Okay sorry its been ages since i updated this and I'm a few
countries ahead of China now...oops. Its just all gone very
quickly and i hardly have time to stop to write. However Im now
in Cairns with a nasty cold and very pi**ed off as I cant dive!! Fancy
coming all the way to the Great Barrier Reef and then getting a
bloody cold. So feeling sorry for myself
(and regretting the 2days/nts constant partying in
the Whitsunday's), I'm popping medication by the min to try and get
well, and thought I would use the time to update this. (actually im just wondering now if it is a cold or concussion as i did fall out the top bunk twice!)
Final China Highlights:
Shanghi and Hong Kong...fairly similar except HK is bigger (and obviously an island) and has more of an international feel. Both good for shopping and cafe life. I preferred Shanghi skyline and waterfront, but HK also has a cool lightshow on the waterfront...and a good museum...oh and the Giant Buddha is good too, just don't go when its cloudy and closed..doh! Did have problems with accommodation in both places, first the whole of Shanghi was fully booked..i spent 5hrs walking around with my backpack on in the humid heat to be turned away from all the hostels and hotels...on the verge of thinking I would have to find a comfortable park bench, I eventually found a room in a expensive hotel..(had to leave my backpack outside whilst I enquired as I realised I wasn't exactly fitting in!). HK was even worse as the Rugby Final was on and although i had prebooked a hostel they had overbooked, however all was not lost as the hostel owner walked me to his friends apartment...which was a tiny flat. Greeted by a girl who was as shocked as i was to see me there, i was ushered in,
waited while they exchanged some heated words in Chinese and then shown to a tiny bedroom which was obviously hers. She spent the night on the couch whilst i had her room...i tried to swap but you try arguing in Chinese!! I only stayed there one night then thankfully back to a
hostel room.
I had four days to kill in HK waiting for my friend Mike to arrive, which was too long as there isnt an awful lot to do except shop. Being bored i decide to get my hair done...BIG BIG BIG MISTAKE going to a hairdressers in HK...i ended up with yellow hair, then went to another one to get it fixed and it turned a greyish/blueish colour...oh well we live and learn.
Finally Mike arrived and we had a day to sort out Visa's for Vietnam, surprisingly it all went sailingly and after Mike smiled nicely at the lady in the consulate we were issued our visa's within 15mins (men do come in handy for somethings). If only the trip to Vietnam was that easy!!
To get to Vietnam took us 3 days. A long boring train journey to Guangzhou to find there was no train to Nanning that day so we decided to fly there instead. Arrived late at night ended up in a dirty hotel where I electrocuted myself twice (yes typical Sarah, wasn't sure i got a shock from the plug the first time so I touched it again to check...doh!). Theres not much to do in Nanning and we had to spend 2 days there as the train wasn't running (we weren't having much luck with transport). Whilst there we ventured out on the local bus to the supposedly renowned herb
gardens...err there were no herbs..but there was a worm farm! As i said nothing to see in Nanning!
Eventually got the train out of Nanning to Pinxging where we would cross the boarder into Vietnam,however we had to survive the tuktuk bike ride first..seriously the thing could hardly get up the hill, then the driver turned the engine off and we free wheeled down..fairly scary when the thing is held together by cable-ties. When we eventually got to the boarder, we got stopped and searched..even had to turn my laptop on..but don't think they had a clue what they were looking for and they seemed amused by my little teddy bear...so think that helped. At last Vietnam!!
