hello! obviously, i'm back from china. thank you ian for the most enthusiastic welcome back =) k here's another "10 things" list, because i have trouble sleeping. even though i've said my goodnights, am exhausted from the flight/unpacking, and have developed the habit of sleeping at 10 or 11 every night for the past week.
10 things i remember about china at 230am.
1. it was a shock to see So Many People walking in all different directions, without regard for the traffic lights and cars, which are desperately trying to weave through the crowds without killing anyone; the bus driver had his hand permanently glued to the car horn. oh and the suspension on the bus spoilt so we had much osim-like treatment (who needs uzap! hmpf) travelling from shanghai to hangzhou, suzhou, nanjing, wuxi and then back to shanghai. it was a welcome relief to sit on a small boat, a big ferry, a speed boat, and bullet train.
2. people are very aggressive, pushy (literally. i kept getting pushed around!) and loud. it's got to do with survival and the fact that it's very crowded from all the people walking everywhere (see above)
3. i enjoyed the lakes and temples the best! the small bridges and rivers winding in between the villages in wuzhen/hangzhou... so beautiful, even in winter! pity it was winter and there's no pretty flowers blooming, so my photos - whatever i could take before the camera froze to death - are all very blusteryday-like, and the colours are seldom bright and contrasting and everything looks the same, very chinese for lack of a better adjective, except for some remnants of autumn leaves somewhere la. i still got some good ones, and many nice memories =)
4. the super long history of china, all the myths and legends and stories are truly fascinating! all chinese people should at least know a bit okay! i shall go and read up on all the classic stories, just to put off catching up on last semester's work. oops.
5. i missed singapore's clean air!! and the fact that no one spits at my feet every 5 seconds. urgh. the state of the toilets are just atrocious. and this is considered quite an improvement from a few years ago. it's something to be proud of, that we're so awesomely hygienic =p
6. the rich-poor gap is appalling. according to our very knowledgeable tour guides at least. and i was very touched at their efforts in trying to raise awareness of their culture etc.
7. gloves are of no use to me. as long as my hands are in my pockets, and my feet wrapped up warmly, i won't freeze to death. and ohh myy, i love foot massages!
8. our group of 11, including my family, michie and another family of 5. oh and my pretty tour guide. they are the cutest people on earth! even with our bad english, similarly foreign eating habits and my roommate, we survived a week in china :) the bus driver and tour guide were thoroughly amazed at our ability to go and get food from macs/kcf every night after a full dinner. oh did i mention i had nice haagen dazs ice cream fondue the first day we arrived? fantastic! :D
9. xiaolongbaos galore. even though i didn't eat that many, the thing about china is food is cheap and good. i especially love the sticks of fruit (mostly san cha and oranges) covered in candied malt whatever. haha someone tell me what it's called. btw i ate gangrene toes! ;)
10. there's nothing that cannot be pirated. and bargaining is super fun!! i especially like the part where my mum got scolded "shen jing bing" and she turned around to scold them back. yay, go mummy! =)
i love the last photo!! david's actually smiling, awwwww :)
happy new year's eve everyone!
haney and i have resolved to be more decisive people. jiayou! :)
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