It's all you can drink in the first bar, free shots on the bus between each bar, free shots in the second and third bars and a free drink in the final nightclub. The first bar pour four shots of vodka in and mix it with one shot of orange juice. This continues for most of the night. All but one of our group joined in the crawl and we have a really enjoyable time - made better by the fact that it's not just us, we're joined by Belgians, Kiwis, Irish and many more.
Unfortunately the night ends on a low note when we're treated like absolute scum by the Chinese bouncers in the final nightclub. It's glaringly obvious they don't like westerners and the club is far too pretentious for any of us to enjoy ourselves. We're pushed, shoved and even decked to the floor at one point before we give up and head home. The mood only decreases with some of the group when the England rugby score filters through, as they were playing as we were out. Oops? My sympathies...no, really...maybe.
That second day is a hangover day. We venture round the local area during the day, but wait till teatime to take a stroll along the longest shopping street in China (Nanjing Road) to the bund. The rain is heavy by this point, but it doesn't hamper the view. I take back what I said about Hong Kong, Shanghai's quirky statement skyline is definitely the best in the world. So far.
We opt not to do KTV (we move it to the next night) and take our hungover, wet selves back to the hostel and have a much needed early night.
The third day we are taken out of Shanghai to an ancient water town which professes to be the Venice of China. Trust me, it's not. It's rundown, shabby, cheap and tacky. Every stall and shop sells the same stuff; from disgusting food (both in appearance and smell,) to tacky wares, making it a drag rather than an enjoyable stroll. I'm sure if the weather had been better we may have enjoyed it more, but unfortunately the cloud and cooler temperature had followed us to Shanghai too.
Night three is KTV night. Some of the group are apprehensive about singing, but it's not like Karaoke at home, KTV is a big deal in Asia, and whilst the one we go to isn't the best one I've been in, it's still better than some dingy club in Glasgow. We pile into our private booth, alcohol in hand and start searching the songs. We have the room booked for three hours, but by the time 1am rolls around, most of us have no voices and are sick of singing.
As it was another late night we don't start until around midday the next day. We take it upon ourselves to entertain ourselves and buy tickets for the hop on hop off bus tour and enjoy an open top bus tour of the city in clear, sunny weather. We hit up one of the biggest fake goods markets in Shanghai, have ourselves some lunch and then head back to the Bund. This time a small group of us head up to the rooftop bar of a hotel opposite the skyline for the best view in the city. We're not disappointed. We pay the equivalent of £10 for two free drinks (cocktails or wine or beer or softs) and a snack each (a big plate of either chicken wings or spring rolls.) It's more than worth it, you can see the whole city spread out in front of you, both sides of the river, the weather was clear and the atmosphere perfect. The absolute highlight of my time in Shnghai. I even managed to FaceTime from the top of this hotel just to rub it in someone's face.
Most of the group head out for a Korean BBQ that night, but as I'm struck down with the cold, I make the most of an empty dorm and have myself a twenty minute hot shower, pack up my shit and crawl into bed with a book. Bliss. It's the small things you start to appreciate on a trip like this.
I pack up because the next day we head off early for a nine hour bullet train to Nanjing. 2000 kilometres - the equivalent of Glasgow to Moscow - in 9 hours isn't bad, but none of us look forward to it. 9 hours in one spot isn't fantastic, and we feel like we're wasting a day, but this country is so huge that a journey like this is normal!
We disembark at Nanjing station (Nanjing is the ancient capital of China,) but we are immediately onto a private coach for a two hour journey to Fujian. This trip has been a lot of travelling, but to pack one of the biggest countries in the world into 25 days, it has to be done.
Fujian is magical. The scenery is astoundingly beautiful, the local family we stay with is the friendliest, most welcoming family we've met our entire time in China and the weather (at least the first day) is perfect. We spend two days here, our first night in a roundhouse (one of the oldest in China - more below) and our second night in a hostel. It's two different kind of lives in China and we embrace both. Throw in a hike, a scenic walk and a 20km bike ride, our time in the idyllic countryside is not wasted.
We jump on a night train the next night - the last of this trip - and spend our last night in mainland China speeding once again through unknown lands. It's short this time, and we disembark at 7am in Guangzhou, board a two and a half hour public bus and end at the Gumbei border crossing. It really is goodbye to China as we queue at immigration once more, and before we know it, we're in Macau.
The signs change to Portuguese but the people stay the same. It's bizarre to say the least.
Fun Facts!
- Macau's revenue is five times that of Vegas.
