Yangshuo - China

Picking up from where I left off by leaving Shanghai behind and taking the final overnight train to the town of Guilin.

Arriving late morning it was then another 90 minute bus ride to the small town of Yangshuo which lies in the middle of a very lush and green landscape of mountains. Yangshuo is a resort town in southern China’s Guangxi region and was to be home for the next two days.

A quick shower and change of clothes and we headed out for a group lunch. I think we all then started to fall in love with the small town of Yangshuo and its quaint little streets and souvenir shops.

Over lunch, Leah our G Adventures tour guide very kindly gave each of us a small piece of paper with our Chinese name on it. This was based on our personalities that she had seen during our time together. This was such a sweet touch for her to go to the effort for. Apparently I bring the sunshine in an elegant way. It made me feel all warm and fuzzy inside.

 

Leah also told us this place was great for a massage so the majority of the group went to try and get some of the knots and tension relieved from 3 overnight sleeper trains.

I had no idea at the start of this trip that I would be having a massage in a room with 4 of my new friends who all happened to be boys. They were all very well behaved gentleman and let me go in first but there were quite a few childish giggles amongst the five of us as we all lay there getting a massage.

After a little afternoon power nap the usual gang headed out for some drinks and by night Yangshuo certainly livens up. With neon bar signs and loud music lining the streets this place felt very different after dark.

We found ourselves a bar and sat outside chatting before Chris once again bought a round of tequila. Followed then by a second. It seemed we had all forgotten the hangover from tequila in Shanghai and were all ready to go once again.

Rooftop bars were starting to become our groups 'thing' and as we walked down the street I saw a bright neon sign reading 'rooftop bar' so off we went.

This place didn't have the views of Shanghai's rooftop bars but it did have a beer pong and pool table. Winner!!

Our competitive sides all came out and we bonded even more from a night of drinking, dancing and puppy cuddles. Cue more drunk photos.

The next day as expected my head was a bit fuzzy but out we all went to pick up our bikes for a day of cycling around the hillside of Yangshuo.

We cycled through rice fields and green mountains and it felt nice to get out of the town and into the quiet countryside and breathe in the fresh air.

After the first leg of the bike ride it was time to take a bamboo raft ride down the Li river. I had partnered up with James and it was to be a fun filled 90 minutes chatting to my best buddy. However at the last minute our fun was scuppered and I had to partner with Barry due to bamboo weight issues. Dammit!!

The river ride was nice but the conversation was a little stilted and it was a relief to disembark in the end.

Fair play to the locals who paddle the rafts though as they kept us safe and secure down the river and even battled a river snake with their paddle.

Lunch after the river ride was at a local famers market but after seeing a plate of chicken heads being served on arrival I suddenly lost my appetite.

Cycling our way back to the town centre we were able to catch a glimpse of Moon Hill which is pretty impressive. By mid afternoon my legs definitely felt like noodles after all of that cycling.

Dinner and drinks on our last night in Yangshuo were a little more subdued than the night before but we had so little time left together we didn't want to waste it so James, Ryan, Sam and I went out a few drinks before an early night. Tomorrow we were to make the monster trip and border crossing over to Hong Kong.

Thanks for reading and stay tuned for the final part of my China adventure - Hong Kong.

Nic x

Shanghai - China

Well that was Beijing and Xian ticked off the China bucket list, now onto Shanghai.

Another hard night on the sleeper train meant I arrived into Shanghai Central Station a little bleary eyed and in need of caffeine and a shower.

After arriving at our hotel by taxi and getting my coffee fix we were allowed to check into our rooms. At 11am we headed out as a group for an orientation walk of the city.

First stop was a walk to the Bund which is situated by the Huangpu River and offers views of Shanghai's world famous skyline. The Oriental Pearl stands out from the other high rise buildings with its alien like orb structure. Other buildings such as the Bottle Opener fade into the background of the Pearl but the skyline itself made for some impressive tourist snaps. 

From here we took a 20 minute walk through the back streets of Shanghai to the Yuyuan Gardens which is a complex of traditional Chinese buildings and gardens that feature old tea houses, souvenir stalls and restaurants. There is also a small pond area running through the gardens which is home to turtles and koi carp. This place was a bustling hive of activity and it was so easy to get distracted by people watching whilst eating my giant bowl of noodles.

 

By mid afternoon most of the group headed back to the hotel to get some rest before we saw what Shanghai's night life had to offer.

