Final Thoughts before Ascent
Yup today is the last day in the hospital. Tomorrow we head out with a coach load of Chinese tourists to climb en pac up a mountain. Sleeping at the top in bunk beds with more Chinese tourists. The people we booked with are very concerned that we do not speak Chinese. Tried to explain that actually not many people here speak English so it is a problem of which we are already intensely aware. We go to Huang Shan mountains, the Yellow mountins and they are reputed to be the inspiration for many of the Chinese poets and painters. Really looking forward to it. I don't think it will be the peaceful and tranquil experience we envisioned back in the UK. More on that when I get back.
Today I am in hospital it seems the time has just flown by. We have shopped every market in town and now face the packing challenge. We have eated so much rice we now run to Starbucks for a sandwich at lunchtime although we persevere with rice and cabbage for breakfast. We have drunk the enormous bottles of Chinese beer so weak and big you get full long before you get drunk and popped into the Irish pub for Guiness and Hoegarden. We have wandered, cycled and taxied much of the town. Been for massages with blind men and seen dawn at the West Lake whilst doing Qi Gung. In fact we got down there at 5 am and the Chinese were stopping to stare at these crazy foreigners out doing bizzarre exercise at such a time. By half 6 they were out doing Tai Chi and we got stared at for being the crazy foreigners watching their perfectly normal exercise.
So this afternoon it is the closing ceremony and banquet at the hospital, probably a beer or two more then packing and an early start for the mountains. We head to the bottom of Hangzhou towers and appearntly someone will come and find the 4 laowai (foreigners) and pack us onto a bus and from then you follow the guy with the big yellow flag. Yeah right if they think we are going to play happy chinese follow the leader they have another think coming. Bring on the laowai and lets play! Oh and don't forget the phrase book aka lifeline....
Today I am in hospital it seems the time has just flown by. We have shopped every market in town and now face the packing challenge. We have eated so much rice we now run to Starbucks for a sandwich at lunchtime although we persevere with rice and cabbage for breakfast. We have drunk the enormous bottles of Chinese beer so weak and big you get full long before you get drunk and popped into the Irish pub for Guiness and Hoegarden. We have wandered, cycled and taxied much of the town. Been for massages with blind men and seen dawn at the West Lake whilst doing Qi Gung. In fact we got down there at 5 am and the Chinese were stopping to stare at these crazy foreigners out doing bizzarre exercise at such a time. By half 6 they were out doing Tai Chi and we got stared at for being the crazy foreigners watching their perfectly normal exercise.
So this afternoon it is the closing ceremony and banquet at the hospital, probably a beer or two more then packing and an early start for the mountains. We head to the bottom of Hangzhou towers and appearntly someone will come and find the 4 laowai (foreigners) and pack us onto a bus and from then you follow the guy with the big yellow flag. Yeah right if they think we are going to play happy chinese follow the leader they have another think coming. Bring on the laowai and lets play! Oh and don't forget the phrase book aka lifeline....
posted by Becky Clarke at
05:07
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