Finally we Arrive at our Destination

Ali picked up our wake up call at 8:30. We never ordered one. The reception just wanted to let us know that if we wanted a tour guide for the day they could arrange one. Ali said thank you very much and put the phone down. No hot water again. Obviously a common policy in the southern parts of China! I sat at the window in our room drinking green tea. It's always interesting waking up in a city not really knowing what it looks like. We arrived during darkness last night so when I looked out of the window everything was unfamiliar. Some large four storey hotel buildings with supermarkets below and a continuous rolling mountain immediately sat behind. It was very foggy. After studying the map and speaking to locals with confused looks on their faces, we realise that Wulingyuan is an area/region not a city. We walked around Zhang Jia Jie and stopped for a while to take a closer look at the stalls selling frogs, snakes, rabbits, turtles and giant rats along with other unidentifiable animal parts. Two shaky rides later in rickety old buses, we arrived at the village which is at the foot of the mountain range. We bargained (a painful process) for a standard room at Minzu Shanzhuang - a thatched, Tujia-run establishment. Our room is quite large and covered in a decorative Tujia-style wood with a balcony. I can't believe we're thinking about hiking mountains again when our legs haven't even recovered from Huangshan. I contemplated visiting Hong Kong on my own for a week. I read about Hong Kong on the bus to village. I'm very excited!!!

Wuhan - Zhang Jia Jie

Arrived in Wuhan at 6:00 am. Sat in departure lounge. Noticed woman who was considerably whiter than everyone around her. I realised a distinct and obvious difference in class. Women use whitening cream in China because pale skin is considered attractive and beautiful. I'm always amused when I see adverts for products that claim to make you 'whiter within days' and every skin care product we buy seems to have some sort of whitening agent in it. It' always the well dressed and manicured women who do this which to me, indicates wealth. We boarded yet another coach for Zhang Jia Jie. More great views of rural life; farmers in cone hats working in the rice fields. Fog. Rain. Several women were sick on the coach. I heard about this before. That's why there are buckets on the floor! A lovely English speaking girl on the coach advised us that we should stay in the city instead of going to the village. We got off the coach and it was pouring with rain. We negotiated good price in a nice hotel for the night and ate dinner in our room. The usual instant noodles seemed to be appropriate considering there was nothing else available in the supermarket (except maybe vacuum-packed chicken legs). Speaking of legs... Mine still hurt!

Coach to Wuhan

Another cold shower! I shouted at the girl downstairs after she kept shaking her head at my not so difficult request for the hot water to be turned on. Apparently, hot water is only available from 6pm. Breakfast at Mr Hu's again where we were able to get coach tickets to Wuhan. Legs still hurt and it's painful to walk down stairs. People are constantly trying to sell me something. If it's not tea or jade figurines it's fruit and bottles of water. The scenery as we drive out of the village is spectacular; craggy steep cliffs, bamboo forests and valleys with rice terraces cut into them. The coach was smelly. I even considered spraying bug repellent over myself just to mask the sweaty feet odors. I'm frightened to sleep in case I fall out of the bed. The bus is a little shaky and I'm in the top bunk! Tomorrow morning we'll be in Wuhan.

Recovery

I had breakfast without Ali this morning and limped to Mr Hu's restaurant. My calves appear to have disowned me. Ali asked me to give her one good reason why she should get out of bed. I couldn't think of one so she turned over and continued to sleep. I sat and wrote in my journal while I waited for Mrs Hu's coffee, French toast and "scrabled" egg. Looking up at the decorative map of Huangshan on the wall I asked Mr Hu where I could find one for myself. He said "wait one moment", got on his motorbike and drove off. In his absence I continued to appreciate my surroundings. Tangkou is so peaceful and quiet. I'm very relaxed here and it feels nice to be somewhere that hasn't been transformed with western influences or swarmed with tourists. After breakfast Mr Hu returned with a pile of maps just like the one on his wall. He sells me one for 2 yuen.

After a day of resting in the nearby internet cafe, Ali and I ate dinner at Mr Cheng's restaurant. Mr Cheng was one of the 4 people who could speak some English in the town trying to get our business. He spoke with the most peculiar English and sounded like Oliver Twist. Our meal was ok but didn't expect much for a pound.

Huangshan (Yellow Mountain)

One of the many weird and wonderful creatures that inhabit the national park

This morning we shared a taxi to the entrance of Huangshan (Yellow Mountain) - the 72-peak range lying in the south of Anhui Province, 280 km west of Hangzhou. For the Chinese, Huangshan, along with Guilin, is probably the most famous landscape attraction in the country. We opted not to take the cable car, resisted the sedan chairs and walked the entire route in one day!!! Initially we had planned to stay at the top overnight so that we could see the highly acclaimed sunrise but couldn't find anywhere reasonably priced. There were no vacancies left except for expensive mountain top hotels so we returned the same day back to Tangkou. We climbed the 8km eastern-steps in abut 4 hours, practically crawled to the top of the highest peak and then descended down the 15 km western route just before nightfall. I hadn't done this much exercise in a long time and it felt good.

As I reached the top of the eastern route I noticed a cable car crowd watching me climb the last few steps just before they entered the station. I waved at them and smiled with sweat dripping down my forehead as if to say "look what you're missing". Lotus Flower was the name of the highest peak and is 1800 meters high. I persuaded Ali to do it even with her bad knee (I wasn't going to climb it on my own). It was incredible. We were climbing through clouds following a route hewn out of sheer rock cliffs. The visibility was so low that I could barely see where I was going. Once we reached the summit it was like looking at a Chinese ink landscape. I couldn't believe what I saw - twisted pines growing out of almost vertical craggy rocks rising through the sea of clouds. It was amazing.

The western route was definitely the most challenging but the views were well worth the effort. Surprisingly I only sprained my ankle and didn't break anything. I hobbled out of the exit where we made our way back along the road to Tangkou. It was already dark and the town seemed like it was miles away. We managed to bargain for a motorbike ride back to the hotel off two of the local guys. When we got back to the hotel our legs where shaking like jelly after 10 hours of solid climbing. Anticipating lots of pain tomorrow morning...

Tangkou

The small town of Tangkou near Huang Shan (Yellow Mountain)

As we made our way to the coach station on the local bus I looked out the window. We passed several places with Christmas decorations hanging on the windows and doors. It's May! This wasn't the first time I had seen "Merry Christmas" banners and tinsel still on display. Many shops and restaurants in China seem to enjoy these seasonal decorations all year round. I wondered what the fascination was. As we neared the coach station I couldn't help but watch a man let his young child wee on the floor of the bus. He cradled the girl in his arms and held her over the stairwell as she sprayed the floor. I couldn't believe it. Nobody on the bus seemed to care. We got off the bus (avoiding the wet area) and proceeded to the ticket office inside the coach station. I remembered the first time we took a train in Italy. I was so excited. The journey seemed to be almost as exciting as the place we were going. I loved the anticipation and eagerly awaited our train pulling in. Now I'm bored of trains and coaches. I can't wait for the journey to end. Occasionally however, there is some mild entertainment on the trains. The last time we took a train there was a man selling socks. Not just any socks, but indestructible, non-wearing, non-tearing, flame-resistant ones available in a rainbow of colours. I laughed at his demonstration. He pulled out a wire brush and dragged it through the material to prove how strong they were. He then asked me to hold one end as he pulled the other. Everyone in the carriage was laughing. He pulled harder. He pulled me out of my seat. The socks had been pulled so far and hard but never lost their shape. Amazing. Didn't buy a pair. I still haven't come round to the idea of eating chicken legs. The Chinese love them. They don't waste a single part of an animal. I haven't seen Chicken heads on sticks yet but I'm sure they exist - somewhere.

We took the coach from Huangzhou to a small town called Tangkou at the foot of Huang Shan (Yellow Mountain). The nearest hotel seemed to be a good choice and was recommended by Mr Hu (the man standing outside). Mr Hu lives in Tangkou and speaks reasonable English. He likes to help tourists and is a good person to know considering nobody else in the town speaks our language. He showed us the room and helped negotiate a good deal with the management. We got the double room for about 3 pounds. Mr Hu also informed us that he owns a small restaurant only 5 minutes away. His wife apparently cooks very good food. I was hungry and figured it was the least we could do for all his help. We showered and met him in the lobby 40 minutes later.

The restaurant was small and simple with only three tables and a counter. There were paintings of Huang Shan on the wall and a small display cabinet in the corner which had books in it. We looked at the menu. I was tempted to try the mountain frog but felt like I needed something more substantial. After dinner we walked around the main street which followed both sides of the river. We bought a walking cane for tomorrow's hike up the mountain. I also had my hair cut by a male Asian version of Tina Turner. His hair was wild and bleached with all sorts of colour. It wasn't a bad cut for a pound. I was desperate!

Lazy Day in Huangzhou

View of West Lake in Huangzhou

I awoke to the sound of Chinese opera and birds chirping this morning. I couldn't tell if it was actually a woman singing or just a CD playing. I sneaked to mcds for breakfast after realising that Starbucks didn't open until 11:00. I had a craving for western food. I didn't tell Ali. She would have been disappointed. The rest of my day was spent sitting in front of a computer updating my blog. I was determined to catch up with myself. I did however manage to drag my self away for a lunch break. I walked to the lake and took a few pictures. I could see the mountain that we had walked up yesterday. The mountain I named "Green Tea". I'm sure it has a real name but not sure what.

