Shanghai and Beijing

Our last two action packed stops were a great way to finish what has been an amazing trip on a high. Shanghai was great fun. We were lucky enough to find a very gracious host who speaks Chinese so we had our first proper Chinese meal where we knew exactly what we were eating which was quite a treat. The two days we were there were spent whizzing around visiting the shops, sights and museums and the nights were spent meeting people, eating, drinking and dancing and dancing and dancing.

After a stroll along The Bund we decided that rather than paying to go up one of the more iconic skyscrapers in Pudong, we would fork out for a glass or two of bubbly at the amazing Vue Bar in the Hyatt. I would have been happy enough just having the first champagne glass that I've touched in 6 months in my hand, but the stunning views made the experience well worth blowing the budget for and I'm pretty sure there was no better place in the World to toast the most mind-blowing 6 months of my life!

Yuyuan:

Enjoying the best ribs in the World:

 The Bund:

Flashpacking at the Hyatt:

The hangover the following day was slept off on the bullet train to Shanghai ... when you are awake you can see China unfolding past your window at quite a dramatic rate, sadly I missed most of the show whilst enjoying the back of my eyelids but what i did manage to glimpse of the passing landscapes looked rather impressive.

 304 kmph on the bullet train to Beijing:

Beijing was our last stop and we definitely made the most of it... Our non-stop sightseeing destroyed our backs, our legs, our feet, our will to live but boy was it worth it. There is a hell of a lot to see here and I don't think we even scratched the surface - we did get the highlights in however. The Great Wall of China is pretty damn impressive as far as walls go. You can't really go wrong when you are standing on a structure that's over 500 years old and visible from space! The real highlight of that visit however was the toboggan on the way down ... Thought it was odd when I first heard about it but it made perfect sense when I was on it. Highly recommended! You can find it at the Mu Tian Yu part of the wall which I'm assured is less crowded and more beautiful than the parts where all the domestic tourists flock to. Here are the Beijing highlights in photographic form...

Mu Tian Yu:

The Olympic Green with it's amazingly impressive Birds Nest Stadium was a real highlight:

Tiananmen Square and the not quite so Forbidden any more City:

The Summer Palace which isn't a Palace at all... It's a whole city and a stunning one at that:

These photos only makes sense in China:

Mastering the art of the chopstick:

 Our last sit down meal, amazingly tasty peking duck:

So, that's that. 6 months whizzed past in just 36 blog posts. I'm sat in London now with severe jet lag trying to process everything I've experienced. Once I do, I'll write some final deep and meaningful post for you all urging you to quit your jobs... but for now I'm just going to unpack and make myself at home in my slippers with a cup of tea. Ahh bliss!

Guilin

Our first taste of China came on our 6 hour train journey to Guilin which seemed set to be a particularly uncomfortable experience when we realised we didn't have any seats. What we didn't count on was the friendliness of the locals which turned what could have been an awful train ride into a surprisingly enjoyable day. One guy decided to test out his English skills on us (consisting mainly of the words 'hello' and 'beautiful' - the little smoothie) and pretty soon we attracted quite a large group of his friends and neighbouring passengers. We squished up on the seats in between them and took part in a little photo shoot and a mutual and very unsuccessful Chinese/English lesson whilst swapping snacks and struggling to communicate in some very broken English. Giggling is a universal language however and the Chinese put it to good use.

Train party:

 

 

China is amazing and beautiful but it is also really rather an odd place. When the Chinese are standing still or sitting down they are seemingly the friendliest, happiest folks on the planet ... But catch them when they're in motion and they become violent human bulldozers - personal space is an alien concept and the previously under appreciated British orderly queue is non-existent. At one point Cata was about to sit down on a bench and a man sprinted over and literally bumped her out of the way before her arse had time to hit the wood - perfectly normal behaviour apparently as no-one else even batted an eyelid. Now that we know the deal though we're getting quite good at the shoving etiquette. The trick is to stick out your elbows and not allow any space whatsoever in front of you. If anyone does try to cut in, give them a swift bump back with your shoulder or place your foot or bag in front of them, then shuffle back in as soon as there is some space.  This doesn't always work however as it is also acceptable to wave money and/or whatever you are buying in the shop keepers face in order to get served first even if you are behind in the 'queue'. Haven't quite figured out how to beat that one yet. Perhaps I need to invest in an extendable claw? Chances are I'll find one somewhere because the shops here literally sell everything that you can or can't imagine - and no sooner than you think to yourself 'why on earth would anyone buy that' does a very willing customer or two shove past you waving some of their well earned cash at the vendor. Toothbrush salesmen on trains, women on boats selling flowery headbands, folks whizzing around touting wheels that you can attach to your shoes, shops stocked with every kind of noisy rubber animal you could possibly want, demon eyed battery powered puppies, mini statuettes of Michael Jackson (OK, so maybe I was a little tempted by that one) ... You name it, they sell it.

Eating has been quite the challenge as well as no-one really speaks English and all the menus are in Chinese. First rule before heading into an eatery is to make sure there's stuff that you can point at, otherwise you'll be leaving the place hungry. Even the pointing technique can be hazardous with culinary delights such as dog meat, chicken feet, or 'cold white fungus' as illustrated by one of the few chinglish menus we found:

In a nutshell, this place is totally crazy. It's exhausting but great fun! I suggest if you plan to come that you bring a good phrase book and life might be made a little bit easier! Make sure to learn the word for toilet - there is nothing really more awkward than having to mime it...

 

 

China's quirks aside, Guilin is the one of the most beautiful cities I've ever been in, surrounded by two rivers and two lakes and set between spectacular mountain scenery. The real highlights however were to be found outside of town - a scorching four hour trek amongst the stunning Longji rice terraces in an area know as 'the dragons backbone' was easily one of the highlights of the whole trip. The endless ridges of winding tiered rice fields peppered with old wooden houses are so unbelievably beautiful that you get the feeling that you have stumbled onto a film set.

Mountain villages and Longji rice terraces:

 

 

The next day we headed on a bamboo boat tour of Yangshuo which again rewarded us with breathtaking scenery.

Yangshuo: