New Year 2

Din Dins with a view !A Fantastic view

anyone who goes to Shanghai, go to Captains Hostel Bar on the 6th floor

The beer is 45 RMB (although the pizza is 25 ????) and the food isnt that great but the view is amazing and it was the perfect way to start the new year night :)

We took a taxi to Ding Xi Rd to C's bar which was 50 RMB for guys and 30 for girlies and we got a free beer on entry but before we did we decided to go and buy beer from the shop next door as it would be cheaper than inside. So having stuffed bras, socks, trousers, pants, coats and bags with as many bottles as we could carry we went to C's grabbing ourselves a back room with sofas and tables

Amazing

One thing that sprung to mind was that i could never imagine Chinese girls going to the toilet together like, i'm ashamed to say, we english girls do.... everyone gathered around whilst they watch their friend squat over a hole in the floor... just not going to happen

Being New Years Eve i was introduced to the game of Fat Chicken rules are as follows roll a:

2. Make a Rule (it sticks for the whole game)

3. You Are the Fat Chicken (introduce yourself & give 3 facts about yourself)

4. Catagories (name things to do with this)

5. Power of the finger (power to put finger on table last one to do it drinks)

6. Power of the freeze (power to shout freeze and everyone stops whatever they are doing)

they caught me out on this i had my back to everyone whilst standing and they all unfroze and left me there :(

7. Everyone drinks

8. Pim Pam Poom (third person says poom and points at someone they circle starts again)

9. Person to the left drinks

10. You drink

11. Person to the right drinks

12. Gin Gin Bottle (each multiple of 3 say Gin Gin each multiple of 5 bottle a multiple of both Gin Gin Bottle)

11.30pm we stocked up on bottles and made our way to the bund for the countdown.

We turned up and it was packed !but there were more chinese than there were westerners !everyone wanting to take photos of us, we got there with like 10 minutes to spare which was lucky. The countdown was projected onto one of the buildings in the buisness district and when New Year hit fireworks were lit.

The fireworks weren't exactly chinese new year standard an i as a little gutted but its not there new year so we were lucky enough to get any

LOVELY CHINESE PEOPLE

It was one of the best new years i had and i was miles away from home and my best friends

 I had brought sparklers with me so we lit those

Getting back to C's was an adventure !

We all piled into a fake van taxi and had to direct him to where we wanted to go

You will find a lot of these taxis making their money of vulnerable tourists who dont know the language or the usual cost for a taxi so when he tried to rip us off with 200RMB charge we began plotting ways to bail

It sounds awful i know but alcohol clouded our judgement ever so slightly
Being sat on the back row, me tom and andrew would have little opportunity to escape trough the same door as everyone else so we went through the back window
Not my most elegent moment i shall not lie, but hilarious

Walking back we stumbled across some lovely street food, a far cry from the kebab shops of Nottingham however soooo much better in my opinion for those drunken mucnhies

the guy was chowing !so i could literally Chow Down at 1.40 am :)

He was like a walking restaurant with all his ingrediants laid out in front of him it was amazing

I wish people did this in nottingham :(

After stocking up once again in the local shop i hit the dance floor and was suprisingly thrilled to here some of my favourite tracks blaring through the speakers (which we stood on... All ways liking to make a spectical of myself)

Made it home around 5 30 i think....

New Years Eve

WOOOOO HOOOOO

not so much the early start but breakfast made up for it.

I tried Bao Zi which is like a steamed dumpling that is filled with either meat or green vegetables Nom Nom now my favourite dish

Got the taxi at 9 got onto the train at 9 45 carriage 3 seats 51& 52 and dept 10 am to Shanghai. 

Got metro line 10 to Nanjing East (the main shopping street) then walked along the Bund 

The Metro exposed me to my first experience of seeing potty training Chinese style.....

I shall set the scene

A shiny, clean granite floor (imagine an airport floor but better) a lot of people walking around getting from one station to the next and a kid and his mum move to the side near the railing and fully clothed, he squats and does a massive poo in the middle of the metro !!!

You will be wondering how he managed this considering he was clothed, they have Slits in their Trousers what the hell!!!!

