chinese gardens- well, the ones I have been to in the past. You learn to expect the unexpected and to just go with the flow in China. Think of Forrest Gump but with China being the box of chocolates.

 

 

 

The World's Longest Graveyard!!

After the total write off day we did a bit of sightseeing. We went and looked at different things as it is good to have a bit of time to yourself when you are travelling in a pair...and even more so when you are a couple. Mike headed off to Tiannamen Square and I went to the Summer Palace. It was lovely. Although I would recommend going when it isn't a Chinese National Holiday!!! I think I was the only milky white broad there! It was packed with people old and young and took forever to walk anywhere due to crowds- it made me realise it is handy to have a 6ft male around in situations like this- I just got engulfed into the crowd- damn being short! Due to the crowds, I only managed to do half of the Summer Palace. It is spread out over a massive area. The Summer Palace on the World Heritage List. It has been declared that the Summer Palace is "a masterpiece of Chinese landscape garden design. The natural landscape of hills and open water is combined with artificial features such as pavilions, halls, palaces, temples and bridges to form a harmonious ensemble of outstanding aesthetic value." It certainly does all of the above. I just wish it wasn't so busy. If for no other reason than for the fact that here in China it seems they haven't heard of the little dittie 'Coughs and sneezes spread diseases'. I wish I knew what 'Cover your mouth' was in Cantonese and Mandarin. I have been coughed and sneezed on so many times it was only a matter of time before I got ill. Again. Also, spitting is not a problem here. I don't mean normal townie/chav/pleb/asbo spitting like in England, but full on blobs of yellow/brown phlegm with the that delightful 'hocking up' noise to go with it, then plod, it lands just next to your exposed flip flop covered feet. So gross. Everyone seems to be ill in China at the moment so due to the complete lack of regard for other peoples health and personal space.....I am now ill. Really ill. Again. I started with a fever, temperature, sore throat, chesty cough etc etc etc. Not great when you are in an amazing city with so much to do and see.

 

 

Anywho- after I visited the Summer Palace, I decided to go on the hunt for a Chinese sim card seen as though I am here for a while. I find a shop and for a card it was 200RMB (about £2). I had 170RMB and tried to tell them I would come back with cash. They didn't speak English and were reluctant to let me go without a sale, and my card wasn't working in their shop. The next thing I know I am being led out of the shop by a very persistent man, and he wouldn't let me go. I nearly had a dirty protest when I saw him pull out a scooter. He didn't understand 'No no, i'll walk' and made me get on the back of his scooter- without a helmet, in a skirt which doesn't have much elasticity. I clung onto his waste as he took me along the chinese roads, full of crazy drivers. We nearly had a collision which sent my nails that need cutting into his flesh- which I felt bad about but at the same time gave me some sort of satisfaction as he was putting me through hell for a £2 sale! I know it isn't very daredevil of me but all I could think about whilst on the back of the moped was 'What if I fell off or crashed now and died? How would Mike find out? etc' It made me realise how stupid I was and how I should have just walked away, even if it is considered rude. My safety comes first and here I was hopping on the back of a strangers moped, who probably doesn't have a license, going to god knows where, with no helmet etc. I then thought it was so irresponsible of me as if I had have crashed, my poor family and friends would have to go through hell again, and after seeing the damage and hurt such reckless actions produce before, I am never going to potentially put them through that again. Especially not for a sim card! However, I am safe and well and it has been done now. A crazy experience I won't forget but I learnt from it. On a lighter note, isn't it funny how the man nderstands 'No, i'll walk back' once I gave him the money from the ATM. Hmmmmmm.
Later when I met up with Mike, we decided to head out for dinner- an early one as my temperature was high. We walked through a side street to the main shopping street, which always has interesting sights and smells such as weird animals battered on skewers, pots and pans filled with all sort of flesh eating odours that will knock you out with a slight whiff. All sorts of tat stalls, which I love. We arrived onto the main shopping street and went into a fancy chopstick shop and bought a set for home when we are back, because I am mega sad and like to plan for things such as Chinese themed dinner parties, but we will now have authentic chopsticks----wahooooo. I was good though and let Mike choose them. His skill with the chopsticks is improving everyday and he practices moving things from one side of the plate to the other. We then find a 'Beijing Duck Restaurant' and obviously we want to eat there. It was down a back alley and we were 2 out of the 4 westerners there, so it was a non-tourist one. We sat outside in the alleyway, I was seated next to a dirty mop and bucket, and a broken down car, standard. We ordered a whole duck for about £14 which is quite pricey in China but we were in Beijing. It was brought out on a plate shaped like a duck, how apt. I know that would put some people off but I found it quite comical. Unfortunately the duck was quite average but it was still nice, and you couldn't beat the experience.

