Beijing..."The Baptism of Fire"

September 18th 2008
So we've just spent 4 days in Beijing...and an eventful 4 days it has been. The last two things that I said as we pulled out of Beijing on the very crowded uncomfortable (we have to try sleep on for 11 hours) train..."Well...I think we learnt some very valuable lessons in Beijing"..."that was our baptism of fire".

Lesson 1: Change money into the new currency BEFORE you arrive...thus to avoid mad dashes to the nearest bank in order to pay for a taxi and train.

Lesson 2: Taxi drivers are dodgy. To be fare the first cab driver was just doing what we'd asked him to do but in our state of disorientated exhaustion he had a hard time explaining to us that he wasn't tryin to rip us off but take us to Tianjin station by the only means possible. HOWEVER, cab driver number 2 who we haggled down to 90 youn (roughly $15) to take us to the bus station from the Great wall was a right $&*%&^&*%$! After we had walked up the road for a few k's haggling with him he proceeded to tell me I needed to sit in the front because I was fat (all communicated with lovely gestures) and then drive us 10min up the road and stop at a random intersection and tell us that we have to get a bus from that point and try to get us to get into random peoples cars...after some yelling we took of up the road and managed to hitch a ride with a passing tour bus.

Lesson 3: Don't go have drinks with Nigerian men after you have just met them at the hostel check in and they know you're room number. This may lead to them assuming you will sleep with them and come knocking at your dorm room door at 11pm drunk asking where you are and when they will see you. (This also leads to sudden ducking and nervousness)

Lesson 4: French Paralympians are very hospitable (making me review my previous judgment of French people). As we were walking up the street this guy saw that I was cold and gestured to give me his jacket which I politely laughed off and said it was ok. Then as we were sitting outside a bar with our new found Kiwi friend someone came up behind me and put a jacket around my shoulders and to my suprise the frenchman had gotten his friend to bring me his jacket.

Lesson 5: Children can go to the bathroom in the most unexpected places and unexpected ways. Scene 1. On the subway two old women are holding a 2 year old boy and pull out a plastic bag, strip him off and try to get him to pee in the bag...until an olympic volunteer yell at them and point out that there are foreigners watching. Scene 2. At the Summer Palace a mother is placing sheets of paper on the ground as her daughter proceeds to squat.

Lesson 6: It is possible for 1 man to drive 8+ people into a murderous rage. Continuous, thunderous, wall penetrating snoring...after 2 nights, if the staff hadnt come in, woke him up and told him he needed to stop snoring...he would have been dead by next morning.

Lesson 7: Book trains several days in advance. This is to avoid 3 hour waits in train stations and the aforementioned 11hr uncomfortable night train, where a friendly co-passenger gave me some newspaper to spread on the floor and I managed to twist myself and my sleeping bag under the chair to attempt something somewhat like sleep.

Overall Beijing was an amazing place! The food was good (especially from "favourite restraunt" which had 4 youn (80 cent) beer and cheap delicious food). The sights were awesome...a 10km trek along the great wall, Tian men Square, Summer palace and Lama temple. Plus all the cool people we met including a couple of Aussie girls, a Kiwi guy and a British and Serbian duo. The Chinese were friendly for the most part, once we realised that they weren't abusing us everytime we asked the something. Although, (as my mum would say)...the police "couldn't organise a root in a brothel with a fist full of fifties!" We do get stared at alot though...I've never experienced anything like it. We, though more so Lindzy, have also been asked several times to pose in pictures with random people.

Tomorrow our adventure continues in XiAn. Until then!

Leaving Toyama...

12th September 2008
Last night I left Toyama and it was really hard! It hurt a lot to leave everyone behind but part of me is still thinking that I'm going on holiday and will be back again soon. I'm getting more excited now that I've left for my upcoming adventures and I'm glad I'm doing this before going home because I don't think I'd cope at all otherwise. I'm going to miss Toyama and Japan...this land of contradiction and kookiness but I'm looking forward to the future.

13th September 2008
Day two of our slow boat to China. After having a close call catching the boat we are on our way to China! (Getting travellers cheques at a JAPANESE bank 1 hour before check-in closes...not such a good idea. Running up the streets of kobe bare foot with a 25kg pack...not fun!)
So we've spent the majority of time on this boat sitting on deck, sleeping, reading, sleeping, trying to get to the restraunt for meals on time and...sleeping.(Sleeping is so easy on this boat when there is nothing to do and the rocking and vibrations lull you to sleep..."like being in the womb again!") We are in a dorm style room with 6 Japanese and Chinese ladies sleeping on the floor with brick like pillows. Entertainment has consisted of weird music, Lindzy's public display of leg waxing and noticing the differences between the 2nd class and 1st class bathrooms.
I'm still a little sad about leaving Japan but continue to look forward! So now we're settling into our final night on the boat before we arrive in Tianjin tomorrow afternoon!