Shanghai

shanghais main train station was chaos! Exits in all directions, people everywhere and general chaos for the minority of people who don't speak Chinese. I couldn't find a taxi. I couldn't even find where the hell you'd hale a taxi. Or anything that looked remotely like a bloody taxi stand. Eventually, I fained ignorance, pushed my way past a traffic control person and barged my way in to a taxi, that someone had barely put a foot out of. (I'd go well in New York I reckon!)
The architecture of some of the buildings in Shanghai are amazing. Some buildings are shaped like waves, some have the most elaborate finishes, some have a roof like flowers on the most amazing stainless steel construction. It's a shame that the smog never cleared enough to get a good photo.
arrived at my hostel, which looked more like a 5 star hotel and checked in, just minutes before they gave my bed away. Phew. Lucky I shoulder barged that passenger out of the taxi! Otherwise I'd be sleeping on the streets. My room seemed like a little haven away from the bustling streets of Shanghai and I was readying myself for a good night sleep. The second my eyes closed and I hit the land of nod, the lights in the room came on, in a blinding burst. My room mates had arrived! And they seemed unable to just turn on the small light that nicely illuminates the room but instead had to turn on the fluro lights that turned the place in to a sports field. I patiently lay there with my eye mask on hoping that they would do their thing and turn off the light. Alas, this was not going to be my night. Moments later, after much turning of the lights off and on, a loud vibrating noise penetrated my head. What the buggery! As I peer blindly out the window, I'm greeted with the sight of a man dangling from the roof, straddling the light box outside my window. What was worse was that he had a angle grinder in one hand and a hammer in the other.....What the F**k! It was 11:00pm at night and there is construction going on out MY window! Well what did it matter really? The girls were still playing "flick with the light switch" and having animated conversation in the bunks above and drunk backpackers were screaming in the common area just outside my door. Eventually though and after little sleep on the train, I lost the plot!
The ladies were asked to bugger off to the common room to finish writing in their Journals, considering it was now after midnight! The front desk got a great ear full about the possibility of informing guests about a lunatic, installing a sign right outside their window, until the wee hours of the morning. My vallium stock depleted considerably and eventually I fell into a less than blissful sleep about 2 am.......

On the tracks again

With Xiamen done it was time to move on to Shanghai and with the whole Nation, soon on National holiday, there was no better time than now. With ticket in hand, bags on my back, taxi hailed and destination reached, I was aboard the train. (After much ogleing from the locals)
As usual I purchased a ticket for a top, hard, sleeper. This always means a steady climb to my bunk but ampleage of air conditioning and privacy. A very nice young man helped me to hoist my overstuffed backpack, in to the overhead rack. Tackle my front pack and find somewhere to stash my third bag full of booty. I tell you my luggage is multiplying by the minute! Then I settled in to my bunk and read away the beginning of a 27 hour train trip.
After dinner, of pot noodles, I made friends with the people sharing the bunks below. There was a lovely elderly couple, as cute as can be. The helpful young fella who helped me and a few shy others. The young guy, Sam, was able to string together a few sentences, enough to translate for all of us. I instantly fell in love with the couple and we chatted a good part of the night away.
When I woke in the morning, my poor eyes were swollen and I looked like I'd be socked in both eyes. I think it was a result of lying, what felt like, head down in an arctic gale. My companions were a bit concerned and I had to assure them that I was a-OK before they ran off looking for the train doctor. Then they made me eat up more pot noodle for breaky, before starting a new onslaught of questions. It was so much fun though. Different from the usual questions and these guys we so cute, I was considering adopting them for my own.
The trip I was dreading passed quickly, due to great company and was over sooner than I hoped. Sam had departed the train, followed closely by the lovely two. Soon it was me and I would be arriving in Shanghai. To something that looked like chaos....

Gulangyu Island

Gulangyu Island is the draw card of Xiamen.
A multicoloured, cobblestoned Island of European archicecture, gardens and small wind swept beaches. The only taffic on Gulangyu are well trodden feet and electric golf carts, that whiz past silently, full of resort seeking tourists. Tranquil music, from hidden speakers and tea houses waft bohemian rythms, to which Gulangyu abides.

This is what my guide book promised me. A little piece of paradise, sanity and calm, in a not so sane, or calm China. Somewhere I could rest my teathered nerves and exhusted body.
Paradise awaits me.