Escape from Green Tea Mountain

A sign on the wall read "rising in Lion Peak and Yanmei Hill, nine creeks and eighteen gullies run downhill from Dragonwell, twisting and turning some 7 kilometers - crossing and re-crossing a stream - until they flow out to join the Qian Tang river." I thought for a moment whether this would be worth checking out. The park was called Nine Creeks Meandering through a Misty Forest. I was in a surprisingly mellow mood considering Ali had just broken my camera. The only camera I might add, that we are now sharing since her camera broke in Mongolia while horse riding in almost sub-zero temperatures. She was taking a photo of some local farmers in a rice field when she dropped the expensive piece of equipment. We both stopped and looked at the ground in horror. The camera was amazingly still in one piece (I love Canon!!!). Well, two pieces... the switch that alternates between 'camera mode' and 'preview mode' had snapped off. The camera still worked except it was now permanently stuck in 'camera mode' which meant we couldn't view or edit any of the pictures we had taken. Ali looked like she was about to start crying. I told her not to worry about it and that "it was something I could have just as easily done myself". "It can probably be fixed" I said and started looking for the tiny switch on the ground. I found the small part and kept it in a safe place.

We continued cycling past the Nine Creeks Meandering through a Misty Forest and climbed up a steep mountain through a village of some sort. I wondered what on earth possessed them to build houses on a 45 degree slope. Even the many dogs seemed to have difficulty walking upwards. We were offered tea by the locals as we cycled passed their homes. I thought that was very nice them. I wondered how often they had western visitors in their village. Half way up the mountain I had to dismount and walked the rest of the route. Ali still hadn't spoke a word since she had dropped my camera over an hour ago. I glanced back at her further down the hill. She looked upset and angry. I kept climbing. When we reached the top of the hill I finally gave in to a cup of green tea. Ali observed the four ladies sitting playing Marjong outside just a few doors down. Alison was adamant that she would learn how to play the game. I admired her determination. Back at the tea room I watched a woman purchase some of those soothing green leaves in front of me. I slowly began to realise that this mountainous area that we had stumbled upon was a popular place to buy tea. Looking along the street I could see other locals sifting their tea leaves using large round wicker 'sieve-like' tools. The customer in this shop was buying lots of it in nice boxes for gifts. Ali later joined me for a cup. We sat for a while watching the painful process of the woman packaging the tea for the customer. It took her forever to weigh, pack, seal and wrap 3 boxes. When it was time to go, I thanked the lady for her tea and got up to leave. She tried to sell me some leaves. I refused. She didn't like that. So she tried to charge us 40 yuen for the 2 cups of tea. I gave her 5 and walked away. She shouted and ran after us. Just to put things into perspective; in China, you are given green tea complimentary and those cups would have been considered tasters (i.e. if we liked the tea, we would buy a bag of it). 40 yuen would be the equivalent of paying 6 pounds for two cups of tea. This woman was trying to rob us and I didn't appreciate that. The forceful little woman even tried to stop Ali as she rode away. I stood in front of her so that Ali could escape. There's no way she was going to try and stop me. We arrived back at the hostel and returned our rental bikes eight hours later. Dinner there was very cosy. They did a great job off making the hostel a pleasant place to hang out. There was a fish pond, an outside bar with seating (complete with fairy lights and lanterns in the evening), restaurant, reading lounge and TV with an impressive collection of DVD's and books indoors.

Despite my sometimes brutal resistance to Chinese threats, I am actually a lot more chilled out these days. Maybe it's the green tea.

Hangzhou Retreat

We had slept for so long. The beds were so comfortable. I even had to call reception to ask if they could extend our check-out time. While Ali took a shower, I ventured out into the dusty delapotated streets of destruction in search of breakfast. I found fried chicken on a stick, our favorite street food. Ali was very happy. She always craves chicken on a stick. We took the local bus to the train station which was packed with people as usual. Why? Why are there always so many people sitting waiting. Some people look like they have been sleeping on the floor for days? You would never see that in Kings Cross. I guess that's just what happens when you have such a big country and everyone travels by train. That's probably why the waiting rooms are more like departure lounges at airports. They're huge! And everyone carries their luggage in large nylon laundry bags tied up with string. They often carry two at a time hanging off the ends of a bamboo stick placed over the back of their neck. I'm not sure where these people go but they pack so much stuff, possibly everything they own. Unless it's merchandise of some sort. Maybe one bag is full of jade ornaments and bracelets, and the other bag contains their clothes. A mobile shop. When business dries up - you move on to another part of the country. Ingenious!

We got on the train bound for Hangzhou and sat down in our seats. The train was already full. I'm not exaggerating when I say that every single person on the train starred at us. I got so mad that I started to wave my hands in everyone's face. It wasn't until I said "ne-how" (in a not so friendly manner) when I realised that I was being totally out of order. These people hadn't done anything wrong. They were just curious and wanted to make friends with us. It's so easy to forget where you are sometimes. I quickly changed my outlook and started to make friends with them. They all started to smile and show even more interest in our presence. I'm starting to understand the Chinese but it's just so difficult at times. They are so uncivilised. I want to like them but for some reason find it difficult to show respect. I know that must sound awful. And it is awful. We have been fortunate enough to meet some extremely generous people like the man on the coach from Xi'an. I was dumbfounded by his friendliness and willingness to help. It would be difficult to find anyone prepared to do the same for a stranger in England. But then there is the rest of the population which you haven't been introduced to. You can only take them for face value. Their face unfortunately isn't a pretty looking one. Spitting, hawking and severe lack of hygiene is just a few of the visuals that I see every single day. I smile at people now - it makes such a difference. At the end of the day, I chose to visit their country - the very least I can do is show them a little respect. I actually ended up playing backgammon with a Chinese guy on the train. I managed to teach him the game and he got the hang of it quite easily.

We arrived at Huangzhou and took bus number K7 into the city. I shouted at a woman pushing Ali out of the way to get a seat as we got off. She looked scared. I tried to communicate to her that if she waited until people got off the bus first, it would be a lot easier to find a nice seat. The Chinese have absolutely no concept of queuing or understand the meaning of being civil. They just push, squeeze and force their way into any situation or environment without regard for other human life. It amazes me. Ok, that's quite enough negativity for one day. I LOVE CHINESE PEOPLE!!!

It was poncho time again! As it started raining, out came the colourful rain macs that covered the cyclists as they rode through the rain. It was a short walk to the hostel from the bus stop. We reached the lake which was beautiful. It looked very peaceful and relaxing. Huangzhou has done a great job of maintaining and beautifying their natural asset. I could see pathways and oriental bridges emerging out of the water with pagodas and monuments scattered everywhere around the lake. Surrounding the city were mountains crowned with temples and small settlements. I had a feeling I would like it here very much. Hangzhou was starting to look like the perfect retreat from the hustle and bustle of big polluted cities.

Re-Entry - China Part II

One of the many tempting dishes on offer at the restaurant where we had dinner.

Met Paul on the ferry this morning and had lunch with him. He is a writer from America and frequently travels around Asia for guide books and other travel publications. His knowledge of China was extensive and he recommended good places to visit as well as providing us with some useful advice and contacts.

It was a strange feeling coming back to Shanghai for the third time. I have only been away from China 10 days yet I seem to have a different attitude towards the country. The small break was enough to make me view the people and the land a little differently. I guess it's because we don't usually re-enter a country so soon after departing it. We visit one country then move onto the next. It would be like watching a movie for a second time. You've seen it all before except now you start to appreciate different aspects of the film.

We found the "hostel" that I had booked online in Japan a few days ago. It was a hotel not a hostel. A nice hotel (by Chinese standards anyway) which seemed to be located in the middle of a war zone. There were more demolished buildings than there were fully intact ones. Luckily our hotel was still in one piece. I was a little confused about their pricing policy however. I had paid cheap HOSTEL prices online yet this is a 3 star hotel costing considerably more. These Chinese just take money however they can get it. They lack the simplest of business skills and a level of professionalism which I have obviously been taking for granted in the west. The price of practically everything in China is negotiable. You have to bargain for a banana. A hotel room. Even a flippin' roll of toilet paper for crying out loud! It gets a little tiring after a while.

Humidity levels today must be around 100%. I don't even know why I bothered to take a shower. We had arranged to meet up with a friend that we had met on the ferry at 7:30pm. We looked for a suitable place in the guide book that sounded like a great place to meet. We chose Lu Gardens where there would be markets, bars, restaurants and a temple. It was at the temple's main gate where we were supposed to meet. It wasn't until we got there when Ali realised that we hadn't clarified the time zone (Japanese time, Chinese time or Chinese time with daylight savings which had just taken effect - would our friend have known this?). In addition to this slight problem, the temple was under major reconstruction and repair. There were no gates. Unfortunately we never met her. So instead, we roamed around the neighborhood. Lu Gardens by night was very attractive as they illuminated the edges of every single tiled 'pagoda-like' roof (and there were many of them). Even though it was kind of 'Disneyland-ish', we enjoyed the atmosphere. It was very different to the rest of Shanghai. We saw people ballroom dancing in the park on the way back to the bus stop. Further along the street there was a group of locals dancing country and western style. This was very amusing to watch. I wondered if this was a nightly activity or a special occasion.

Getting back from Lu gardens was a nightmare. There are moments during traveling when you just want to scream with anger and cry with frustration. Our simple return trip this evening was one of those occasions. Two buses, a taxi and a few bank notes less we finally arrived back to our hotel. I was surprised it was still standing. Everything else around it looked like it had just been bombed.

Somewhere on the East China Sea

That book consumed my entire day. I finished it. I'm aching all over from reading it none stop. It was like watching a movie - interruptions were not welcome! I occasionally glanced out the window. Not surprisingly, the sea always looked the same.

Ferry Back to Shanghai

Strangely enough we have both been looking forward to this 2.5 day return ferry journey. It's a welcomed break from all the sightseeing, hiking, socialising and planning. Coincidently we're in the exact same cabin which is a bit weird. I headed straight upstairs for a long soak in the hot tub before a spot of bathing on the deck. I started reading a book and can't seem to put it down. It's a thriller called "Tell no one" by Harlan Coben. Already half way through it. I witnessed Ali exercising on deck and watched with amusement. I congratulated her on making it into my blog yet again.