At 8pm all of the boys and a few of the girls headed back to the bund for that iconic night skyline, and it did not disappoint. I think it is possibly my favourite skyline ever. Sorry Kuala Lumpur and New York but Shanghai is something special. The way the Pearl Tower changes colour every few minutes meant that no two photos looked the same.

A short walk from the Bund is Captains Bar which is on the top floor of the Captains Hostel and offers rooftop views of Shanghai. It was then time to get on the Gin and the Mojitos. Chris then had a great idea to buy a round of tequila. Hey, when in Shanghai!!! Down the hatches it went and that kicked off what was to be a very messy night.

As the bar slowly emptied we headed out onto the balcony and I think I can speak for us all that right there on that balcony was a 'moment'.

A time, in a place where we had to capture it on camera to immortalise how amazing that moment felt. So here we are. 5 Boys and 1 Girl having the best night.

Chris, Sam, Me, Shaq, Adam and James

By Midnight the night was still young and we had more drinking to do. After all it was Friday night in Shanghai. 

A short walk from Captains Bar is Bar Rouge above Bund 18 and is one of the most famous clubs in the city.

It is renowned for it's stunning Bund views and outdoor terrace and I remember getting out there and bouncing up and down, feeling like it was Christmas morning. House Music, Gin and new friends make for one very happy Nic Nic. Lots more tequila, lots more gin and we were all very drunk. The squad were all pretty weary by the early hours of the morning. One of the girls swiped a bottle of spirit from behind the bar, Chris spent a couple of hundred quid on drinks that he never drank and I dropped a glass of G&T on James' foot.

Home time beckoned but not before throwing my phone in a bush (thankfully James fished it out) and getting my Yuan notes out in the middle of a Shanghai street. I needed to go to bed, and fast!!

The next day I woke up at 8am with the best intentions of going to one of the markets our tour guide had arranged for us. However having less than 4 hours sleep I was still very drunk and wobbly so it was back to bed for me. I finally woke up at 2pm. Still hungover!!! I never learn!!

That evening we went to the famous Shanghai Acrobatics show which was a 2 hour show of traditional Chinese style acrobatics mixed in with a death defying motorbike stunt that was the shows finale. 

If you have ever wondered how many people can fit on a small bicycle??? The answer is about 7, which is one of the acts the show began with as the artists maneuvered into position and begin to perform stunts around the circular stage.

I would definitely recommend this more than the Kung Fu Show in Beijing, however the theatre was very hot and I was sleep deprived and hungover so it took a lot of strength not to fall asleep.

The next morning I woke up fresh as a daisy and the memories of the previous days hangover slowly started to disappear. A couple of us in the group wanted to spend the mornings free time at the Shanghai Zoo hoping to catch a glimpse of a Panda.

Shanghai Zoo is in need of a little TLC as a lot of the tanks and pens where very tired looking. Upon closer inspection at the Sea lion tank there appeared to be a dead rat floating in the water.

However we made a bee line for the Pandas and managed to get one decent photo of a bear as he was rolling over into a more comfortable sleeping position.

As we left Shanghai later that afternoon for our last overnight train to Guilin and Yangshuo it dawned on me that the days on this trip were slowly slipping through my fingers. I wanted to savour the last 5 days with these people as much as possible as I knew I was going to miss them when it came to saying goodbye.  

Next stop was rural China and lush green fields and mountains.

Thanks for reading, back soon.

Nic x

Xian and the Terracotta Warriors

 

Xian is one of the oldest cities in China and is the oldest of four great ancient capitals of China.

With a population of 8.5 million people this city is most commonly known for the Terracotta Warriors but as our G Adventures tour was allowing us 2 full days in the city I was excited to see what else Xian had to offer.

The overnight sleeper train from Beijing took around 12 hours and I had a restless nights sleep. I perhaps caught about 5 hours on and off. Thank goodness for earplugs and eye masks.

Arriving into Xian's central station at around 9.30am we then caught a mini bus to our hotel which was fairly basic. However after a post sleeper train shower we discovered the drainage system was not the greatest and our bathroom soon flooded and we were soon joined by lots of stagnant water and creepy crawlies that had come up through the plumbing. 

Thankfully our lovely tour guide Leah helped my roommate Isabelle and I to switch rooms. This time to one with semi decent plumbing.

Leaving the hotel at around 11am  we went for an orientation walk around the city. We firstly arrived at the Drum and Bell Tower which sits side by side in central Xian and were built during the Ming Dynasty. The Drum tower contains, yeah you guessed it a drum which was apparently beaten at dawn and sunset to indicate to the local people that the day had begun/was over.