- It has never had a downturn in all its years until now. The Chinese government is cracking down on its nationals gambling (it's against the law in China) especially public servants who might be thought to be embezzling.
- If you go four hours in any direction from Macau you can reach half of the worlds population - India, China, SE Asia. Beat that America!
The building on the right is the tallest building in China and is also a third higher again than the one on the left. Doesn't look it but the one on the right is several city blocks back. It's much, much higher in person.
This one was taken from the Vue Bar at the top of the Hyatt hotel on the opposite side of the bund. The views of Shangai are incredible, from the harbour to the city centre, and there's even a hottub. Well worth the entrance fee, of you're ever in Shanghai don't hesitate!
The gals before KTV. No more needs to be said really.
The stunning Fujian. Home to the oldest roundhouses and tea plantations in China. We had a tea tasting "ceremony" in one of the roundhouses where we got to taste - and buy - six different kinds of local tea. From black to green to ladies to men's. All good for you in different ways. All prepared and brewed in different ways too. Incredibly fascinating.
This is the oldest roundhouse in China at nearly 1000 years old. The biggest of these can have up to 300 rooms shared between many families. The ground floor is always kitchens, the second floor usually a living area and the third and fourth are occupied by the old and the young resectively. Each family has a vertical "slot" in the roundhouse rather than a horizontal "flat/apartment." These are incredibly basic living quarters. While residents may have cable TV or cell phones, the roundhouses themselves are dirty, old, falling apart and quite frankly grim on the inside. It's no way of life. I guess they are looked back on like the high rises are now seen in the UK. Times have moved on, but life in the roundhouse hasn't. One we visited had so many bones on the ground we almost walked out, and we woke up to the cacophony of dogs barking as one was being slaughtered on our first morning.
Mountain biking in the rain rounded off our last day in the middle of nowhere. The family we stayed with provided us with the bikes, transport, unlimited free water and even a party that evening. We were given permission to use the town stage and speaker system to throw ourselves a little "Leaving China" party.
In Macau we visited The Venetian, the largest casino in the world where, yeah you guessed it, they've built Venice. Canals and gondolas wind their way through a massively expensive shopping mall and around the casino itself. I managed to triple my money on a roulette table, but sad to say it won't be enough to pay for another six months of backpacking. Damn! It did however, pay for an expensive icecream, with change, while a group of us watched two of our team do the highest bungee in the world. Both the price and the bungee part put me off I'm afraid! Maybe in NZ!
Team Sticky Rice - because it's all we've eaten, and because we've looked after each other and stuck by one another for the last month. My trip would not have been as amazing with every single one of these guys and I wish them all the best in their coming adventures. Between us we have most of the globe covered in the coming months and I know there's a few sofas I can check in on from time to time.
So it's time to say goodbye to China. Again.
I stand by what I've always said. This country is hard to love. It's people are rude, disrespectful, impolite, impatient and have no idea what personal space is. They will gawk and shove a camera in your face. They will follow you around, hacking up phlegm and spitting it out beside you. They will deck you to the floor if it means getting somewhere two seconds faster. They will completely disregard you just because you're a westerner. Their toilets and public spaces are disgustingly dirty and their food is NOT as good as you think.
If you can get passed all the little things - which I know for a fact some of my friends and family couldn't - then you'll enjoy your time here. I know we've all been fed up of at least one aspect in the time that we've been here. I for one am sick of being treated like a circus animal, and if someone shoves a phone in my face to take a picture, I take it off them. You guys, I think some of you would get stuck on the showers above squat toilets, or the lack of doors on squats. I know for a fact some of you wouldn't cope with that. Oh, how we can laugh about it now.
But it's been 4 weeks of absolute wonders. I've seen things more ancient than you can imagine. More crazy, more opulent, more dirty, more grand and more unbelievable. Not to mention cute. PANDAS. We've had difficult hikes, relaxing bike rides, idyllic rafting, and some terrible singing. I've loved every minute of experiences and loved spending time with the nineteen others in my group.
I even know an incredible way to get rid of mosquito bites - sunburn them to hell. I had two before I suffered my sun stroke and they were gone within hours. Not recommended however. Do not do that at home. I have 14 mosquito bites at the moment, so when you're packing, remember that no amount of Deet is enough amount of Deet. Just saying.
This backpacker is checking out. I'm back in Hong Kong and ready for a new adventure.
I am genuinely sad to be parting from my group, but I know I'll see them again, whether in their native country or somewhere on the road in the coming months and I know we'll have a blast when the time comes.
But for now, it's goodnight. Farewell China. Next stop Bangkok!
S x
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