Japan Day VII - Kyoto

Ali made a new friend

Kyoto is one of those places where you can have so much fun getting lost meandering around the curiously intimate streets. We visited a few galleries this morning. Quite liked the etchings of Tadayoshi Nakabayashi and the paintings and lithographs by Dean Bowen. Visited a few more temples. Played with fans outside an antique shop for a while. Maybe a little too long. I was mesmerised by all the different patterns. Ali and I seemed to be determined to find the most elaborate and effective. Imperial palace was nice. There are mountains not too far away no mater which way you look in the city. It must be nice for Kyotoites knowing that they don't have to go very far to get away from urban life. I have been keeping an eye out for Geisha girls all day. Never saw one, but I did learn some interesting things about them. Contrary to popular belief, they are not prostitutes. "Gei" means arts or performance in Japanese. "Sha" means people. Geisha are professional hostesses who entertain guests through various performing arts. Geisha girls and women are trained in a number of traditional skills including; Japanese ancient dance, singing, playing instruments, flower arrangement, wearing kimono, tea ceremony, calligraphy, conversation and alcohol serving manners. Apparently these talented women go through extensive training to learn these skills. Needless to say, their company doesn't come cheap. I was told that a reputable house in Kyoto could charge me as much as 1,000 yen. Without a doubt the things that we have seen and done today have been wonderful, but there is more to Kyoto and Japan than meets the eye. It's a feeling. A 'vibe' which is difficult to describe. Maybe it's the clean, organised environment that is making me so relaxed. Perhaps it's the civilised, traditional, courteous Japanese that put me at ease. Whatever it is... I like it. It feels different and special.

Japan: Day VII - Kyoto

Geisha girls, sumo wrestling, ninja fighters, samurai warriors, wooden sandals and even the hundreds of temples and shrines. I love Kyoto. I love Japan! I'm definitely coming back here again when I have more time and money at my disposal. The irony of this blog entry is the lack of words. Japan has definitely been one of the highlights of my trip so far and yet I'm finding it difficult to accurately write about what I have seen today. It's all just too much to take in.

Japan: Day VI - Last Day in Toyohashi

Ali and I slept for what seemed like a millennia. We woke up and had breakfast alone at the coffee shop. The usual. Kinko had already paid for it. Kaz skipped a few hours of work and took us to the city for some sightseeing. We visited one of Toyohashi's public buildings and viewed the whole city from its viewing deck on the 9th floor. We watched the 370,000 members of the city's population go about their daily life. I think Kaz liked having us around so that he had an excuse not to work. He dropped us off at an internet cafe so that we could write some more blog. We had dinner with almost the entire family - Kinko, Tukayuki, Kazunori and his wife Kaori. We also had the pleasure of meeting their two girls, Kotori and Yuuka. Yoshie couldn't make it unfortunately as she had other commitments with the in-laws. We all sat around two uniquely designed tables with gas burners set in the middle. The food arrived raw which allowed us to cook it ourselves. Kinko liked to take control every now and then and dominated the cooking. This was yet another great meal consisting of every type of meat imaginable. I was full as a bull, but still had space for ice cream.

We all returned back to Kinko's house for a special treat. Kaz had fireworks! We played with sparklers although Kinko wouldn't allow me to spin mine. I tried to tell her that that's what you do with them but she insisted it was harmful. So I just held it still and watched it sparkle. We watched Kaz's modest display of fireworks and then retired to the sitting room. I thought karaoke might be next on the agenda but it wasn't. Kaz displayed all our photos from Japan on the TV screen using the DVD player. I wish we had the chance to edit before he decided to do this. At times, we even found it boring looking at all the "artsy" photos.

We gave the family our gift which was a box of candies from Tokyo called "Tokyo Banana" and some goodies from the Expo. I also wrote a thank you letter in Japanese (I had Kiyomi translate it for me on Sunday) which seemed to be appreciated. We were then guided to another room which I hadn't seen before. A door which I thought was just a closet, actually opened into another room. This room was different. It was Japanese style with a low table on wicker flooring in the centre. On one wall there was a shrine. Pictures of the Emperor and his family graced the walls. Carved wooden statues of Buddha and other religious objects were neatly placed to form a display of some sort. Tukayuki also managed to trace back his family tree of fathers and had portraits of each of them. It was in this room where we had photos taken. Kaz but the camera on 'self-timer' mode so that we could all be in the photograph. We were also presented with a gift. Ali and I were each given two beautiful towels, a pair of slippers and a fan. I didn't know what to say. The Baba's have been so generous and kind to us. I only hope they know how much it was appreciated and that it will never be forgotten.

Japan: Day V - World Exposition

At breakfast Ali noticed Kinkos new hair cut and told her it looked nice. The blue in her hair was even brighter. We were eating at the usual place just across the street. When we returned home, I sat in the sitting room waiting for everyone to sort themselves out. I looked around the room which reminded me a lot of Baba's apartment back in Chicago. Mountains of objects stacked high on shelves and tons of electronic devices. A child swing, karaoke machine, the largest collection of tapes, fake bamboo rods holding a large collection of hanging garments fresh from the dry cleaners, scales and an impressive collection of clocks - I counted 6 in total.

Kaz entered the room with a new riddle in his hand. He had printed it from his computer. "I was to go with another friend first whether I went in exsp with three people today." I wondered what on earth that could mean. Maybe if I continued reading it would become obvious... "I go to USA with him, and there can be unpleasant sushi and the thing that I met." "let's reserve a hotel of Kyoto before going". I paused for a while looking at Kaz's eager face. I understood the bit about reserving a hotel before we go to Kyoto but the other paragraphs had a long way to go before they made sense. Eventually it became obvious that he wanted to bring a friend with him to the Expo which was today's itinerary. The World Exposition, which is situated within the Aichi prefecture in Japan, opened in March and is only running until September for a short duration of only 185 days. We were lucky enough to have the opportunity to see it and have tickets bought for us (thank you Kinko). Kaz's "best friend" Takashi Hasegawa was sitting in his car waiting for us outside. Ali, Kaz and I got in the car and began the 2 hour drive. Kaz asked us if we would like to watch a DVD. We said yes and selected The Last Samurai. This effectively helped pass the time until we stopped for lunch at a place just off the expressway. I headed straight for the meat on a stick. Kaz and Tak went to the unusual vending machine. They put their money in and selected their desired meal by pushing on of the many picture buttons. The machine issued a receipt which they then exchanged for food at the counter. I thought that this was such a great set up for a busy canteen. I took advantage of the toilets and then bought some fudge from the shop. It was fudge with sunflower and poppy seeds in it. Interesting.

The theme for Expo 2005 is Natures Wisdom and includes exhibitions from all around the world relating to this theme. Tak parked the car in the Expo parking lot where we had to get a coach to the main area. It was a 20 minute ride along a brand new expressway which had just been built to accommodate the traffic. As we pulled into the entrance I saw all kinds of ferris wheels, buildings and transport systems in the distance. We entered at the North gate which was near the corporate pavilions. Unfortunately they were all fully booked for the day. These pavilions required a ticket in advance for a particular time slot. It was only 11:00am so they must have went fast. We took the slowest form of transport imaginable to "Global Common 3" at the other end of the park so that we could get a good view of the whole area and help orientate ourselves. One of the first pavilions we entered was Croatia. We were herded like cattle into a small dark room. The doors closed behind us. A moving montage of images was projected onto opposing walls depicting life in Croatia. After this brief introductory audio visual stimuli we were ushered into the next room. We walked along the large white floor space made up of wood and gravel. I wondered why they would choose such a colour and allow so many people to walk on it. Surely they would have to repaint over the dirt every week? Again, like cattle, we had been rounded up and stood on a dark platform with a great view of the big white floor. The platform started to rise. It elevated us about 6 meters to what looked like a viewing balcony all around the room. We all found a space and gazed down at the large white space beneath. All of a sudden, a movie was projected from above onto the white floor below. The film was shot from above so it felt like we were flying around Croatia and meeting the locals. It was a cool idea and was more interesting than most other pavilions from less developed countries. I wondered what relation their exhibit had to the theme of natures wisdom. We continued onwards to "Global Common 4". Switzerland was the next big one. They had built a faux mountain where we could walk around inside and learn all kinds of interesting facts about Switzerland and their contributions to the world with the help of nature. We were each given a small handheld device - an old torch from World War II. It had been slightly modified to include and mp3 player and special laser pointer. To hear information about a particular exhibit, you simply pointed the device at the target and pressed the button. By holding it to your ear you could listen to the recorded voice. Unfortunately it wasn't Roger Moore. Towards the end we climbed out of the mountain to the viewing deck above. A great faux view of the alps could be seen in the distance. I admired the construction methods for building such a unique structure. In the Swedish pavilion, Kaz made a fool out of me. At the very end of the exhibition there was the opportunity to print a message onto a paper boat and sail it along with other peoples meticulously folded masterpieces. Excited by this simple activity, I continued to follow the instructions on screen. I wrote a simple message "Kris McKnight, England". It printed out. I was assuming it would also print dotted lines and provide instructions on how to make the boat. It didn't. I got frustrated after several failed attempts and ended up scrumpling the sheet of paper into a ball. Kaz took it out of my hand and placed it in the water. My message was still visible. I watched people laugh as it sailed past them up ahead. It definitely stood out from all the others. Similarly, the UK pavilion was a little disappointing but interesting none the less. We were running out of time and only managed to fit in one other country before we had to make our way back home. We decided that the last zone should be Japan. It was here in "Nagoya City" where I learnt about all kinds of crafts and even got to see people making paper, carving wood, engraving metal and weaving cotton before experiencing the largest kaleidoscope in the world. The tower was about 40 meters tall and triangular in shape. Once inside, you could look up to see the incredible moving patterns assisted with lights and chimes above. We spent another hour in the gift shop before making our way to the exit. I wish we had more time to explore but was happy with what we did get to see.