From here we walked to the Muslim Quarter which was a chaotic hubbub of food stalls and souvenir vendors. It reminded me of being back in India. The smells and noises were intense and the whole street made me feel a little claustrophobic. There was just too many things being deep fried and skewered on a stick,  however it was an interesting insight into everyday life for the people of Xian.

After lunch we had the chance to hire bikes and cycle 14km around the city walls. The city wall in Xian is surrounded by a moat and contains the old city in a large square area.

Setting off on two wheels I got talking to one of the late arrivals on our tour, James. After regaling the story of his lack of Chinese Visa for the next two hours we talked and talked and talked. It became clear that we had a huge amount in common and even took the exact same Peru trip last year and had the same tour guide. James was soon to become my best friend on this trip and the person I shared my best China memories with. I never got bored of being in his company and laughing about old 'FRIENDS' quotes. 

I love it when life brings a new person into your world.

Xian was very grey and cloudy during our stay so the visibility was quite poor from up on the wall but the bike ride was lots of fun. The red Chinese lanterns along the wall certainly brightened up an otherwise grey view.

That night we ate a traditional Dumpling banquet. From boiled, steamed to fried there seemed to be an endless rotation of more and more dumplings arriving every few minutes. Some were even shaped into little ducks.

The next day we were woken up at 6.30am by music coming from the streets. The tune was loud and felt almost ceremonial, as if we should wake up and welcome some important figure to the city. It felt very communist. After 15 minutes of the same tune it finally stopped and we later found out that the music is a call for local people to exercise. I think if I heard that every morning from my home I would be one grumpy person in a morning.

After checking out of our hotel it took 90 minutes by bus to the site of the Terracotta Warriors. The site was first discovered by farmers in 1974 and turned into a museum five years later in 1979. By 11am it was already starting to get busy with bus loads of tourists so we set off straight away into Pit One. Walking through the doors you feel like you have stepped into an airport hanger. The site is 230m by 62m in size.

Pit One is the largest of the sites and holds around 6000 warriors and 50 chariots.The warriors were built holding weapons made of bronze and wood which didn't stand the test of time. So now the army look like Lego men holding empty weapons.



The warriors were built for Emperor Qin to be protected in the afterlife and is such an incredible site to take in when you appreciate that these were all constructed in 221 BC and that every single warrior is different in some shape or form. Whether it be the way their hair is tied, or their face or their body armour. Simply amazing and this place was a definite China highlight for me.

Pit Two and Three are slightly smaller in size and excavation work is still on going. The detail on the horses in Pit Three are just amazing. We learned though that Pit Four was never fully completed as the rebellion started and the site then lay undiscovered until nearly 2000 years later.

After the site we had lunch at a local restaurant before heading back into Central Xian for our second overnight train.

At the station we were able to load up on supplies for the long train to Shanghai and I bought a few cans of beer and some snacks. 

Now trying to be a smart arse and save about 10p I bought some silver cans of beer not being able to read what the writing on the cans said and thought 'hey these will do'. Silly old me bought rice beer and whilst still alcoholic it was probably the worst beer I have ever had in my life. It tasted like sick but thanks to my lovely new friends they are kindly shared their normal beer and we settled into a night of card playing, tales of drunkenness and lots of laughs.

Spot the cans of sick beer :(

Thursday night on a sleeper train to Shanghai is definitely a party train and the atmosphere was so much fun. 

If I thought I had a rubbish nights sleep on the way to Xian though, then that was nothing compared to the sleep I had on this train. The driver kept pulling the trains horn all throughout the night. Even the ear plugs failed to block out the noise. However I was soon to be in Shanghai and nothing was going to rain on that parade. Not even having 3 hours sleep. 

Thanks for reading, back soon.

Nic x

Beijing - China

 

I feel like I am only now able to blog about China.  For the first few weeks after returning I couldn't look back on the trip without feeling huge pangs of sadness that it was all over.

Travel changes me. Every time I go I come back a different person to the one that left, and never more so than this trip. Not only has my latest trip cemented my absolute passion for travel but it gave me one of the biggest highs and sense of contentment that I have felt in a long time. Every day was unique and weird and wonderful that coming back to normal 9-5 life took some serious getting used to.

I chose China when I booked this trip back in January as I wanted a challenge. I wanted somewhere that would push me as a person to try new things. I had many pre-conceptions before I went that I would find China really hard and that I would struggle with the language, the food, and simply the sheer scale of the place. Boy was I wrong. 