The next day we got up early, despite being woken up over and over by illness and the other couple in our hostel who were so noisy and inconsiderate. The man actually blocked the toilet whilst we were out (his girlfriend had also been out all day so we know it was him), and came back to an over-stuffed toilet that wouldn't flush. We thought he would sort it but instead he added a huge heap of s**t to it and then had the cheek to tell his girlfriend he didn't know what had happened to the toilet. I had started using the communal toilet on th 6th floor when he first intially blocked it which annoyed me further as it was just a hole in the ground. Anyway, we got up at 6.30am, me feeling and looking like death, with a temperature the same as hell to match, and got onto the coach to head to a section of 'The Great Wall of China', our second wonder of the world on this trip. The part we went to was called 'Mutianyu'. We got a cable cart to the wall and I managed to do 6 towers, Mike did 8. It is so hard physically to do, so steep! I had to keep resting due to the fever and letting Mike go off and doing bits on his own. I was impressed I got out of bed to be honest. It was an amazing experience and some of the facts are amazing. Again, it was packed as it is a National holiday in China. I would recommend for everybody to go- just make sure you aren't ill as it really affects your ability to do it. Some facts about the wall (I won't bore you with the history too much); it took 2 million people to build and rebuild the wall. The wall is 2000 years old but some areas have been rebuilt. Men were made to carve their name in every brick they made and laid so if it needed repairing the government would know who to punish for the bad quality work- seems a little harsh and that arounf 1 million men have died whilst building or repairing the wall so their bodies were just built within the wall instead of disposing of them properly. This is why it is also known as the longest graveyard in the world. When we had finished our 3 1/2 hour walk (more of a climb to be honest) we headed back down to the village through means of a massive toboggan run!!!! So much fun! We went for lunch with our tour group to a local place in the village called 'Mr Yangs', which was delicious! It was awkward though as the other Europeans weren't interested in talking to the Brits. Still- delicious food.

The named bricks

 

 We headed back to the hostel, had a chill and I had a snooze for illness reasons before heading our for dinner to a local restaurant called 'Restaurant' it was spelled incorrectly but I can't remember how. It was very local, we were the only westerners, thank god it was a picture menu. Our friend recommended it to us from our hostel though so we thought we would give it a go. It was DELICIOUS- it has been my favourite meal in China so far. I had chilli ramen (a soup packed with veg, noodles and a meat- not sure which one, could be rat for all I know) and Mike tried beef curry ramen. Both were dirt cheap and just really tasty. After this we had an early night as it ws about 10pm and we were up at 5.30 to get up and go to the airport to fly to Xi'an, which is where we are now for 3 nights.
 

