Hello to everybody back home..
FIRST NOTE:...We never got to the noon day gun thing in Hong Kong..we ran out of money so had to go to the bank..the choice being..HSBC or Bank of China..(which would you choose?)....I knew it..I chose HSBC too!..they always advertise that they are the local bank anywhere in the world...and reminding me of little old England..I thought we were onto a sure-fire winner...we weren't...it turns out that HSBC is only local if you actually live in Hong Kong..which meant we queued up for an hour and a half! Very stressful indeed...It didn't help that they had that system I always think is soo good in the UK..where if you are disabled or old you get to queue jump...marvelous..until you are in a queue in a place where 80 bloody percent of the population appears to be over 90 years old and they all attend HSBC at the exact time you are...then you start to see the major flaw in the system!
SECOND NOTE:..I have added a couple of pictures to my Perth and Hong Kong blogs for you all to have a looky..
THIRD NOTE:...I hate the word 'essential' it means something is needed for survival..which in our case is food and water...I wish it wasn't essential! It's been like having chinese take-away three times a day for the last four days (we have another 9 days in China yet)..I require starbucks..I require something that hasn't been dipped in soy sauce..but most of all I require a drink that isn't made of rice! (I enjoy trying other foods..but pleeesee..there is a limit here)
FOURTH NOTE:...My Joanna Wood pet carrier is an essential item..along with my Radley purse, proplus and Cadburys chocolate...I am unable to function without them!
FIFTH NOTE:...If anybody is able to get some British food rations out to me in the next couple of days..It would be greatly appreciated! (Please include Cadbury's chocolate..thank you in advance..)
We are very popular here it appears..a lot of people stare..I think the eyes and way we look stand out a bit!
Everybody is also very nice in China..very friendly..and they have a wicked sense of humour here..shame it all goes tits up when you have to queue to get in somewhere..they don't queue..so we are off to the bar and then bed..after we have sharpened our elbows to make it through the throngs tomorrow!
Will add photos when we have done something interesting..think we will try to go to the Olympic stadium tomorrow!
Lots and lots of love
Laura (currently looking like a dim sum)!
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NOTE TO OTHERS: Enjoy your drink and food in England..we have to stick to two rules..only eat if it is a: hot enough to burn the roof of your mouth off or b: you can peel a very thick skin off it...(It's wearing thin..trust me)!
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Well everybody..we didn't quite manage to go to the Olympic Stadium, for a few reasons..one was that it was the first day that we could lay in past 6am in the last 6 weeks! and other reasons too!!!!
So instead we popped to the Temple of Heaven..which we could walk to..although we were quite surprised to have made it there and back alive quite frankly! I cannot work out if a right of way even exists on the road system here! Check out the picture I took from the bridge..we were in the middle of that road when the lights went green (although they do tend to ignore those mainly anyway)! Sarah said we should stick with the crowd..a marvelous idea..until we realised that everybody else was on bikes..and they all shot off and left us there..the cars came towards us..horns blaring..and what followed was a mad dash to remain in one piece and lots of screaming..(that lots and lots of screaming)! (NOTE: 40,000 die on the road here alone in one year)! Of course just when you think you are out of the woods (or the road in our case)..you turn around and see hundreds of bicycles and rik-shaws tearing towards you..(not quite sure whether the cars or the bicycles are more dangerous..you haven't seen them ride bicycles)!
At least it was worth it to get to the fabulous range of eateries (check out the photos again)! I was so excited I couldn't decide where to eat and almost cried! (Just goes to show..when you pray hard enough)!
We then popped to the Pearl Market..Jack our guide has not only taught us the polite phrases..but the bartering ones too in Chinese..YOU HAVE NOT IDEA HOW COOL THAT IS! It has pushed my bartering technique to the next level completely! I've now managed to buy a Pasmina scarf..a silk table cloth for a table I don't own in a house I haven't even brought yet! In actual fact I got soo carried away I almost purchased a Pashmina scarf for G and then remembered boys don't even wear Pashminas! Frightening how easy it is to forget yourself!
That evening we had a group meeting..(there are twelve in our group..which is a great number)..we are all getting along so well and everybody is very impressed at my new found strength..(I have mega muscles from carrying the luggage around..in actual fact my luggage now weighs three quarters of my own body weight!bring it on!haha) (I have posted a photo of the luggage, although I look massive as I'm in my travelling/floaty number)! We went to a Peking Duck restaurant for dinner and myself and Unker were quite peckish..so we grabbed our chopstiks and dived in..we both grabbed what looked like nice green beans..like the ones you have with a roast dinner...they weren't...they were decorative green chillis stuffed with extra chilli seeds...There were a few tears and a minor choking incident..but we can laugh about it now..and have given Unker's daughter the title of taste tester for the rest of the holiday! (here's a tip..over here they use Crysanthemum tea if you eat something toooo hot..it's amazing..very immediate cooling effect)!