All I had to do was find the bloody bus that got me to paradise! Decide which stop it was that I had to get off at, to catch the boat to my mecca. All in a sweltering bloody heat, that made the task stressful, as well as uncomfortable! After some time, I worked out which side of the road I had to get the bus and on a stroke of luck, got off at the right stop. See, it's not so much that I couldn't find someone to help me get there... I couldn't bloody pronounce the name of the place. I am a phanetic speller ( as you are all aware of , with my really bad spelling) and Chinese pronuciation is no where near Phanetical!
After a death defying road crossing, over something like a 4 lane freeway on either side, I found a ticket office. I stupidly believed the lady's response, of "yes", to, "Is this the passenger termianl direct to Gulangyu?".
I purchased the required ticket and jumped on board for my 5 minute trip across the way.
Ahhh, something seemed odd when the boat men were passing out bionoculars to all the Chinese passengers. Nothing these days in China would surprise me though and I didnt really take too much notice. It was only when we set off and the Chinese commantary came on (All English was fast forwarded) and we seemed to be bypassing the terminal on the otherside. I found a tour guide that spoke relatively good English, who explained to me that I was on a-round-the-Island tour and not until that had finished, was I going to arrive to my intended destination...half an hour later.
Normally, this would be fine and some what amusing, but since I was already in a less than ethusiastic "China" mood. Listening to deafening Chinese comantary, with a bunch of over excieted office workers, on a day out from the office, bloody well infuriated my already shattered tolerance levels. I was bloody furious.
With no other choice, I sat on the boat with my ear drums being pierced by high pitched loud commantary, absolutly furious. I almost pushed a few happy office workers overboard in my attempt to get off the boat. When I did get off, I was greeted by a lovely little Island that resembled a little resort. With the added bonous of Hutongs and great back alleyways. Only the mobs of Chinese tourists zipping past, at a great rate, on golf carts destroyed the tranquility of the Island.
First and formost I wanted to find the beach for a swim. Water is my calming element and by this stage, I was ready to put a 50 kg weight around my ankles, dive head first in to the ocean and never surface again! I changed in to my swimmers, beat off the lady trying to charge me for using the change room and strated to head for the beach. This is where i came across my 2 meter friend sunning himself on the step where I was just about to put my bare foot. In a very ungraceful move, I did a kind of Micheal Flatterly highland fling manouver, went up a few meters in the air and landed, splat, on the concrete a few steps away from my still sun baking mate. This graceful and embarrasing move grabbed the attention of the locals, who all decided to come over a see what made me preform such grace and give them a reason to laugh, hysterically, at the Westerner! Only then did my snake mate move himself from the path. Apparently the sight of the snake slithering in to the bushes bought some great amount of joy to the locals. Bring this to my attention by slapping me enthusiastically on the back.
Luckily one onlooker spoke English well enough to tell me that spotting a big snake, to the Chinese, means wealth. I am to come in to some big money and good fortune some time in the near future. Hearing this did help to calm the remaining embarasment burning away on my face. HUH! Laugh at that my friends! I'm gunna be rich!
I continued on my way to the beach to take a swim but the feeling of 50 Asian eyes boring into my back and the less than clean water put an end to that idea.
Bugger!
I was really looking forward to floating face down in a large body of water. My ears filled with only the sound of the water rushing past me. Instead I found refuge in a desolate beach, covered in rocks and shaded by big beautiful trees. This was going to be where I was going to waste away the rest of my day. Then along came a beautiful little girl who was as besotted with me as I was with her. This was a great opportunity for some photo's. Considering the Chinese hate you taking photos of them and love to take sneaky shots of you! This little one was certainly not camera shy.
After many happy snaps from both sides, the little girl and her parents, left me there and I was agian absent mindedly wasting away the afternoon....Until I was washed away by a big wave out of no where.
Man O man....
Not even perching myself on a big rock saved me from the huge waves, that semmd to be coming out of no where.
This is where my day at Gulangyu ended. It was calmer, safer and far dryer, in the refuge of my bunk at the guesthouse.

Xiamen

I arrived in Xiamen (Sharman) and it practically took a crain to lift me from the comfort of my luxury steed. Begrudingly, I gave it up and off I went, into the reality of the real world...To find a Taxi! This is normally not a problem. Taxi's a readily available. The problem is, to find someone who can read a map and speak a little bit of English, to get you to where it is, you want to go. I had a small head start and after previous dificulties, learnt this quickly. At the previous guest house, find someone who can speak English and get them to write your next destination down, in Chinese. Simple. But not always so.
I eventually find a lovely girl, on the street, who directs my taxi driver to the closest YHA. After a little concern that I am being driven half way across the surface of the planet. I arrive at a leafy, quiet , cosy, Guest house and as usual, I am the only Westerner to be seen for miles. I am really getting use to not having a conversation containing words of more than 3 cyllables. The food was good and the bed was big and comfy. This is all a girl needs right?
Until you try to find some where to consume breakfast or a good hardly lunch...or any meal of any type in fact.
I eventually and after much trouble, came upon a dumpling resturant, that did a decent and cheap feed of dumplings for breakfast. The rest I am sad to say, ended up being the likes of KFC and MacDonalds for lunch! Yuck! I know but when starving in a country with no where else to eat...what more can a girl do?
After that little stumbling block, I pretty much spent my time milling about the guest house and relaxing the days away. Only Twice did I venture far. Once to organise my train ticket to Shanghai. (This is usually a simple task that takes a god part of a day to complete. You have to go through the usual hurdles, leaps and bounds, sumbling blocks, hoops and high wires to get things done. But eventually you do. All the while muttering under ones breath...this is F**king China!)
And the other, to Gulangya Island.