We stopped for dinner at the same place we had our early lunch and finished watching the movie in Tak's car. Before going home, he took a slight diversion and drove us up to the top of a mountain for night views of the Aichi prefecture.

Good night Japan x

Japan: Day IV - Return to Toyohashi

I swapped my indoor slippers for my outdoor slippers and made my way to the onsen (Japanese style hot bath). It was 9:00am and it closed at (9:30 so I made it there just in time). I had the whole bath to myself. I decided to use the outdoor bath rather than the indoor one. The big bath inside looked a little too artificially green for my liking. Obeying onsen etiquette, I removed all my clothes in the dressing room and took with me only my small wash cloth. Once in the bathing area I rinsed off with hot water. This is considered one of the most important of onsen manners. After I had completely rinsed, it was time to get into the steamy hot tub. The greenery around the stone clad pool was an attempt to make it look natural. Luckily I had been to a real one just a few days ago so it didn't take much to sit back and imagine being in a real one. I got out when I was thoroughly hot and totally relaxed. I investigated the onsens engineering. How? I wondered. How does all that water stay so hot. There wasn't a constant flow nor was there heating elements anywhere to be seen. All parts of the inside weren't hot to touch. All that was inside the tub was a bag of what looked like charcoal. Maybe they were special heating rocks.

I met up with Ali in the garden where we had another celebratory photo shoot in honor of our second month traveling. We took the train straight to Ueno although not exactly directly. We worked out the quickest route on the subway which involved three line changes. We wandered aimlessly through the small crowded streets of Ameyoko. The streets below the train tracks were jam packed with markets selling all kinds of clothes and food. It was all too much to take in. The transport, the people, the smells, the advertisements. It appears the success of a Japanese model depends largely on how western they look. Adverts everywhere depicted ghastly white Japanese women and men who don't even look Asian. There were bakeries by the dozen. The two things I love the most - baked goods and fresh coffee - everywhere around me. Japanese don't have street names. This made map reading quite difficult. Got lost a few times more than we really had time for. We eventually found the store that we had been looking for. Muji. The best place to buy note pads, journals, pens and folders of every shape and size imaginable. We spent way too much time in here. Ali told me about her experience in the toilets in the department store. She said that there were so many buttons and lights on the side of the toilet that she didn't know which one, if any, to press. So, she pressed all of them. One unique feature she discovered was the musical note button. When she pressed it, a loud waterfall noise blasted out of the small speakers on the toilet. It was supposed to disguise the sound of her "more natural" waterfall noises I guess. Great idea in theory except it was more embarrassing for Ali than if she hadn't used it. The music didn't stop. The toilet started flushing automatically but not when she wanted it too. The music was still louder than ever and she had finished the job ages ago. She wanted to flush the toilet again but couldn't because no manual way to do it. Everything was electric. There were digital figures on the tank counting something, heated seats as well as special water jets that eject from the rim to spray your behind. I was intrigued. Ingenious I thought! I suddenly had a brilliant idea of my own. Taking into consideration our severe time restraints in Tokyo, I thought of a brilliantly cheap and easy way to see "all of Tokyo". Without wasting a second more of our precious time we made our way to Shiodome where we could visit the World Trade Centers observatory deck. It had started to rain. The views were unbelievable. Buildings covered the earth in all directions and out into the horizon. There was no end. No fringe. It just kept on spreading into the distance. A rainbow appeared once the rain had stopped and I managed to take a picture before it disappeared. I was hoping to catch a glimpse of Mt. Fuji but no such luck.

At 6:30 we took the Shinkansen back to Toyohashi where we were picked up at the station by Kaz. He asked if it would be ok to take us to visit his friends Kiyomi and Toshihiro who live about 30 minutes away. Kiyomi speaks good English and wanted to meet us. She plans on visiting England again after an earlier trip she took several years ago. Kiyomi and Toshihiro are married and both work in the city in an office. They were extremely welcoming. When we entered their apartment they introduced themselves and then asked us to sit on the couch in the living room. Their apartment (one of about 30 or so in the block) was small but comfortable. Kiyomi prepared the tea and laid out some unusual desserts on a tray. Kiyomi, Toshihiro and Kazunori sat on the floor with the tea and sweets. We all talked for hours about our native homeland and helped answer a few of each others curious questions. I even learnt how to write my name in Japanese.

Japan: Day III - Tokyo

Me and Ali at the hotel having fun in our kimonos

This morning we had breakfast at a coffee shop which was conveniently located right in front of the Baba residence. We all had coffee except for Ali who had tea which was shortly followed by a plate of what seems to be the standard coffee shop breakfast here in Toyohashi. Two thick slices of toast, small mounds of scrambled egg and mashed potato, a slice of tomato and a small wobbly cube of what looked like a jellified version of tiramissu. I ate everything it was so delicious. Kinko then rushed us off to the post office before taking us to the train station. She was playing strange music in the car very quietly. There were times when I couldn't hear it at all. When I did hear it, it sounded like there was a tiny opera singer under water hidden in the car. I liked it because it was relaxing, although Toyohashi is far from stressful. Just as we were about walk through the gates leading to the platform, I thanked Kinko again and gave her a hug. As usual she corrected me saying "areee-gato". I'm sure that's what I said. I'm running out of ways to pronounce the word.

Quicker than you can say "hamachi", we arrived at Tokyo. I noticed police two feet above everyone else in the subway station standing on small wooden boxes. They almost looked like street performers pretending to look like a statue. I tried calling Mieko from several phones until finally I found one that displayed English instructions. She answered straight away and asked me where I was. I told her we were outside 'Becks' coffee shop (Japanese love their coffee here - I'm in heaven) and she told me to wait right there. Mieko is Baba's close friend from high school. Baba gave me her number so that we could meet up or call her for help if we needed to. She lives in Tokyo with her family and speaks very good English. She, her husband and the "little 2 year old monster" as Mieko described him, walked around the corner and greeted us five minutes later. We had lunch together in a sparkling new skyscraper that had just been built. We ate at a tofu restaurant. I was amazed at how many things you can make out of soy beans. And I thought eggs were versatile. Soy milk, soy soup, flavored tofu, tofu curry, tofu filled egg rolls, fried tofu croquettes and even soy milk ice cream. Oh, and they even had soy bean coffee. I wondered if they had any soy bean sugar to put in it. From the Marunouchi building we look the subway to Asakusa which is also known as Old Town. I will never forget the first time I looked at the Tokyo subway map. I remembered laughing out loud at how complex and extensive it was. Asakusa has one of the oldest temples in Tokyo which is called Sensoji and is said to have been built in 628. The Grand Kaminarimon Gate with a large lantern is a landmark. It was here where Ali read her fortune. She picked a wooden stick from a tin which indicated a number. In front of her was a hundred or so small drawers, each with a written fortune inside. She opened her allocated drawer and read what was on her piece of paper. "Bad Fortune" was the title. She continued to read about how it would not be wise to travel at this particular moment in time. I found it very amusing and of course let curiosity get the better of me. I paid the 100 Yen for a stick and followed the same procedure. I picked No.32 and apparently had "Regular Fortune". I continued to read what was written on the piece of paper; "The jewel is hidden under the deep stone. Let's stop trying to find it with non-skilled eyes, it is a vain trial. The skilled jeweler can pick up the true and real material, it is impossible to the amateurs. The skilled jeweler's work will make up the marvelous brilliance. *Your request will be granted. *The patient keeps bed long, but never hurt his life. *The lost article will be found. *The person you wait for will come but late. *Building a new house and removal are both well. *To start a trip is well.". I felt so much better knowing all that. I could now continue my day without fear.

I'm starting to realise how big of a trend all these mobile phone dangly things really are. Almost Everyone who owns a phone has decorated it with keyrings, strings of beads and all sorts of hanging objects. Today I saw a group of three girls all dressed up wearing Kimonos. They looked very pretty. I wondered where they were going. Why were they dressed like that? Were they Geisha girls? Another thing that I love about Japan is their love of fake food. Almost every single restaurant displays their entire menu in the form of faux dishes. They look incredibly real. At first I wondered why they were stupid enough to put fresh food outside or in glass cabinets. But then I remembered. This wasn't the first time I had seen plastic entrees. In Chicago there is a huge Japanese supermarket which has a food court. They used the same visual aid system. Not only do the dishes look real, but they are an exact representation of what you will get if you order it. No nasty surprises or false expectations. What you see really is what you get!

Mieko happily answered every question that we fired at her as we walked around the city. This is what made our experience in Tokyo so much more insightful and rewarding. There were times when I wanted scream with frustration at the size of Tokyo. Anyone who visits should plan at least 2 weeks. We had less that 2 days! I stopped looking at the city guide and focused on what I was lucky enough to see. Even if it was only a small part. We headed to Shimbashi in Ginza "a flamboyant city for sophisticated adults" as the guide book told me. As the train pulled in to the station I looked out the window to see a world full of neon and flashing lights. I wondered if we would be able to find the hotel from Lost in Translation. Mieko took us past the many pichinko arcades, bars and restaurants before reaching a busy eatery spot under the arches of the train tracks above. The small outdoor restaurants were popular with the locals and we nestled in with them quite snuggly. The atmosphere was buzzing. We drank beer and ate some interesting snacks like liver on a stick and wasabi octopus bits. We sat there squashed in with everyone else that was dining under the intimate heated archways. We talked for hours. I was asking Mieko all sorts of questions about Baba and she shared lots of stories with me. I feel like I understand Baba so much more now that I have visited his family, friends and native homeland. My only wish is that he could have been here to show us around himself.