AND she didn't even clear it up she left her kids stinking poo their !

I am proud to say i have also started to get into the swing of things with traffic, learning very quickly just chuck yourself out, you are too expensive to hit !!!

Walked past the Swatch Shop which was incredible, all the watches are displayed in single elongated cabinets very clinical looking but its amazing. Checked into our hostel, Captains Youth Hostel on Yan An Road. It was like living on ship, nets seagulls port holes everything. So cool though

After dropping our bags off we went for food along the bund in subway... something i have learned is that in every store/ shop/ restaurant/ bar is over staffed they more than likely have more staff members than customers, subway a classic example of this.

one veggie sub nom nom (23.40 RMB) and my personal favourite 

PEANUT BUTTER COOKIES 

china land is going up in expectations 

Went to the bank, the ATM's inside are in in phone booth type things that you have to lock the door on and they also have security cameras! its such a good idea in terms of safety England should definitely use it !

Andrew treated me to a massage at this amazing place called Green Foot

Walking through the thick dark oak wood doors, greeted by the smell of incense and then sound of falling water which trickles down the wall. You are presented with a wooden key which unlocks your personal locker where you find silk robes to change into. 

I have to say though my first guy masseuse and my first massage with 2 other guys in the room, but it was amazing. They put a sheet over you and run one of those bobbly rolling pins over you and having been deprived of a real phatt woman's arse he payed particular attention to mine and making it jiggle. He then kneeded and pumbled me and clicked every bone in my back and it felt AMAZING

Lets Party !!!

Initial thoughts on Style

Unlike my mother, I wasn't nieve enough to think that everyone would be walking around in Cheongsam's (tradional chinese dresses) sporting a parasole and bound feet. However I also didn't expect it to be so westernised.

Whilst waiting for the train from Shanghai to Nanjing we stood on the square outside the train station giving me my first opportunity to take in what everyone was wearing.

Everyone looked so.........Normal

A mixture of woolen tailored military or trench coats against the wet look black, purple or bright coloured puffer jackets with hoods trimmed with fur. Nike high tops, ankle/thigh boots but most significantly

UGGS

There is definately a new thing for uggs here, they are on every street corner, being sold in subways (the fake kind) and in pretty much every shop window. Instead "You want Gucci, Prada" they open with "You want Uggs???"

Style gods will be turning in their graves

Also LARGE Fluffy EARMUFFS

another example of what you will see every time you walk down the street

Every girl under the age of 25 seems to have a pair, i have even seen some guys wearing them

Oh and everyone is sporting a customised face mask

and for these cold times they come with extra furry insulation to keep your schnoz warm!

Nanjing Day 2

Day 2 from china land

10:30 wake up suprisingly a good night sleep considering the lack of matress lol, we got up and met everyone at an international small bar named Ellen's for breakfast.

I know i said i wanted to eat local but i needed serious sustanence to get me through the day. An American breaky nom nom the boys who are leaving to travel today have all bought 'travelling pants' (addidas trackies) which are all jumping on board of.

Headed to Deji Plaza and invested in some well needed razors, i maybe travelling but i still have standards!

Experienced Fashion Lady (an indoor market, but instead of stalls small boutique like stores) really creative, individual style, very westernised in terms of the trends of the season however own sleek slant, tiny sizes its redic these women are the same size as my thigh. lots of fakes flying around

drove around to a temple near the Yangsee river which was beautiful

Went and visited Bruce a dog they have adopted pretty much, so adorably cute. On our way back we got caught in the school traffic, no mother in england should ever complain about the school run thats all im saying

Andrew took me to the place he bought dog- although illegal it is still sold in backstreet markets and i had sadistic inregue to see this place but as soon as we pulled up and saw the entrance to the market all dimly lit and the looks people were giving us.... nooo major back pedal

we went to the dried spices and food market round the corner which was incredible the varieties of even a single mushroom were incredible. People were starring though as we were in an area that is never visited by westerners which became a little awkward at times. Funny when people are talking about you and then andrew talks back there shock/suprise/embarrasment is hilarious

we walked through the market to a houtong or shanti town like area which was sobering. People so happy and content yet they live in layered walls of corregated metal and cardboard boxes. Suprising though that the people who live in around this poor area dont look as poverty stricken as their homes would suggest.

