Mingyuan Xindu Hotel Nanning

... The waterfront at night was beautiful, the Bruce Lee statue really cool, and it was so so different from China! However it was ridiculously expensive (5.70 pounds for a pint has gotta be the most I've ever payed in a pub!). We also went out for Nicks birthday which was definitely an interesting night to say the least and I have the bruises to prove it!! We could only afford to stay in the cheapest place, so we wound up in the infamous Chonking mansions... its tough ...

... set my own travel arrangements, thus, it felt quite weird having everything ready without any heavy effort)<br><br>new country..<br>new adventure...<br>new travel friends...<br><br>We flew directly from Jakarta to Nanning, and arrived there midnight...<br>Checked into the hotel which is located rather outskirts of the city centre...<br>

... pick me up off the floor she better stop twisting the needle. Finally they got enough blood; took about 4 tubes. Then off to pee in a cup. Well it was a squatter, and worst yet the window had no curtain and it was open and it was facing a construction site. You could see the men watching the women. So trying to stay out of their vision and into the hole on the floor was a challenge. Then off to the eye doctor. He did the old time motions like we did ...

... a connoisseur somewhat of a good cup of hot chocolate, the stuff from Walmart was bar none the best I've had so far in China (sad, eh?). Most cafes tend towards a dark chocolate twist, which I personally find revolting and a true abhorrence of something that is supposed to tickle the senses with its sweet sweet sweetness and wrap you in a nice warm hug of chocolate-y goodness. But I digress ... this post is supposed to be succinct. Today we ...

... really representative of the rest of China - it's a little behind in it's attitudes, and slightly more elitist. There's far less ******** here. Not as rushed. Far less people calling me a 'lao wei" and pointing etc. More good and interesting places to eat, as opposed to every place being a bloody outdoor hot pot joint - ****en useless if you're solo. Heaps of people are out in the parks dancing, dong tai-chi or playing badminton ...

We left at 0730 to start our hike through the rice terraces from the Yao village to the Zhong village. Armed with a bottle of water and a rather expensive Snickers bar, I squashed all my stuff into my backpack to make it easier to walk, although it was heavier on my back. The weather was cloudly and cool, perfect for our hike. It was very pretty, with views of the green terraced fields stretching into the distant misty ...

... fish from a tank. We had one steamed, with side dishes of greens and ma po tofu which were the usual very generous servings despite requests for the smallest size possible. In the more touristy places they tell you that they have to weigh the fish before they can give you a price, and you inevitably end up being over-charged. This friendly local restaurant had two sizes of fish, either big or small, the big ...

... fully expect to stop dead entering an intersection, even if you have the right of way, due to other traffic turning left in front of you. I'd be mounting a machine gun on the hood of my car. Our days generally go something like this; get out of bed and perform our ablutions, decide whether to have porridge or boiled eggs for breakfast (we haven't found any cereal yet, nor have we found margarine, butter, jam or bread that isn't purple or doesn't have something inside of it ...

... station which isn't unusual in Asia. I check into the Yin Bin hostel and pay 18 Yuan. To share a dormitory with a man from Singapore and a six legged creature. Mr Lee has travelled the world for the last twenty years. He must be 65. We go and eat at a point and shoot type restaurant which has a selection of ready cooked casseroles and fish. We also stroll through a market where I see a very tender ...

... to &#8216;the real China.&#8217; Fortunately the people in this part of China, related to Thais in fact, Zhuangs to be exact, are nice, so that helps. A smile can go a long way in making a guy feel welcome. Still this doesn&#8217;t hold a lot of attraction for me as a tourist destination, so I buy a ticket the next day for the train to Guilin.