We found our hotel pretty easily and were more than delighted with what we saw. Traditional Japanese in all its elegance and simplicity. We walked up the winding steps through an oriental style garden which led to the small complex above. The receptionist behind the counter handed us our room key and gave us a quick tour of the hotel. She showed us the reading room and another place which had internet, DVD players, and two massage chairs. Japanese style bath for men on the left and women further down on the right. We then made our way to the room. I opened the door and it was like something from a James Bond movie. A small table with cushions, 2 Japanese style beds on the floor, lattice wicker flooring, sliding wooden screens with square panes of paper inset covering the window, a tea set with a flask of hot water and a kimono for each of us. We immediately stripped off our clothes (separately and in privacy of course) and changed into our patterned gowns. We fought over whose belt tying technique was the most effective and aesthetically pleasing. Next, a photo shoot was in order. With our new attire I felt very special to say the least and decided it would be a great idea to take photos of each other in this stunning environment. I liked the theme of contrasting traditional Japanese with crazy English culture. Well, actually... it wasn't so much what we liked, but more how it turned out. Bored of that whole experience we decided to explore the premises. The first thing we did was test the massage chairs. We both sat down, put the headphones over our ears and pressed play on the CD player. I was sitting behind Ali so I could watch her every reaction. We both explored the many buttons on our control panels and I found a few that I liked. It really felt like someone was giving me a massage. I could feel it nipping and pushing my muscles. Ali at times made me chuckle. Every now and then I'd look at her whole body shaking vigorously. She looked like she was being electrified. I took a picture to document her apparent euphoric state. I couldn't tell if she was in pain or experiencing extreme pleasure. We hit the sack shortly after.

Which Way?

Creative Road Markings in Tokyo

Japan: Day II - Hot Springs

As we waited for Kaz to pick us up and take us for breakfast Ali and I stood on the balcony which is accessed by the sliding doors in our room. The hot sun was almost blinding but were still able to take a good look around. Rice crops, office buildings, a giant hospital, houses and lots of overhead wires make up the area surrounding the house along with many hills in the distance. Just as we decided to have a game of backgammon, Kaz walked in and saw us standing on the balcony. We quickly packed up and then followed him to the car. Kaz started his engine. Britney immediately started blasting out of the speakers in the car. Three songs later I realised we were listening to her most recent album. He's obviously a fan. Kaz looks so much like Baba and shares many of the same mannerisms. Every time I look at him it feels like I'm with baba. It wasn't long before we arrived at Baba's old house where he spent some of his early childhood before moving to the new house. The house is much smaller than the current one but also has adjoining office space. Both of which are uninhabited. Across the road was a small family owned restaurant where we stopped for breakfast. We met the owner who happens to be a very good friend of Kinko's and enjoyed the most delicious breakfast I have ever had. We didn't get a menu or even asked what we would like. Kaz simply ordered 2 coffees and a tea. In addition to our drinks we were also presented with a plate consisting of two slices of thick toast - one with a fried egg on top and another with cabbage dribbled with a sauce of some kind. To the right of me, I noticed an old man looking at Japanese manga porn. His wife sat opposite reading a newspaper. After breakfast we stopped by the business across the street where we met Mieko Nakano, another friend of the family. Kaz took us back to the house so that we could use the internet to check our email. My Sister Shelley's email stood out the most "PLEASE READ - IMPORTANT NEWS". I was pleased to hear that she was pregnant. I could hardly type as I was that excited. I will again be the proud Uncle of her second child some time around December 18th. I tried to communicate to Kaz the big news but I think he interpreted my miming of being pregnant as "I want to be fat" as I moved my hands around an imaginary big belly. I rushed Ali to get off the internet as Kaz was waiting for us in the car outside.

Kinko joined the three of us for an intriguing trip to the curative hot spring in Toei which is about an hours drive away. I was a little apprehensive about this experience since reading about the springs unique effects. Curative hot springs are very rare in Japan and this one is of a particularly high standard. The main characteristic of these springs is the long duration of it's warming effect. After taking a hot spring, the muriate on your skin prevents evaporation of sweat thus keeping your body extremely hot. Taking into consideration that I'm a hot person naturally, I was a little worried. At the start of our journey we stopped off at a restaurant for noodles. We sat at the regular tables as supposed to the low lying ones with cushions on the floor. I had the same meal as Kaz and copied his every move. When he took a pinch of orange powder and put it in the bowl... I did the same. When he poured soy sauce into the small pot... I did as the legendary cat would do. The outcome was a cup of soy sauce mixed with all the flavorings and spices of your choice. Just the thing for dipping your noodles in before slurping them up. Kaz took numerous photos of me and Ali eating. I think he was impressed with our chopstick skills (or amused by the lack of them - one of the two). I couldn't keep my eyes off Kinko's blue flame hair as it caught the light from our window. A million messy slurps later, we got back into the car and continued driving. Every time I say arigato (thank you in Japanese), Kinko repeats it back to me in a slightly different way. I guess I'm saying it wrong but I'm pretty sure I've said it every way imaginable. She's just never satisfied. I'm finding myself bowing to people all the time. If someone bows to me, I bow to them. Sometimes they bow a second time, so I bow again also. I honestly think I could keep the whole procedure going forever if I felt like it. There is no official end to bowing. Similarly, I learnt that younger people have to show their respect to elders by being the first and last to bow. Old people could have so much fun if they were able enough. They could keep someone bowing for hours.

The scenery was beautiful as we drove up through the mountains. Nothing but dense forest and valleys. Just over an hour later we arrived at the spa which is one of many that line the river. Me and Kaz entered the men's spa while Ali and Kinko went downstairs to the women's spa directly below. Again, not exactly familiar with natural spa procedures, I copy Kaz's every move. Once we had removed all items of clothing he slid open the screens and I couldn't believe what I saw. It was incredible. Two pools - one indoor and one outdoor on a balcony overlooking the mountains. As I soaked in my Birthday suit drinking sake, I started to think about how lucky I was to be having such an amazing experience. Kaz took some photos of me in the pool but I had to do a little editing. Most of them were a little too explicit for my liking. He got a little carried away with himself taking photos left right and center. I listened to the constant flow of water pour into the steamy pool and watched Japanese hawks fly around above me. I remember so vividly the view as I looked out into the valley. Thick lush forest above the shallow river winding below us. It was truly an unforgettable experience.

Afterwards I was so drained of energy all I wanted to do was take a nap. The whole experience was surprisingly tiring considering I did nothing but soak in a tub and drink. Me and Kaz waited for the girls to come out and then continued onwards up the hill by car. Once we had reached the start of what looked like a national park, we started on foot making our way up the mountain. Kinko sat this one out. I think she wanted to sleep in the car. The views were even more breathtaking as we climbed further up through the park. I could see the many layers of mountains in the distance, each one getting slightly lighter in shade just like one of Hokusai's paintings. So many bonsai and maple trees lined the path. Kaz showed us a temple high above which we accessed by long steep steps. This marked the half way point. We hit the gong, bowed to the Buddha and then returned back to the car were we found Kinko fast a sleep. On the way back home, we stopped off for a toilet break at a garden center/food store. Me and Ali walked around the store trying to identify all the different types of food on sale. I made friends with a snake that was trapped in a jar. Kinko bought us all a quick snack which was rice on a stick covered in a black paste. I liked it.

Later in the afternoon, Kaz announced to both of us that he would not be attending dinner tonight and admitted that he has been neglecting his family. I wondered if we would ever see this elusive family of his. Kinko and Tukayuki took us out for dinner at a traditional Japanese style restaurant about 20 minutes drive away. The restaurant was small, cosy and intimate. Opposite the long sushi bar were 3 rooms divided by thin walls. Each consisted of two low standing tables surrounded by cushions. We stepped up onto the raised floor after taking our shoes off first. Unfortunately tonight was one of those rare occasions when I wasn't wearing socks. Of course my feet were clean but I shamefully kept them out of sight none the less. Me and Ali sat opposite Baba's parents on the floor at our table. I kept changing positions almost every 5 minutes. My legs weren't as accustomed to hard wood floors as the Japanese were. Not wasting any time, and without the pleasantries of asking us what we fancied, masses of food arrived at our table. A selection box for each of us contained all kinds of wonderful things: octopus tentacles, fried shrimp, raw fish slices, "vegetables" I've never seen before, and shrimp with its head still attached. In addition to the fishy boxes of goodness, I enjoyed mussels in miso soup and the best slices of steak I have ever had which was fried right in front of me by Kinko. The steak arrived on a plate sliced and raw. The waitress lit the small object on our table which looked more like an incense burner than a cooking device. This enabled the head of the family (Kinko in our case) to fry the meat for as long or as little as the individual desired. Kinko also guarded the large vat of sticky rice by her side. Whenever she saw one of our rice bowls reaching half empty, she quickly grabbed the bowl to refill it. As Kinko was the designated driver, it entitled the rest of us to enjoy a Kirin. I also drank sake in honor of my sisters recent good news.

Back at the house, Kinko and Kaz came into our room and gave us Shinkansen (aka the Bullet) tickets to Tokyo (these aren't cheap!). Once again she insisted that it was a "presento". I almost cried. I wanted to give her the biggest hug.

Japan: Day I - Meet the Baba's

Me, Ali, and Baba's parents

I have eagerly awaited this special trip for a long time ever since I first introduced the idea to my friend Baba in Chicago back in December. He has made it possible for us to stay with his parents (who don't speak a word of English) at their house in Toyohashi. Baba's real name is Yasushi but uses his family name as a given name in America where he lives. I met Baba in Chicago and we have been close friends for over 3 years now. He hasn't seen his family in over 15 years but has assured me that they will welcome us with both arms.

Immediately after breakfast we slowly approached the port of Osaka. The weather was miserably wet and I remember being nervous about the idea of meeting Baba's parents. Surprisingly I had very few expectations and knew very little about his family. We caught a bus from the port to Cosmosquare subway station. The Chuo line took us from Oskakako to Hommachi where we changed to the Midosuji line. From here we traveled to Shin-Osaka where the JR (Japanese Railway) station is located. I called Baba to confirm our arrival in Japan and discussed our itinerary. He advised us that we should head straight to Toyohashi via the Bullet Train. He insisted that it's an experience we should enjoy at least once during our stay in Japan. Considering our bags weren't getting any lighter, we agreed.