The beauty of an organised tour with G Adventures is that the hard work such as choosing the right train to board or where is the safest place to eat, is taken care of. Leaving you to be able to just enjoy and engage in this crazy part of the world you are experiencing.

Leaving London on the 12th October I felt sick with nerves about what lay ahead. As a solo traveller there is always that apprehension as to how well you will get on with your fellow travellers. However after arriving in Beijing to a chaotic passport control and taking an hours taxi ride to my hotel I didn't have time to allow these feelings to linger for long.

Meeting my group for our tour briefing less than 10 minutes after arriving at my hotel was a bit of a whirlwind. We all seemed like a very mixed bunch of personalities from all parts of the world to Americans, Canadians, Australians, Swedish and British. All of us soon to be thrown together for the next 13 days. It was only when one of the three London boys cracked a joke about 'touching china' that the atmosphere lifted and I felt like things were going to be ok.

Little did I know that these 3 crazy fools would become responsible for some of the biggest laughs on the trip, and that in 2 days time when 4 more boys joined our trip that the 8 of us would become a little pack of naughty/tequila swilling buddies. 

Ok enough with the nostalgia and onto Beijing.

Alarm clocks were set for 6am the next day and by 6.30am we were packed onto our mini bus to take the 90 minute ride out of Beijing to Mutianya and my third wonder of the world - 'The Great Wall of China'. This section of the wall was originally built in 550 AD but rebuilt again in 1368 during the Ming Dynasty. The great thin about arriving there so early was that by the time we had climbed up to Watchtower 10, it was still completely deserted.

 

We spent nearly 2 hours walking the wall all the way through to Watchtower 15, stopping to take photos along the way. It was so peaceful and quiet and with crystal blue skies it was the perfect early morning.

After arriving at the wall the hard way, we took the fun way down by riding the toboggan. The slide costs about £7 and takes about 8 minutes to the arrive at the bottom, but it was so much fun and a welcome rest-bite for the legs.

Heading back into central Beijing in the afternoon we visited the Heaven Temple, which is a large complex of religious buildings. Many of the temples were used to worship the Sun to give the local people a good harvest however others where used for animal sacrifices. These days it is a tourist hot spot and a place for local people to gather and play cards or games of Mahjong.

Our guide Leah told us that odd numbers in Chinese culture were deemed lucky and at the Heaven Temple all of the buildings or points of interest had either 3 levels of 9 or 12 steps leading up to them. The dragons that adorned the buildings were also said to bring water to the land and not fire. I was already geeking out on Chinese history on Day One.

Our second group night was spent at the Beijing Kung Fu Show where we saw the story of a young boy who dreams of becoming a Kung Fu master and attain enlightenment. The show covers his journey and the many obstacles and fears he has to overcome before he reaches his true destiny.

The show was great and had many different levels of theatre, from the fire shooting dramatic, to the delicate ballet with bubbles floating across the stage.

 

Day 2 we headed to Tiananmen Square where I witnessed the single most concentrated amount of Chinese people all in one place. There were hundreds of local people all queuing to visit Chairman Mao's mausoleum. Endless snaking queues of people waiting for what must have been hours to catch a glimpse of their embalmed former leader.

Mao is worshipped by the Chinese and their utter dedication to their former leader is unparalleled.

 

To the left of the Square you have the Heroes Monument and through the Tiananmen Gate (which translates to Heavenly Gate) lies the Forbidden City.

The Forbidden City was constructed in 1406 and completed in 1420 and is home to the Imperial Palace which was once home to 24 Emperors during the Qing and Ming Dynasties. There are 9999 rooms in the city which were used to house the Emperors many hundred concubines and counsel members. Entrance into the Forbidden City was once restricted to counsel members only. However they must first have sought special permission from the Emperor to enter, hence the name 'Forbidden'.

After nearly 3 hours of exploring the Forbidden City the sun was high and the temperature creeping into the 30's and with so many many tourists we were all starting to flag a little.

 

Lunchtime beckoned and our guide took us to a local restaurant that specialises in traditional Beijing Duck. The food was amazing and for £5/6 you can eat like an Emperor yourself.

Full stomachs all washed down with a few early afternoon beers we then headed to the Hutong district which is a large residential area of the city and gives you a glimpse of authentic old Beijing.

A whistlestop two days in Beijing and then it was off to the train station for our first overnight train to Xian.

Thanks for reading. Back soon with more China spam.

Nic x