Zhaizixi

So here's my first attempt to write shorter blogs. I realise I can go off on one sometimes.

Guilin, my escape from the chaotic mess that was Beijing. As my flight was delayed I didn't get to the hostel until midnight. I was exhausted and I just wanted to shower, go to bed and have a good night's sleep (it had only been a few days into my 6 month trip and I was already broken). There was no way I could have done this in a dorm without waking everyone up. So I asked the girl for a private room. She said it was more expensive as it was the last night of the national week but I talked her into a reduced rate, I was getting better at this haggling malarkey. The girl was called Etka and she was very chatty which was a complete change to any locals I met in Beijing. Like most Chinese people she can't say her r's so I let her call me "English" during my time at the hostel.

Anyway the next day I moved into the dorm and then headed out into town. I knew there wasn't a lot to see and do in Guilin, it's just a stop off to get to the famous Longsheng rice terraces and Yangshuo (more on this later). So I was armed with a map and started walking to the park. On my way I was stopped by a guy on a moped wondering what I was up to. He claimed he just wanted to practice his English as he was going to London soon but he kept trying to flog me tickets to the theatre and said he'd give me a ride on his bike to the ticket office. I politely turned him down but I was just happy that I was chatting to a local. This never happened in Beijing. So I eventually made it to the park, saw some monkeys that were so accustomed to people feeding them they became quite intimidating surrounding anyone that was walking up the stairs expecting to be fed. This put my hike up to the top of karst hill on hold.

On my way back from the park and looking for a place to eat I was approached by another local, Li. He said he was an English teacher so wanted to practice his English (hmmm sounds familiar). The conversation soon turned to the theatre again. But this time I thought fuck it. Let's just go to the bloody theatre. I didn't know what else there was to do in Guilin. So I walked with the guy and I learnt a little bit more about him and he tried to teach me some Chinese all of which I've forgotten. He got me a discounted ticket then took me somewhere to get some fried noodles and said after the show to swing by his sisters tea house.

Anyway I headed back to the hostel to freshen up and I met an Israeli guy called Guy in my dorm. I had to dash pretty quickly but agreed to meet up with him for some food when the show was over. Before I left I bumped into another girl working at the hostel called Tina. Like Etka she was really chatty and wanted to know what I had been up to. I'd highly recommend the the Ming Palace hostel just for the people that work there.

So on my way to the theatre I was approached by another guy wanting to practice his English. I knew where this was going but I thought I'd play along. When he eventually asked me about the theatre tickets I broke his heart and told him I already had some. Ha I just wasted your time.

As for the show I did not know what to expect. The seats were better than I thought, I was only 4 rows from the front. First up was an old guy surrounded by some hot assistants while he did some calligraphy. I've been shafted! Fortunately this was a pre show thing and the actual show was quite good although a bit odd. There was singing, dancing, acrobatics, motorbikes and pole dancing!?!

Once the show ended I headed back to the hostel to meet Guy. He had just finished a few years national service in the Israeli army. It was interesting to here about his time in the army and his trip so far. We had a couple beers then went to get some food. It was quite nice to eat with someone as Chinese food is all about sharing a few dishes which I'd struggle to eat on my own. We ordered the local dish, beer duck. Now when you ask for meat in this country they will cook the whole thing. No part of the duck was wasted. Feet, head you name it.

After eating, Guy said he met a local art dealer and wanted to meet up with him. So we went to his gallery and looked around. We had a bit of a chat. Again it was nice to talk to a local but every now and again he would ask if I wanted a painting. I said I definitely didn't want one so Guy mentioned about going for some tea. So this art dealer took us to his sisters tea house which happened to be the same tea house Li pointed out earlier in the day. It's only logical that I ask this man if he knows Li as they both claim it's their sisters tea house. He didn't have a scooby. Hmmm something smells fishy, actually this place smelt like green tea. He made us some tea, said it was from his home village where they individually roll the tea leaves into balls for better flavour. And you know what this was the best green tea I had ever tasted though I've not had that much green tea before. This tea left a slight tang/numbness in your mouth, I was a little worried I was being drugged. I would have bought some but I knew this was all a sales ploy and I didn't want to give this guy the satisfaction. We eventually left after sampling some more free tea for a couple beers back at the hostel.

The next day I planned to go to the Longsheng Rice Terraces which has it's own blog.

So that was Guilin. Not a lot to do but full of friendly people. Definitely an improvement on the Beijing locals.Read more