Dear friends, since we last blogalogged, we have spent many an hour on public transport. And also done some other stuff. We like lists, (almost as much as we like steps), so here is yet another list of 'stuff we have done in China'.
1. Got on a train to Kunming (15 hours). Shared a carriage with a woman we dubbed 'Crazy woman'. Had egg fried rice. Got worried when it appeared she might be getting off in the middle of nowhere, but then realised it was quite dim to be following the actions of a person known only as 'crazy woman'
2. Found the Hump Hostel, Kunming, conveniently located opposite McDonalds.
3. Found that the McDonalds was LACKING A MCFLURRY MACHINE! Were deeply upset and shocked.
4. Met some Irish people who told us the recent goings on in Hollyoaks. Were deeply upset and shocked. MAX! Are still in the dark as to the condition of Noot / Eli. Is Eli gonna get you?
5. Met some Israeli guys. Drank copious amounts of Chinese beer.
6. Went to a club, made friends with the dancers, got thrown off podium by policeman in very silly hat. Repeatedly.
7. Made friends with the DJ. Got him to play some, er, classics. Unfortunately he didn't have any Craig David.
8. Had English breakfast and hangover.
8 1/2. Went around some shops. Found mannequin with head comparable in size to Scott's.
9. Dragged the Israeli guys to Kunming stone forest with us. They probably weren't too impressed.
9 1/2. SAW CRAZY WOMAN AGAIN! We thought we'd never see her again in our lives, but she was ON THE BUS TO THE STONE FOREST. Oh my god. Crazy woman has been here.
10. Broke a few teeny tiny rules and wandered into the stone forest in order to climb some big rocks. Good old karst limestone.
11. Found woman with a side of the road food stall with a wok and a really big fire. Had epic rice.
12. Found the flowers and birds market, which actually does contain both flowers and birds. Stuipd lonely planet.
13. Saw some slightly horrific sights at the pet stalls- pig in a pig sized cage, lots of chicks dyed in ridiculous colours...
14. Absolutely did not go to pizza hut.
15. Got on the most horrific bus in the entire world (with Israeli guys in tow), to Lijiang. (12 hours). Did not sleep. Lauren vommed in a bag, then put the bag in a box. So it wouldn't leak. She is now, however, 3 points ahead in the 'bad things that could happen' competition. Vomming = 2 points. Becca now needs to get malaria or Japanese encephalitis to win. Interestingly, it's 0 - 0 in the good things that can happen competition. however, the only good things that could possibly happen are 1) finding a mullerrice, and 2) finding heat magazine. Had most disgusting toilet stop of either of our short lives. found ourselves squatting whilst being able to see the chinese woman squatting opposite. We now know what people are doing when they spend so long in toilet cubicles. It's absolutely nothing.
16. Arrived in Lijiang. Lijiang was added to our list of 'places we have been to that were closed'. Found black dragon pool park, and bumed around there for some time. Had long running feud with man who wanted us to keep off the grass. Had pictures taken with many Taiwanese tourists. Got adopted into a tour group. Joined in with chinese people doing their morning excercise.
17. Bus to Tiger leaping gorge! (Finally) (2 1/2 hours). Met a very nice man called Peter who knows Ali Preston! How exciting.
18. Arrived at Tiger Leaping Gorge, and checked into Jane's guesthouse, which was very nice. As was Jane, although she did look somewhat masculine, and the toilets were somewhat lacking in doors.
19. Took minibus up a "road" along some sort of precipice, down which there may have been landslides and also waterfalls. Found ourselves veering quite a lot, especially when driver was on mobile.
20. Stayed the night at Jane's. Lauren vommed out of the window.
21. Went on a trek down the gorge.
22. Stood on relatively dangerous rock surrounded by rapids.
23. Trekked back up the gorge. Was considerably more difficult than trekking down the gorge. Involved relatively precarious ladders. And rest stops. Every 40 metres.
24. Bus back from Tiger leaping gorge (2 1/2 hours)
25. Did a wee bit of shopping in Lijiang's old town
26. Purchased a box just in case Lauren needed to vom on the bus.
27. Did;t vom, didn't wee, just slept. Shared very small bed with chinese woman. Was cosy.
28. Arrived back in Kunming, many hours of transportation later. Collapsed on hostel floor.
29. Wrote blog.
We're heading for Emei Shan next, to climb a rather large mountain, probably get altitude sickess, and get our lonely planet book ripped to shreds by possibly rabid monkeys.
Love you all! Lauren and Becca xxxxxxxxxxxxx