China Clubbing

I will start with our last day in Sri-Lanka. We headed back to Colombo early morning as we had tickets to the Twenty20 Cricket World Cup for the Australia V South Africa match. You can imagine this didn't exactly fill me with joy. It was Mike's idea of heaven. He had a seat right next to the bar which served only beer (so that's me out), next to the KFC stall and had a great view of the match. For the first half hour/hour, I was in hell. I was so so bored and was gutted when Mike told me we weren't even at half time. He then explained the rules to me and the unimaginable happened- I really enjoyed myself and watched with great interest. I am shocked still. I enjoyed it so much (despite me hating Asian KFC- it is just lies. And despite only having coke whilst Mike drank beers) I even got myself an English cricket top. I hope to watch more cricket. Shock horror. Although I didn't enjoy the fight that broke out between an Indian and Pakistani gentleman. The the stadium were watching it and forgot about the cricket, police were swarming around it and it was only a few rows away from us. The next match was between India and Pakistan so I was terrified a riot was going to break out. Especially when the police told off a Pakistani man in front of us because he was writing offensive stuff down and holding his signs in the air- I am guessing they were offensive towards the Indians. Even a few westerners and familes left after the fight even though the match hadn't finished. I was tempted to follow suit but Mike calmed me down and we carried on.
The next morning we had to get up and make our way to China. It was a 9 1/2 hour flight, which after a 3 hour airport wait, 1 hour long journey to the airport, and 2 hours to get through immigration and get to your hostel, is a long long journey. What made it a little worse was the fact we flew with Sri-Lankan airlines. Worst airline I have evern been with for a long haul flight. The food is dire, it is dated and you can watch ONE movie when they decide to screen it and you cant even pause it or anything. Those of you who haven't flown long haul you usually can select any tv/movie at any time, control it and watch as many as you like. Which is needed on such a long flight. Oh well, we have said goodbye and good riddance to Sri-Lankan airlines.
I am so happy that I have so far managed to change Mike's opinion on China. He came with quite a negative view of it being a concrete jungle, ugly, controlled etc. He is pleasently suprised at how modern and nice it is. We arrived at our hostel in Beijing, which in all fairness is quite nice. Even if it does have dodgy staff. We arrived 1 1/2 hours before check in and after the journey we had just had, we wanted a bed. The tight fisted b******s wouldn't let us in our room unless we paid another nights pay, FOR 1 1/2 HOURS!!!! I was not impressed but reluctantly paid. As the man was faffing around taking forever an African young girl was causing a massive riot along with her friend. I think they were prostitutes and tried to claim this man was one of their boyfriends- yet when they got outside they were having a physical fight. Interesting. She was on of those types that sucks her teeth making that awful sound and clicks in peoples faces. Yuk yuk yuk. Anywho, we were the only ones in our 4 bed dorm so I was happy. We got up and had a walk around and did some washing (praise the lord) and got our bearings. We ended up going CRAZY in the shops. When I say 'we' I mean me! I treatd myself to 2 Armani dresses (which were cheaper together than one Diesel dress- which I didn't get. Crazy!!!! Since when has Diesel been such a rip off. £889 for a black dress!!) And I nearly treated myself to some Louboutins (thankfully they didn't have my size as I have fat white devil wide big foot feet- that's how I interpreted it). So I settled for a new hand bag instead as my little rucksack is dead already. I also got Mike's birthday present which I have gone halves on with his mum. So- a crazy shopping day. We ate at the hostel whilst the weird waiter was annoyed at being greatly inconvinienced whilst watching his cartoon bear programme. Everytime he had to do something he would rush and literally run back to the guests tv for his cartoon. We ate here and decided to have a few drinks. Bad idea. We started talking to a South African lady who now lives in England called Claire and she was so much fun!!! I blame her for the monster hangover today though. We started playing drinking games and before we knew it, it was midnight. The bar was closing. So we decided to tag along with a man I knicknamed 'Tizz' from America to a club called 'Mix'. It was so much fun. Packed full of minted Asian men and the type of girls that will love you forever if the price is right. All the girls might as well have been naked with a coin slot in their forehead, heavily made up etc and there was little old me in flip flops, curly bush hair scraped back and no make-up in a long navy and white striped dress. I was sexy personified.........I promise. I din't care, I was too drunk to care and decided to just dance away with Mike and our new friends. The macarena song came on but none of the Asian ladies new it and I could se two in the corner of my eye trying to copy myself and Claire- so I in my drunken state taught them the dance. In return they took me to their 'friend's' table and they all plyed me with free drinks and shots. Whoopeee :) After a good few hours Mike had gone missing and I knew this could mean one thing........he was being sick somewhere. I was right. He stupidly got involved in a drinking game with a minted Chinese man who provided all the drinks and Mike just had to win. I got him in a taxi and took him back at about 4am, after he was a little sick on me and in the taxi which charged me double because of such reasons. Today has been a total write off due to hangovers but we are going to have a full day of sightseeing tomorrow. But for now.....I am off back to the bar to meet Claire.