30th September 2008- 4th October 2008
We arrive in Guilin at 7am. The night bus...though with a bed...is traumatic. My body feels like it has been compressed. My spine is aching. I've gotten little sleep. I feared for my LIFE! It started out relatively smoothly (minus the snooty American girls who would have made lovely punching bags for my aggression). Come 2am we start hitting rough terrain, down hill slopes, swerving traffic. It was a ONCE in a life time experience. (Note the "ONCE").
We are staying at Annes hostel. Which is actually her apartment that she vacates when guests arrive equipped with bathroom, lounge and computer room. It's also in a really cute neighbourhood with so many children and everyone is friendly and LOVES to use their English vocab...which for the most of them consists of "Hello!".
We have arrived several hours earlier than expected so she takes us to her parents house while she cleans and readies the apartment. Her mother and father decide to cook us breakfast, all the while her mother laughing and smiling at us speaking Chinese. Breakfast is huge and deliscious and consists of noodles, soup, rice cake and crispy balls that taste like cereal. Anne picks us up and takes us to the apartment where we promptly shower and then pass out on the bed.
Day 2 in Guilin. We head to the Seven Star Park. A park famous for its cave and interesting rock formations. It's nice though a little crowded because of the national holiday. Then it happens. We are lining...more like pushing to get on the bus. My backpack is at my side. I feel a slight tug on it and pull it closer to me and glare at the person behind me. In the corner of my eye I see them back away and instantaneously realise he's taken something. I check my bag and realise the zips undone. I look in. My camera is gone. I shove my way out of the crowd and try to see where he's gone. Wanting to chase him. Tackle him. Break his arm, fingers, beat him to a pulp. (I had many fantasies after the event) But I'm too late. Too many people wearing black shirts. All look the same. I can't F*cking BELIEVE IT! WHY! Does everyone want to rip ME off?!
Lindzy is confused and not sure whats happened but soon realises as I search numerous times through my bag and start to get teary eyed. We go to the tourist information, where the nice English speaking women calls the police. I give a statement while she translates and then take a ride in the police car so I can get a copy of the statement for insurance. The policeman (whom both Lindzy and I agree is quite cute) gives us some fruit tea and he drops us off back at the bus. We make our way home. I'm emotionally exhausted. Vacant expression on my face. The only emotion I could probably express to a Chinese person would be rage so I switch off. We go home and I sleep.
Day 3. We take a bus and boat tour to see neighbouring Yangshuo. We end up stopping several times at a cave, temple, rock exhibition??? Our fellow tourers are nice and we are soon adopted by a family of 3 and a young pregnant couple. They guide us and tell us (mostly which hand gestures) where to go and what to do. This river is BEAUTIFUL! We also seem to become the main attraction on the boat as we get photos with our adopted family almost EVERYONE wants to get photos with us. We're CELEBRITIES!
The remainder of our time we laze about, walk into town, change some money, head home. For the 2nd time in our whole trip we manage to arrive at the train station with time to spare! NO RUNNING! IT'S a MIRACLE!
Guilin has restored my faith in China. I no longer believe it's a lost cause. I no longer want to kill (except for douchebag theif who I still have fanatsies about mutilating). I feel like the South is a lot nicer. People are nicer. But maybe thats because we were in cities a lot and this was our first time in the country. Either way it was beautiful.
We are now in Nanning. Our easiest arrival by far. The Lotus Hostel, where we are staying is so NEW! So MODERN! So CLEAN! So FRIENDLY! AND! The bed is so damn comfortable its going to be hard to wake up. It just MOLDS itself to your body. Today has been lazy. Lots of internet and spent half the day in a food coma...TOO. MUCH. FOOD!
I leave China a little sad. A LOT relieved. Though a little concerned that I have some deep homicidal tendencies. (Note to self. MUST find a way to release anger/tension/rage!)
Tomorrow morning we get our bus to Hanoi! Goodbye China! Hello VIETNAM!
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