11:53 and not a second later, the 11:53 bullet train glided into the station. The front of this thing looked like the head of a giant snake. As we boarded one of the fastest trains in the world, I couldn't help but notice how clean and organized everything was. Not just the station, but everything that I had saw since stepping off the ferry. Uniforms are immaculate, streets and public transport is clean and litter-free, officers stand to attention and the people in general seem to be much more civilized than Chinese folk. It seems Japanese really pride themselves on efficiency and productivity. Within 60 seconds the train was traveling at lightening speeds. I started to dream about how wonderful it would be for the Russians to have such speedy transport on their Trans-Siberian rails. We could have probably done the entire trip from Moscow to Beijing in 4 hours on this thing. I struggle to remember the scenery as we passed through Kyoto. It went by so quickly. I'm amused by the staff on the train as they take a bow at the front of the carriage before they exit the car. 170 miles an hour and it doesn't even feel like we're moving. Baba was right - it was an incredible experience!

Just over an hour later we arrived at Toyohashi train station and noticed banners promoting the world exposition scattered everywhere. I showed the taxi driver Baba's address and off we went. 10 minutes later the taxi pulls in at what looks like a shop of some sort, just off the main road. Just as I ask the driver if he is exactly sure of our location, Yoshie (Baba's sister) comes out to welcome us. Relieved that we had actually been taken to the right place, I walk towards Yoshie with a huge smile on my face. She invites us inside the office where we meet Kazunori (Baba's brother) and a member of staff who's sitting at her desk playing with an abacus. She must be the accountant. Yoshie offers us some Japanese tea while Kazunori set something up on his laptop. He has a great program that can translate written English into Japanese characters and vise versa. Kazunori also hands me a gigantic parcel from Baba which he had sent ahead of my arrival. The usual Chicago publications and newspapers where inside as well as a welcome letter. I was so happy that we had made it after talking about coming here for so long. Armed and ready with fingers at the go we all attempted to converse and ask each other questions by typing into the translation tool. As I was standing there drinking tea and trying to understand the not so well translated text on Kazunori's computer, I let my curious eyes wander around the room whenever I had the chance. Looking at the large piles of towels, stacks of trade catalogs and the odd silk screen here and there, I wondered what type of business Baba's father actually owned. In an attempt to find out what the company produced, Ali asked to see some of their work. We were shown several pieces of printed linen including a kimono style thick jacket. Kazunori asked me to try it on. As I stood there admiring the thick ornate robe that was wrapped around me, Kinko (Baba's mother), complete with electric blue highlights in her hair, walked in and said "konnichiwa" as she bowed. Next entered the father, Tukayuki. Like Kinko, Tukayuki was small in stature and bared the same broad smile. The whole family made us feel extremely welcome. The next thing I remember was Kazunori talking on the phone. He handed the phone to me so that I could hear the familiar but tired voice of Baba on the other end. Baba wanted to make sure that we got there safely and that there were no confusions. I couldn't help but laugh uncontrollably with nerves at the whole experience. An event which I never thought would become a reality was happening right before my eyes. Without further ado, we were taken through the office with our luggage to the adjoining family house. It appears they live in the same building as the office. At the top of the stairs we were immediately shown our bedroom. Inside the room was two prepared beds. The walls were covered in cloud patterned wallpaper. Our tour of the Baba house continued with instructions on how to operate the tap at the sink just outside our room. It seems that this is the area where you can wash your hands and clean your teeth. Kazunori and Kinko then showed us the toilet which had a unique feature that I hadn't seen before. Apart from the soft fluffy pink toilet seat cover, the tank above the toilet had a small pipe that rose out of the top and poured water down into a recessed bowl molded on the top. As the water poured out into the bowl, it looked like it activated some sort of freshener before draining into the tank below to refill it. Kinko told us in a very clear manner that the two doors she was pointing at weren't to be opened. One of which was obviously her bedroom. Back downstairs we were shown the shower and laundry room. Then the kitchen and combined dining/living room. After the tour, Kazunori sat in our room with us and attempted to ask us more questions using his outdated laptop. We watched him type character after character for ages before eventually hitting the translate button. The hundreds of characters magically turned into just four nonsensical English words. I quite enjoyed the challenge and felt like Robin trying to figure out what the riddles actually meant. "Holy Manga!" I felt like shouting when I had finally worked out what the Riddler had asked us. Batman and I simply responded with either a nod or a shake of the head to questions like "a tonight bath for if I tired". Kazunori also showed us some interesting videos of Maturi festivities which happen in October around the Aichi prefecture as well as himself mastering the art of Karate. Maturi is an odd event which basically involves crazy men holding huge lit fireworks waiting for them to explode. I asked Kazunori if he could show me a few karate moves but he declined. He did however demonstrate a great move on Ali. After I heard a few cracks, I was convinced he had broken her arms. Ali screamed "ooowww" followed by "shit, that bloody hurt". Kazunori apologized repeatedly.

At 6:30pm, Kazunori drove Ali, Kinko, Tukayuki and I out to dinner at a sushi restaurant nearby. We all sat at the sushi bar where we were within hands reach of the meticulously prepared pieces of fish traveling around in loops on the conveyor belt. Katzunori couldn't control himself as he kept taking plates off the belt on our behalf. Before we know it, there are more plates of fish in front of us than there were Catholics inside St. Peters Basilica. Approximately 15 plates later, we had filled ourselves to bursting point. The food was excellent. My particular favorite was the fried squid and Unagi (eel). Kinko refused our several attempts of paying for dinner and insisted that it was a "presento". She opened her little kitty bag (which she seems to carry around with her everywhere!) and paid for the whole dinner with cash from within. We of course thanked her and insisted that we would pay for the next dinner. After all, this was the least we could do for letting us stay with them. Conveniently located next to the restaurant was a coffee shop called "Sun Rose". We stopped here for an after dinner coffee and relaxed for a short while before heading home.

I updated myself with more of the Chicago news that Baba had sent me before going to bed. As usual, I fell asleep recalling the days events. A big smile stretched across my tired face.

Life on East China Sea

I was woken up this morning by the Hi-De-Hi style announcement that echoed throughout the ship. The wonderful Chinese girl was telling us that breakfast is now being served in the restaurant from 7:30 to 9:00. I left Ali asleep knowing that she wouldn't appreciate getting up so early. So I headed upstairs to the restaurant as instructed on my own. I drank coffee and ate a croissant with a boiled egg as I gazed out of the window watching the East China sea pass by me. The service on the ship is impeccable. I saw a guy this morning polishing the leaves on a large plant. Or maybe they just have too many staff onboard. I sat in the reading room which is at the front of the ship located directly under the control room. I could look down at the ships hull and out across the sea. I couldn't decide whether I wanted to read "Roland Synthesizer Magazine" or "Shanghai TV Weekly". Unfortunately neither were an option as they were both written in Chinese. I wasn't quite sure why they had covers written in English. I thought about this for quite some time. It just didn't seem to make sense. Again, I am kindly informed by Su Pollard that lunch was now being served. She ended the announcement with "you are welcome, thank you" followed by a series of cheerful electronic 'dings' and 'dongs'. After her much needed long sleep, Ali eventually found me and I was reading the only book written in English called "Welcome to China". It was a tourists guide to China that was published in the early eighties. I learnt some interesting facts about the country I had just left and got excited about the new places that I will discover when we return in just over a weeks time. Shortly after, we moved to the sun deck for a 360 view of the sea. I wasn't satisfied until I had checked out every square inch of the ship. I felt like a restless kid never still for 5 minutes. I kept thinking of new things to do, experience or explore on the ferry. The next thing I thought about trying was the hot bath. It looked like fun.

Ferry to Japan

I woke up this morning sitting in a rather odd position draped over a chair. Remembering that we had walked into a hotel at 3:00 this morning, exhausted from walking so much, I realised that we must have fallen asleep in the lobby. I was amazed that we hadn't been thrown out of the hotel for sleeping there for 4 hours. I woke Ali and refreshed myself in the posh bathroom. We shamefully left the hotel and headed towards the subway station. Ali's tolerance for my coffee addiction was much appreciated yet again as I desperately attempted to find a Starbucks. We were in Frenchtown and had already passed two closed Starbucks before finally finding one that was open. I was 3rd time lucky and feeling good after a guilt ridden grande coffee of the day and a chocolate muffin. We took the subway to the train station and collected from the luggage hold where we had left them overnight. We took a taxi straight to the ferry terminal to avoid getting lost or being late.

We boarded the ship and were immediately taken to our cabin. We are lucky enough to have a cabin all to ourselves. The ferry seems fairly quiet with not many passengers. I watched from the deck as we sailed out of the port. I noticed the Oriental Pearl Tower looking just as ugly as I had first remembered. Ali got her priorities in order and did laundry first before attempting to figure out the exchange rate (so that she could work out how much the beer was). For some reason they have vending machines that only accept Japanes Yen which I considered strange since we were on a Chinese ferry. The ship is basic but surprisingly very well kept and extremely clean. There are shower rooms, toilets, amusements, a bar, restaurant, shop, reading room, hot bath, and even table tennis. We tire ourselves with a million games of table tennis before heading back to our cabin. I slept for an eternity and woke up to a note on Ali's bed. It was 10:15pm and she had been in twice already to re-write the note as to update me on her current location. Apparently, now she was having drinks with Daryl in the lounge area upstairs. Daryl is the English guy that I met earlier soon after we had boarded. I crawled out of bed and joined them for a few beers and a game of gin rummy.