We went to see the Chung Yi show on Kung Fu..which was absolutely phenomenal..a lot of shaolin monks doing kung fu..with the story of how Kung Fu started included..Very much like the one I dragged you to see in London dad..except here you bring packet popcorn and pop it in the microwave in the theatre foyer! how funny! It did remind me of me and you Christina practising our Kickboxing in your kitchen all those years ago..obviously the monks are just slightly better than we were!haha. Getting back from the show was hysterical..we are not really into taking cabs at the mo...but we were mega desperate..it was very very late at night and there was four of us and we figured it better than walking for 2 hours! So Jack told us if we have to get in a cab..to show them our hotel card and they will know where to go..Unker produced hers..and the cabby got the right hump and drove off with his door still open.then we tried again..eventually Unker said we should get in first then show the card..when we did this the cab driver was looking really bemused..then Unker realised she was showing everybody her Hong Kong hotel card..thats like 400km or something ridiculous..away from Beijing..we did laugh! He meanwhile probably thought..stupid tourists!
We went to the Great Wall of China..which really is amazing..you can walk up 500 steps..I wasn't feeling 100% and we have really hiked soo much..so we took a cable car up and still had to walk like 2 miles on the wall itself!but soo worth it..then we got the tobogan run down..super fun!
I felt really nauseous for two days..but thought maybe I was tired..as it turns out I had done something really really silly (let me take you back to the start)..I had all my vitamins..(glucosamine..to prevent arthiritis..you can never be too careful I find) in my little pink bag and they had all come out of the foil..so I just zipped them up weeks ago and keep taking one a day...then about two weeks ago I had a canestan pessary (Just to let you all know I spent 100 pounds in Boots before I came away for every eventuality possible..being the most organised person on the planet when I need to be..including a special sealed sterile set incase the worst happened)!..Anyway I noticed the foil was broken cause I have unpacked soo much and so I popped that in another zip bit (cause you can't get that sort of medication out here, so it's not like at work when you just chuck it if the foil's split)..well..I really don't know how it happened..but it must have got into the Glucosamine tablets..and I ate it...!How dizzy can one get really..although..they both look very alike!..my gosh did I suffer!..It's been a couple of days now and I feel fine, so I'm guessing I'll be okay..although any input from Carol the Pharmacist would be appreciated if I should take drastic action!I think I'll be okay though!
The next day we popped to the Forbidden City and Tianamen Square..which was massive..but really good to have been! Very interesting history about the place..I'll bore you when I get home!
That night we had to get the overnight train to Xian (pronounced Shee-an)..Unker asked Jack if it was gonna be like the trains in Vietnam..he said the China trains were much better..Unker really isn't sure! There were like 40 carriages and each carriage sleeps over 150 people in three storey bunks..we all thought it was ace for a bit of Chinese culture..that lasted all of an hour..! The toilets literally were a hole into the track below..I can honestly say I have never ever in my life wished for temporary urinary retention more in my life! (I knew I should have packed a cather kit)Joke! It really was horrific. the beds are like concrete..the pillows like a sack of potatoes..and basically the only way I can describe it is to say..it's like working a night shift (no sleep) on a mile long vibrator! Just horrific! We shared with Annette and Christian..but the other bunks have other people sleeping on them..you have to sleep with your passport in your bra (incase by some miracle you actually do fall asleep)! and everytime someone walks past you open your eyes to check your rucksack is still in one piece..very demanding train journey!
We arrived in Xian the next morning at 6am..had to be up at 5am..and were meant to go to the hotel for some proper sleep..that all went marvelously tits up when Jack found out the prime minister of some European country..who was at the Pearl Market when we were there..was following us to Xian and if we didn't go to the Terracotta Army the day we arrived..we wouldn't get to go..as they would close it off the next day for the BigWig to attend..so we went..absolutely hanging! It was fantastic..and got some really cool photos!
I am now preparing to spend another night on the train to somewhere else..actually..no..I can't think about it..we have requested an upgrade..please can everybody cross their fingers for us!..we have experienced the real China..we want some comfort now!
NOTE TO SELF: Stop going to markets!
NOTE TO OTHERS: Do not bother taking canestan with you when you travel..you won't need it..and you might eat it by mistake! It's not good!
Lots of love
Laura
(not thinking about the next leg of the trip on a train)
P.s Julia Hulia..your super Windsor dry soap thingys are the best essential item to be carrying in China! Market some..ship them here..you will be a millionaire by the weekend!
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