Censorsed!

Its five weeks since the last blog update and no this hasn't been down to laziness, lack of internet cafes or that I've fallen off the face of the earth..... but China, for all its glitz, Olympic aspirations and high rise cities, is still not totally part of the free world... however, it is quite fun to know that my little blog with tales of travel poses such a threat that its worthy of censorship!! :-)

China in brief then: The first two weeks I spent at a language school a stones throw away from the IBM building in the business district (I never did go and check that IBM really was that close but my tutors insisted on reminding me often and it featured in many a lesson from "directions" to "occupations") it was a great challenge, especially for someone who's never tried to learn a language before...and chinese certainly isn't easy, with 4 tones plus neutral the syllable "ma" can mean either 1) Mother 2) Hemp 3) Horse 4) To get angry with 5) a yes or no question... its very easy to make some quiet funny mistakes! Equipped with the my new language skills, able to order 2 beers, ask where the toilets are and buy train and bus tickets, travel buddy Shelley arrived 2 weeks later and we began our journey zig zagging our way through China.

What stands out most looking back is just how different the culture was from anywhere I've been before. On the one hand it was easy to label the people rude with the constant spitting on the street (and in restaurants, on trains and pretty much everywhere else) letting small children wee in public places and the constant pushing and shoving rather than queuing. Other bizarre traits include individually rapping pieces of fruit, but happily walking along the street carrying a dead chicken! and the women who never close the door in public toilets! However, in every city we visited we met some of the most friendly and helpful people in the world.... the girl in the yellow jacket who spoke no English yet offered to help us and spent over 15 mins ensuring we got to the train station on time. The train guard who sat with us for over an hour trying to make conversation using my Chinese text book (fine until he reached the "relationships" section!!) a second train guard who has ensured Shelley and I have become minor celebrities on the Chinese rail network and Mr Cheng of Tankou who we would probably have never survived without. In short a unique place, not a culture I particularly gel with but an amazing experience and some amazing people.

A few highlights for those who like that kinda thing:
- The Great Wall
- Terracotta Warriors (nope their not all in London)
- Summer Palace
- Temple of Heaven
- Forbidden City
- S'Silk restaurant in Beijing (possibly the best Lamb dish in the world)
- Huang Shan mountain
- Wine in Wuhan (there really isn't much wine!)
- Cycling through rice paddies

Reading material - Various economics books from my flat mate in Beijing (thanks Jake)
iPod tunes - Morrissey, Buddha Bar, Tree 63