Unfortunately, I am having problems transferring the large quantity of photos I took on my iTouch while traveling to my computer and I won't be able to start blogging about the details of the trip until I can get them on my computer, at least until tomorrow. Very frustrating. I'm really dying to document everything while it is still fresh in my mind.
Instead, I'll do my best to outline the trip from a bird's eye perspective and explain how I'll try to structure the way I'll explain everything.
Here's a basic timeline of our travels:
- Took the train from Weifang to Nanjing - morning of January 22nd.
- Stayed in a hostel at the Science + Technology + Design + Creativity campus of Nanjing, literally across the canal from Zhongguomen (the Gate of China) for six nights. Nanjing was my favourite city of all the ones I have been to in China (so far, anyway). We saw the famous Confucius Temple, Dr. Sun Yat Sen's mausoleum, toured Purple Mountain, walked through the old city, checked out popular spots owned or favoured by foreigners, went atop the 700 year old city walls of Nanjing, took a boat tour of the canals, and saw Nanjing Massacre Memorial. Ilya also got a haircut.
- Left Nanjing the morning of January 28th, took the train to Shanghai.
- Stayed in a hostel about a 1 minute walk from People's Square in the centre of Shanghai for four nights. Ilya fell ill just before leaving Nanjing, and was sick for pretty much this entire time. We still managed to see the Bund, the Shanghai City History Museum, and walked through Nanjing Road, as well as exploring other parts of the city.
- Ilya discovered an amazing bookstore where we would go to hang out if we didn't know what else to do or if we were tired (he was sick, big cities tire me out sometimes), we explored the famous shopping districts of Shanghai, including Shaanxi Lu, West Nanjing Road, and more. We even took the ferry across the Pudong to the Oriental Pearl.
- We befriended two Irish girls, sisters, who had decided to travel across the globe in honour of their recently deceased mother. They were really wild and energetic and we all ended up going bar hopping on our last night in Shanghai. They decided to join us in our next mini trip, this time to Suzhou, about a 45 minute bullet train ride away.
- The morning of February 2nd, the four of us (myself not feeling so great after a night at the bars) trained it to the city known as "The Venice of the East" because of its extensive network of canals and wet climate. The girls had to leave two days in and Ilya and I stayed about four nights after they left. They were catching a train to Hong Kong, followed by travel plans to Thailand, Australia, and then South America some months on.
- We enjoyed tea on the canal at tea houses, saw the Administrator's gardens, toured the Suzhou Museum, bought souvenirs (Chinese tea, 100% cashmere shawls), and checked out the magically lit downtown and restaurant areas around China's largest inner city lake.
- On February 8th, we arrived back in Shanghai and stayed with a coworker until the morning of the 12th. Her and her father helped us to navigate Shanghai and show us new places we did not have the opportunity to learn about or explore before. We went through an area of town (I forget what it is called now! Uh oh.) But it is basically like a network of alleways (reminiscent of Diagon alley if any of you have read the Harry Potter series). I bought some really cool souvenirs here, such as my Chinese name written artistically on a card and sheepskin and leather gloves. We also ate really well, one time at a restaurant owned by an American who has cooked for such high profile people back in the States as Bill Clinton (as shown by pictures on the restaurant walls). The burger was definitely without a question the best I have ever had (and I have had many a tasty burger in my lifetime). This area was especially magical when it started snowing.
- We met up with an English girl we met in Nanjing by the name of Olivia a few times while in Shanghai. We finally actually went to the top of the Oriental Pearl and walked around the glass floor level and took pictures in the declining afternoon sunlight. It was new year's eve when we got out of the tower. Rebecca, a traveler Olivia met, from London, and Olivia and Ilya and I spent new year's together, walking the streets, seeing the bund, and then going to a bar or two.
- Finally, on the 12th, we took an overnight train (about 20 hours long) to Guilin. I had the top bunk. Not exactly the most comfortable but definitely an experience.
- Guilin was so alive for the new year's festival. We took a night time boat tour of the four lakes and rivers around Guilin and explored its premier streets for eating, coffee, and cultural life.
- On the 15th, we met Colin, a friend from Weifang, and we all stayed in a hostel (different from the one we had stayed at before) and then the next morning we took a bus to Yang Shuo. We stayed there for three nights and explored the Yang Shuo county area by hiking, biking, and boating around the entire area. This was definitely the most beautiful part of the trip, characterized by tall and skinny mountains in a sub-tropical zone (just Google image Yang Shuo and you will see why) and definitely the "icing on the cake" if you know what I mean. Mid-way through this section of my travels, I ran out of room for photos on my iTouch and had to make space for more because I was taking so many all the time.
- On the 20th, we flew back to Qingdao and then took a bus from there to Weifang. Now I'm back!
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