Arrival in China
My flight arrived earlier than expected and with a quick 'bu yao' (don't want) to ticket touts, I was able to order my bus ticket from the airport to Hangzhou. I'm not sure whether they understood my phrase, but they seemed to give me a ticket to the right place.
I got a taxi to Anne's apartment which is in a block of student accommodation. Rachel soon appeared after exploring the town and we decided to plan the next leg of the trip. The long and short of which is we are going to go straight to Chengdu, and instead of the 48 hour train ride, we are going to take a plane, it's a bit more but still only about forty quid. The great news is Anne is likely to join us on our travels - she speaks very good Mandarin and is excellent company, so is a great addition to the group! :)
As for impressions of China, it's pretty much what I expected. Crazy traffic, lots of people, overloaded bicycles (a couple of fridges is mandatory), everything in Chinese...! Last night we went for dinner and then to some bars which were awesome. The first had a live band with occasional singers from the audience, the latter was extraordinary with many non-Chinese people from all over the world. On the way home, the statutory kebab was replaced by big bowls of noodles. A definitely more wholesome option. I managed to make it to 4:30AM Chinese time without any naps, but I fear it's going to catch up with me.
Well today we are going to a tea house, for some massages, and I'm not sure what else. I'm not sure when / where my update will be from, but I thought I'd take advantage of Anne's internet connection.
Cheers,
Ali
I got a taxi to Anne's apartment which is in a block of student accommodation. Rachel soon appeared after exploring the town and we decided to plan the next leg of the trip. The long and short of which is we are going to go straight to Chengdu, and instead of the 48 hour train ride, we are going to take a plane, it's a bit more but still only about forty quid. The great news is Anne is likely to join us on our travels - she speaks very good Mandarin and is excellent company, so is a great addition to the group! :)
As for impressions of China, it's pretty much what I expected. Crazy traffic, lots of people, overloaded bicycles (a couple of fridges is mandatory), everything in Chinese...! Last night we went for dinner and then to some bars which were awesome. The first had a live band with occasional singers from the audience, the latter was extraordinary with many non-Chinese people from all over the world. On the way home, the statutory kebab was replaced by big bowls of noodles. A definitely more wholesome option. I managed to make it to 4:30AM Chinese time without any naps, but I fear it's going to catch up with me.
Well today we are going to a tea house, for some massages, and I'm not sure what else. I'm not sure when / where my update will be from, but I thought I'd take advantage of Anne's internet connection.
Cheers,
Ali
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