Beijing

Trip Start Apr 26, 2006
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13
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Trip End Sep 09, 2006


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Where I stayed
Beijing Feiying International youth hostel
(Beijing hotels)

Flag of China  ,
Wednesday, June 14, 2006

This weekend I was off to Beijing, and it was a weekend of strange coincidences. I went on the train with Andrew Carlos and Hong. It was my 1st experience on a train in China, and they seem really efficient but I saw a few older trains in the station and they looked painful. There are 3 class of seats, the hard seat which is just a cramped seat for 15 hours and not a good idea if you have anything valuable with you (on the older trains I saw these were literally one big seat for about 4 people and wooden), the hard sleeper which is a thin bed which is perfectly comfortable with 6 to a cabin. Go for the bed on the bottom if your with people you can socialize and the middle if your on your own because everyone can see you as they walk by if your on the bottom bunk ( and you feel like a goldfish for 15 hours.) There is also the soft sleeper which is about a hundred yuan more but really not that different except your cabin door closes, you get a lace curtain and some flowers. I was awoken at 4 AM but two policemen shouting at me in Chinese with a torchlight, which gave me a bit of a fright, however they were just telling me to hide my bag 2nd worse toilets in China (public in Yantai)
2nd worse toilets in China (public in Yantai)
 . After that incident Carlos claims I spent the next 3 hours talking in my sleep about policemen, which I think is fair enough especially as he had already been warned about my nocturnal habits. When we arrived in Beijing Carlos and Hong stayed with friends and I stayed in a hostel to meet Paul with Andrew. It was called the Beijing Feiying International youth hostel, its in the lonely planet and I would recommend it to anyone as its only 30 Yuan a night and really nice and clean but not very sociable. Good Internet access and communal phone though. However take the tube there, or if you get a taxi get out when you see the Mcdonalds its near otherwise the taxi driver takes you on a huge detour as its location isn't that great. This was the 1st of two strange coincidences, Ben your huge Chinese instrument was lying next to my bag in storage behind the counter. Out of all the hostels in Beijing! That afternoon we went to the silk market which is full of really good fake Ralph Lauren, Gucci Armani and North Face but other than that the fake clothes are of poor quality. The handbags and sunglasses are amazing though, I couldn't believe how accurate they were. That evening we went out with Jason and Noah who live in Beijing to a really nice local rester aunt and Sanlitun, which was an eye opener for me as I had never been out in Beijings main bar district before. Of course it was choc full of black men selling drugs (they are usually the people to see if thats what your into in Beijing) and prostitutes after 12 and in some of the bars. Which I always really hate to see as its always older western men with beautiful young Chinese girls, so embarasing (apparently Iv got it all to look forward to in Thailand.) The following day I said goodbye to Andrew which was sad as he has gone home for good. I then met Lofty in the afternoon, we met traveling in South America on the tour bus I was on. It was so crazy seeing someone you met right at the beginning of my travels and now one year on, especially as he hasn't been home yet, hes still working his way back home overland via Mongolia, Russia eastern Europe, Europe home An intense game of Chess betweem Carlos(left)&Hong
An intense game of Chess betweem Carlos(left)&Hong
 . We caught up and went out to watch the game. The Sunday was the last coincidence of the weekend, me and lofty woke up in our dorm in Bejing international youth hostel (really nice and modern, sociable, good location right across from the train station but a bit more pricey at 60 yuan for a dorm) to find none other than our tour leader from South America, Kate in the bed across from us. The look on my face was priceless apparently. I have decided that we are living on the smallest planet in the universe. We then had a really nice day catching up and went to the Drum and Bell tower area in Beijing, and had a few beers on the river next to the Hutongs. The Hutongs are an old fashioned style of Chinese housing, small bungalows that surround a small courtyard where everyone socializes in the evenings playing cards and Chinese chess. which are good to see as you feel like you could actually be in China as opposed to in the middle of any smoggy, sky scrape red city and if it wasn't for the many tourists groups that go by on Phut Phuts (push bikes with boxes on the back for people to sit in) with matching red yellow or green hats so they dont get lost. The weather in Beijing was much improved, and I even got a glimpse of blue sky through the haze at one point. We had to say goodbye that afternoon, which was sad. Over all though Beijing left a much better impression in my mind this time than on the previous occasion.
This weeks lessons have consisted mainly of descriptions of people An intense game of pool
An intense game of pool
 . Which has turned up some funny cultural differences. Apparently its ok to describe a friend as a 'little fat' or not very beautiful if its obviously true. (Iv decided they are banned from describing me though for this very reason.)
With the arrival of the Americans DVDs this week have been so far American themed with not much to recommend. Though I can advocate having a home alone DVDs evening as it seems to bridge cinematic cultural differences. And have been listning to Massive Attacks Mezzaine and feeling the most homesick I have since the start (choice of music probebly not helping) I think its the two month mark, I remember it was difficult last year also. Must go to class now, missing everyone lots,m x
Ps Happy Birthday to Rona and Sheri
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