A Night to Forget

1,2,5,6,11... I hope each and every insect that bit me yesterday dies a slow and painful death. As I stood in the bathroom counting each bite in my collection, I anticipated another shower from the tap above. It's a powerful shower except it doesn't have a head. Ali got up early this morning and then declared that she was going to make her way to the train station on her own to buy our tickets to Shanghai. This saved us a lot of time and meant that I could shower and get packed up ready for her return. Ali purchased two tickets for the 17:30 train to Shanghai so that we could spend some time in internet cafe just around the corner. We arrived at the train station in perfect time and waited at the departure gate. The train stations in China are like airports. Every train has a flight number and an allocated departure lounge. The journey was fine except the best tickets Ali could get were standing and so squatting on the floor (which I am very good at now) for two and a half hours got a little uncomfortable. Ali was fortunate enough to get a seat. At 8:00pm we arrived in Shanghai for the second time and decided not to pay the ridiculous prices for not so pleasant budget accommodation. Instead, we thought it would be a great idea to stay up all night. After all, Shanghai is a big city with a seemingly large or suggestive night life. We assumed it would be easy to find late night bars to keep ourselves awake. Much to our surprise this wasn't the case. Once we had exhausted ourselves walking around pretty much all the main streets, we tried to locate a bar hoping that it would be the start of an entertaining, alcohol inspired very long evening. We found one place that sold expensive drink but closed at 2:00am. We stayed there for as long as we could. The luring neon signs filled us with false hope as we walked to the ends of small dark streets thinking they were late night bars. The only redeeming aspects of this misguided adventure was the fresh air, exercise and occasional street vendor cooking interesting food.

Green Tea on the Terrace

There I was, sitting on a wicker chair sipping green tea on the terrace when I suddenly realised that I must be insane. Who in their right mind would take a year off to explore the world and leave their mundane life behind. I justify in telling myself that the answer would be pretty much anyone who had the finances and lack of commitments to do so. It seemed like we were a million miles away from the city except for the incessant honking of car horns at the foot of the hill. The sounds of birds chirping and leaves blowing in the mild breeze helped mask the pollution and made us feel very relaxed. This morning we took the bus straight to Plum Gardens. Once a small peach garden built during the Qing dynasty, it has since been renovated, re-landscaped and expanded. It's renowned for its thousands of plum trees that blossom in Spring. What the guide book didn't tell us however is that hidden away right in the middle of the park is a Buddhist monastery. We spent some time wandering through the many courtyards lined with beautiful flowers and plants that looked like small trees (not bonsai). We watched the religious members walk around in their bright yellow gowns and listened to them chant in one of the many temples. At the very end of the grounds there was a pond with tons of turtles (or something that looked like them) paddling around. The strong smell of incense burning in the courtyards and temples lingered in the air.

Back at the terrace (that we had accidentally found in search of the huge wooden pagoda that apparently sits on top of the hill offering great views of Tai Hu) the old man (whose name I can neither pronounce or translate from his scribbled Chinese characters) arrived back after mysteriously wandering off down the winding pathway into the distance. He had returned with a handful of plums freshly picked from a tree. 3 for Ali and 3 for me. We tried to thank him as he poured more hot water into our glasses full of tea leaves from his big red flask. Big red flasks are popular here in China and seem to be the only acceptable container for hot water. They have been in several of our hotel rooms and can be spotted everywhere from shops to offices and bus stops to terraces. The tea tasted good. Much better than some others that taste like soil. Now Leo (when he said his name, the 6th part of it sounded a little like "leo", so that's what I called him) is trying to stamp on all the ants and looks like he is doing a strange tribal dance. The restless old man is off for another wander. Maybe he'll bring us some more fruit. Also sitting with us in another old man. He looks like Ray Charles wearing huge black sun glasses. I'm never quite sure what he's thinking, or looking at for that matter. He doesn't say much. I guess he's smarter than Leo - he knows that we wouldn't understand a word he says. The woman next to him looks like she's having fun cutting patterns out of tree leaves. The combination of the soothing green tea and the natural surroundings is the ultimate in relaxation. I could have sat there for hours. It was 4:00pm which give us just enough time to finish our tour of the park. Leo walked with us and helped us find the pagoda that we were looking for. He didn't climb the tower but happily watched as we raced like kids to the top.

Our Apartment in Wuxi

Using my previously successful and proven method of purchasing train tickets, I was swiftly issued 2 tickets to Wuxi. Another brief stop before returning to Shanghai. We picked up snacks including some delicious pre-packed chocolate muffins that Ali found a few days earlier in a different supermarket. These moist pieces of heaven and a taste of home seem to be available everywhere. This was my second pack since the grand discovery 3 days ago. I ate them sitting at the lake across from the train station. We read and bathed under the sun until it was time to catch our train. It was nice to get away from all the hustle and bustle. There was so much noise and dirty air from traffic and construction work (they are building a new railway station to replace the old one). Just for the records, this was our 14th train journey.

Once we arrived, a taxi drove us to our accommodation. We decided to try the cheapest option to see if they had rooms available. This place was part of the university campus and offered rooms to low budget travelers like ourselves. They had a room available and it was more than comfortable. It had a large lounge room in addition to the bedroom and bath. The lounge room had a tv, chairs, coffee table and a desk. Our first few hours in Wuxi were spent trying to locate the nearest Bank of China before spending the night in our 'apartment'.

Snakes and Bridges

I rushed to get ready so that we could leave the horrid building and get some fresh air. We took a short walk to the market which was an experience like no other. We entered the large building which seemed to stretch forever and was home to hundreds of individual stalls selling all kinds if unimaginable food. I was immediately drawn to the stall which sold live snakes. They slithered around in bags next to the buckets of shrimps. I walked a little further to witness the surprisingly bloody sight of the afore mentioned reptiles being cut open alive. As if that wasn't enough to disturb me, I also saw ducks being boiled alive. Hundreds of nauseating stalls selling caged hens and all kinds of fruit and vegetables that I couldn't even identify were crammed inside the building. Looking across one stall selling meat, I couldn't help but notice the flies sucking on the blood soaked knives on the counter. Fish were also kept alive. Not in tanks of water, but squirming around on the surface of the tables. I saw one uncomfortable fish wriggle and fall onto the floor as the monger tried to bag it for the customer. The strong smell of spices from the many people selling perfectly square piles of the colourful powder helped mask the nasty smell. Surprisingly when we left the market I had totally lost my appetite.

After a quick look around the main areas in the city we decided to head for the hills were we could get a cable car ride to the very top for spectacular views of the city. We met a very helpful woman on the street who spoke good English and provided us with some useful information. When we got to where we needed to be, Ali ran into the nearest KFC so that she could use the bathrooms. I stood outside and waited on the busy street just outside. I realised that sometimes it's good to just stop. Stop right where you are and observe your surroundings. It's so easy to get carried away with the flow of things and not really appreciate where you are. I learnt a new phrase today whilst reading an information board detailing the history of the city gate that was in front of me. It described the design of the entrance and how it trapped intruders "like a turtle in a jar". It meant that once inside, they couldn't get out. I was surprised that I hadn't heard this expression before.

A few unsuccessful attempts later, we arrive at the cable car. For 25rmb the ski lift (a more accurate description) took us on a 30 minute journey over one peak and to the top of the next. The views of the city were excellent except maybe a little hazy. We walked down the other side of the hill along a trail through the dense woodland. We stumbled out back onto a main pathway where we were reunited with all the other tourists. We stopped for a game of backgammon under a small pavillion high up overlooking the city (Ali is desperately trying to catch up - she is almost 3o points behind now). I eventually succeed in trying to take a picture of a lizard. We walk a little further until we arrived at a huge fish pond with yet another pavillion. The reflection of the trees on the hill in the still water was so clear and perfect. Saw lots of baby frogs and wondered where the grown up ones were hiding. We stopped briefly at an amusement park consisting of many different types of physically challenging bridges crossing a river. We had loads of fun until we realised it was starting to get dark and we were in the middle of nowhere. We started our long walk back to the city but luckily managed to share taxi with two men who were in the same situation.

Hotel from Hell

Still not quite used them waiting while we read the menu and find it extremely irritating. We always try and indicate to the waiter (who seem to take their job titles literally) that we need more time to look, but rarely do they understand. So, as usual we take forever to decide what we want, and all the time, he's standing there impatiently waiting. We ordered way too much food. I was amused watching Ali struggle as she tried to eat a chicken wing using her chopsticks. Train ride to Nanjing was very pleasant and were even given a bunch of lychees as a thank you gift for swapping seats so that a group of friends could sit together. To pass the time, I initiated a memory game. I wanted to know every type of transport that we had taken since our fist drive to London Gatwick airport on March 17th. I also wanted to know how many times we had taken each type of transport. After seven weeks of traveling, the results are as follows... 2 planes, 13 trains, 3 coaches, 11 buses, 24 metros, 14 taxis, 15 cars, a ferry, waterbus, rickshaw, horse, bike, ski, aerial glide, ski lift, scooter and a boat. I'm going to try and keep this record up to date for the entire trip.

When we exited the station in Nanjing we were surrounded yet again by hotel touts, all trying to lure us in with crappy pictures and prices. We agree to one place that offered 45rmb a night. We are taken there by car (now the 16th to date) and then argued with the staff once we got there after they start showing us 200rmb rooms. After 20 minutes of this nonsensical behavior, we finally settle for a 100rmb room. It's a twin room with private bath. I wasn't impressed with this place at all. Without going into detail about the dirt, lack of sheets, poo smells and dilapidated interior, I think the bathroom deserves much more focus. 1) The toilet doesn't flush, or at least in the way it should. After informing the key girl (see #4) of the minor problem she kindly showed us the correct way to flush. Stupidly, we didn't realise that you had to fill the big red plastic bowl that was on the floor with water from the shower hose (see #3) and empty it into the toilet which then has the equivalent effect of being flushed. 2) The tap on the sink didn't work. Or at least like normal ones. The tap is activated only when the handle on the make-shift pipes (one of the many that make up the complex and dodgy plumbing system) is turned in either direction. When this special 'mains' tap is turned, water gushes out of all the badly joined connections. 3) The shower, located within the same 4' x 6' room as the toilet and sink (no room for a shower curtain), is operated by turning the lever on the giant tank above. This was easier to operate than the tap which is why I used it for most things. Showering was difficult considering the size of the room and I was certainly grateful for my flip flops. Although I didn't even feel that safe walking around in those either. 4) We didn't get a key to our hotel room. This so-called 'hotel' (which by the way, smells of urine and is occupied by not so pleasant old men) has an unusual system with regards to keys. Keygirl (as I aptly named her) carries every single key on a giant ring like a prison officer. She opens the room for you when you arrive back to the hotel. The hotel felt (and looked) like a prison. I said "good night" trying not to think of all the bed bugs that really might bite.