We got caught in the middle of traffic and we could get out as we were boxed in

we were like a freakshow or travelling circus hopefully i will get used to this on our way back we drove up onto the yansee river and stopped half way to take photos of the sunsetting. it was beautiful absolutey stunning. Made me laugh when i turned around and saw a guard of the bridge standing in a plastic box having to stare at the wall instead of looking out over the river.... poor thing

i couldnt talk my lips had frozen so much they has swollen and turned blue making talking an interesting endeavour, getting off the scooter was also hilarious.. my knees had seized because of the cold winds i resembled a granny trying to get out of a chair

I have learned the words for thank you xie xie (pronounced sh sh) and goodbye zai jian (pronounced zi shen) i will be fluent by the time i return !

On the way home we went back to bird flu to get take away and ended up doing a 7 year olds homework teaching a 13 yr old some english and tasting a new type of nut (looks like a sunflower seed but you bite and it turns out like a pine nut)

China Bound

27th of Dec- D-day

• Manchester left 1.05pm flew
• Arrival in Amsterdam  30 min lay over ONLY blonde haired blue eyed white girl waiting to get on my flight

Apparently after having been in either amsterdam or england i was still an exciting exhibt as i sat down a chinese girl leant across her boyfriend with her i-phone 4 and slowly pulled it up to a sufficient level in which to capture, immortally, my travelling attire consisting of no make up trackie bottoms and the worlds biggest oversized hoody........ WHY???????

• Amsterdam- flight path Moscow, Kazikstan, cross china boarder and 4 hours left until Shanghai

So lucky seat 9B= fantastic leg room

Food not to shabby, although potatoes for breakfast not quite sure on this still

However, not so cool having both men your sat between, (1 french, 1 German) fall asleep on you

Arrived on 29th of Dec in Shanghai, where we took the magluf (high speed metro train) to the train station which cost 40 RMB (30 with a Chinese student card) which went a 300 km/h, hovers instead of running on the track and then turns like a bobsled run ahhhh but good fun.

we then got the bullet train to Nanjing however accidentally got the 2 hour instead of the 1 hr 15 we weren't originally sat together but a nice Chinese guy swapped with him.

Got off and went to get a taxi..... flocked by fake taxi drivers thinking we were dumb tourists (well 2 anyway) trying to scam 80 rmb out of us when it only costs 15 to get to andrews hotel. You need to prepare yourself for Chinese driving, there is only two rules

1. you concentrate on the person in front and hope the person is doing the same behind you
2. the use of your horn is essential so as to inform fellow drivers of your presence, when wanting to insult a fellow driver wind down your window and hurl extreme abuse

Andrew lives in a hotel, nice and clean squat toilet... wow says it all.... another tip for you

NEVER run and jump onto a Chinese bed.... you will have a bIg shock when you don't bounce back up (mattresses are thin layers of foam)

I was hungry so he took me to his local digs formally known as Bird Flu Alley. This was a real insight into the Chinese way of life and slightly sickening at first glance however if you put aside the grubbiness of the utensils and the conditions you realise they are cooking on such high heat anything you may have caught would be killed

Bird flu is also home to an indoor market.... the pictures speak for themselves

 

Whilst I'm here I'm up for trying anything and want to try and not eat western so i tried what have quickly become my favourite snack, they are like a sweet sesame pitta style bread best served freshly after cooking. We also went and got his scooter oiled before a drive round Nanjing. the bike shop was literally the guys house him and three generations live in one room which acts as his garage his kitchen, his living room and bedroom and they all share one bed. It was awe inspiring.

 Whilst waiting for the bike to be fixed i saw these interesting sites around the streets

We went for a drive round to the shopping mall andrew worked in selling lancolme and visited the lake which was beautiful. There are surprisingly a lot of christmas decorations around combined with rabbit figurines which i correctly guessed was due to it being the year of the rabbit!

Came back and went to the bar Talking across the road from the hotel and met his friends, a beer being 50p for a litre beer HELLOOOOOOOO