An Oriental Venice

The Chinese love their kites. After a busy morning cycling through the cobbled streets of Suzhou, we stopped in the park to watch the many people fly their colorful creations. Again we are being watched as we write. At this very moment I am writing with an audience of about 11 people (I counted in the corner of my eyes). They are truly amazed and bemused by our strange language and style of writing. Admittedly, my hand writing is awful and no where near as beautiful as the Chinese characters - especially their calligraphy. It has now got to a point where I don't think I will ever write in public again. Unless of course I'm feeling particularly lonely and want to make friends.

Renting bikes was the perfect way to see all the sights that Suzhou had to offer. We started our tour of the city by visiting the Twin Pagodas, a small garden with two large towers standing near the entrance. Another small area seemed to be a meeting place for many locals who had nothing better to do than drink green tea under the trees. We continued to cycle along the canals and over the many bridges that reminded me of Venice. Our lunch consisted of noodles with sweet and sour chicken that we purchased at one of the street vendors. We found a place to sit and eat on the edge of a canal as we watched the bemused locals walk by. As we cycled onward, ringing our bells and taking pictures of every conceivable pagoda, temple or little old lady washing her clothes, we were suddenly caught in a huge down pour of rain. Oddly I saw a bus with the leaning tower of Pisa in an advert on the back. I started to reminisce about Italy. We took cover in a small eatery down a dirty alley until it stopped raining. We cycled a bit futher until it started raining again and noticed every single person riding a bike was almost fully covered in a rather fetching all in one poncho. They were everywhere cycling in all directions. We both became addicted taking photos of all the brightly coloured rain macs as they whizzed by. It was almost like a competition to see who could get the most colours in one single shot. We attempted to visit several of the major gardens and parks but refused to pay the entrance fees, especially taking into consideration that it was grey, miserable and constantly under the threat of another 'monsoon-like' rainfall.

We bought our tickets for Nanjing at the station by writing clever instructions in my note book and showing it to the man behind the counter. I wrote the departure date in figures followed by the Chinese characters for Nanjing (which I copied from our guide book) and 2 stick figures indicating that we needed two tickets. It worked like a charm as he issued our tickets without even having to speak a single word. Ali purchased a strange drink from a woman by the side of the road. It tasted like chocolate tea but had balls of something floating around inside. My eyes filled with intrigue as I watched her suck them up one by one. It's getting a little chilly in the park now and I think my burnt arms and shoulders are starting to offend the locals.

Suzhou

This morning I woke up along with the rest of the coach crew. Two daughters, two boys and the fathers friend. The father came to the coach shortly after and took us out for breakfast at a nearby hotel. During breakfast he began to tell us (in Chinese, which was then translated by his daughter Xu Jing) that he wanted to be our friends forever and if we ever visit China again, he would like us to stay with the family in his house. I wanted to pay for breakfast as a thank you for letting us sleep in the coach but he insisted that it was a gift. Once we got back to the coach, he and his daughter helped us figure out our onward journey to Suzhou and he even paid his fiend to take us to the train station. Most Chinese people we've met have been incredibly friendly but this family have been so unbelievably generous. I tried to give him some money but he refused and I think might have even took offense.

His friend drove us up to the train station entrance and pointed to the large queue that was the ticket office. Luckily I had Xu Jing write down what we wanted in Chinese so that the sales person could issue the right tickets. We stood in line and anticipated a long wait. Less than a minute later, an official came up to me and asked a question in Mandarin. I showed him the piece of paper and then watched him make his way to the front of the counter and back again. He continued to speak to us in Chinese even though I tried to indicate that we didn't understand. After a few minutes of frustration and confusion I eventually figure out that he is trying to tell me the departure time. "13:15" apparently is when the train leaves for Suzhou. We nod our heads in agreement then follow him past the long queue to the front of the counter where we quickly purchased our tickets. Yet another very nice man. Whatever your name is - thank you!!!

With three hours to kill, we set up camp at a nearby raised plaza and started playing backgammon. I was amazed at how many people stopped to watch us play. I think they were all baffled at the unfamiliar board and tried to figure out how the game works. Once I beat Ali a few more times, I got bored and we both started writing. Again, people stopped and starred at us. One person even came up to me and asked if I could write something on a piece of paper he found in his pocket.

We got out of the train station in Suzhou and were welcomed by the overwhelming smell of flowers. One of the main attractions to this small city was the abundance of gardens and canals. A nice change from polluted, over-populated big cities. Even though we stupidly declined the many offers of a taxi to our hotel and had to walk 4k with our giant bags, I still enjoyed the beautiful fresh clean air. I liked what I saw. Suzhou seems like the perfect place for me to recover from a week of upset stomach, cold symptoms and severe lack of energy. We found accommodation at Dongwu Fandian in one of the cheapest rooms available - a double room with shared bath for Y100. At almost 4 pounds per night, this is the most expensive accommodation we've had in China so far. The room and bathing areas are clean and I have a suspicion that this building (one of 7 numbered blocks behind the actual hotel) doubles as dormitories for students. We are perfectly located in the southern part of the city on a cosy tree lined street. Judging by the amount of bars and restaurants that cater to westerners here, I'm pretty sure this must be a popular spot with travelers. Beers and backgammon tonight I think!

"Sweat and Sour" Shanghai

Just before we pulled into the Shanghai coach station, the drivers daughter introduced herself and saw us as a great opportunity to practice her English. I decided that this time I was going to try and get something back in return and asked if she could call our hotel to make a reservation on our behalf. Xu Jing accepted but unfortunately the cheap hotel didn't have any rooms available. I asked her if she or her father knew of anywhere cheap to stay the night. She replied with "Shanghai expensive". Just moments later, she told us that her father said it would be ok for us to sleep in the coach tonight for no extra charge while it sits in the storage yard overnight. We gratefully accept and leave our bags locked up in the coach so that we can go about our business more efficiently - or so that was the plan. Obtaining tickets for the ferry to Japan wasn't an easy task. According to our outdated guide book (we bought a used one off our room mate in Xi'an), the ticket office was at the end of Nanjing Donglu right near The Bund (river front). It wasn't! And after being chased by an old crazy lady who led us on a wild goose chase, we finally get directions to the correct location of the main office. Across the river is the relatively new area called Pudong. It was the proud home of the Oriental Pearl Tower which looks like a giant hypodermic. The river was busy with traffic and thousands of people swarmed the recently constructed embankment - a new place for tourists to gather. We walked along it for a short stretch so that we could check out the metropolis and skyscrapers around us. Not quite as impressive as I had expected.

We took a cab to the new ticket office location because it was too far to walk and couldn't be accessed by metro. We got out of the cab and watched it speed off into the distance. We didn't have a clue where we were and it took us another half an hour to find the exact location of their office. It was on the 18th floor of an office building and the entrance wasn't easy to find. We arrived at the office only to discover that they were closed. Or so it seemed. The lights were off and nobody was behind the counter. Just as we were about to give up hope, I pushed open the door and had a wander around the vacant office space. A man steps out from nowhere, asks us what we want then welcomes us into his office. He informs us that tomorrows ferry just so happens to be out of service for routine annual maintenance but could get us on the next ferry in a weeks time. We agree and manage to get a 50% discount for being students (he he he). He then told us cash only. We didn't have that kind of money and so we asked him if he could wait while we go to the ATM. One hour later we arrive back at his office with the cash. Only the Bank of China can deal with foreign cards (regardless of their type - Visa, Mastercard, AMEX - none of them can get you cash from a machine if it's origin is from a foreign country) and we had to walk miles to find one.

It was nearly 6:00pm by the time we got back to Old Shanghai and were in desperate need of some Shanghainese cuisine. We walked along Nanjing Donglu and the many side streets before deciding on a suitable restaurant. I resisted getting the "Sweat and Sour Pork" and opted for "Spicy Chicken and Cashew". Food was ok but nothing special. Nowhere else have I seen such a contrast between the new and the old areas in a city. Shanghai is an interesting mix of rich and poor. I walked along a street that was black with grime and had washing hanging from every conceivable window. A two year old skyscraper could be seen in the not so far distance behind the houses on the street. Taking into consideration the fact that we have a week to wait before our departure to Japan, we decide to visit Suzhou and Nanjing in the Jiangsu province before returning to Shanghai on the 10th for the next ferry to Osaka.

Coach to Shanghai

Today was a simply day. Breakfast was chicken on a stick (our favorite street snack which consists of fried and breaded pieces of chicken on a stick which you can then customise with spices and dipping sauces). We then made our way to the internet cafe where we spent most of our last remaining hours in Xi'an. Today being May 1st is a huge holiday and the streets were even busier than usual. We past all kinds of festivities and characters but couldn't really stop to appreciate any of them. We had a coach to catch.

As I turned the broken handle to open the window in the car, beads of sweat rolled off my face. The taxi driver zig-zagged his way through the busy roads at a million miles an hour. He successfully (and safely) drops us off at the coach station in record timing I'm sure. We found our coach and climbed onboard. The beds are small but not entirely uncomfortable. The only issue I had was the people smoking at the front of the bus which is where we were located. Oh, and maybe the occasional sweaty feet smell - although the driver was pretty good at getting out the air freshener whenever it was needed. The journey was uneventful but comfortable and I actually managed to get some sleep.