Came back from China five yesterdays ago,
spent 3/4 of my birthday travelling from Korea to Sydney, and then catching a extremely rushed flight back to Wellie. Glad to be back. I think 35 days in China is enough. Lol.
Well... where do I start? Went to China, last year, December middle-ish, and stopped off in Korea for a few days on the way.
Seoul was really cold. Obviously because it was winter. It was pretty. Nearly got lost, but thank goodness for maps. Hard to communicate. I couldn't speak Korean, they couldn't speak Chinese or English. We ended up communicating through pictures and actions. Imagine what it was like to order. Lol.
Don't ask about the ride to there. Turbulence. I love it, but at the same time I dread it.
And then we arrived in China. Guangzhou. Spent most of my 35 days in this city, lived with my 5th aunty and family. And man, their apartment was flash lol. Didn't even look like your typical apartment. Can't explain it, but you get my drift lol.
Then we went to Beijing for a week or so. Its really different from Guangzhou. It was the first time I went to Beijing, well not including when I was just an ugly little foetus.
Went to the Great Wall,and the Olypmic Stadium area - well what was in the making of it. Not much to see, really. And yeah - went to alot of historic places. Sadly, the whole tour was in Mandarin. Which I don't understand, since I only speak Cantonese. But, somehow, I picked up a few words on the very last days there.
We went to the Beijing circus in the Chaoyang Theatre, and Wow, it was really awesome. The acrobatics and stuff - I can't really explain. On the other hand, Mum thought it was exactly the same as it was when she went ten or twenty so years ago. Just different costumes and altered choreography. Lol. But besides the circus - Oh. My God. There were these, two guys that looked like Jesse McCartney/Frodo from LOTR (mixed together) lookalikes!
Lol okay, sorry, but they were hot lol. Aaaand they had a hot brother. Lol.
And then back to Guangzhou. Someone nearly stole my brother's luggage. Insane. Dad and Mum nearly got into a scrap with the people responsible with stealing, basically. Buuut I don't blame them. I was just so worried they'd end up physically hurting each other, which would involve police and so on >.<
After a few days, we headed off to Hainan. A subtropical island in China. Okay, okay, you're thinking whaaaat?! Strange enough as it is, but it is true! There is one, maybe a few more, I don't know - I don't take Geo/Tourism. Lol. We went to Hainan for four days, and it was quite a pretty place. Apparently it has a reputation for being "Oriental Hawaii". I don't know, well, it was okay. The beach was nice, and scuba diving was quite fun, scary - because I didnt understand what my instructor was saying. (He spoke Mandarin). I hung on to him for dear life mainly lol. It was funny, the instructors at the dock thing chucked bread at me, and I didn't understand what they were on about - I thought I had to eat it or something, but later found out it was for the fish. Luckily I didn't eat it. Although, it didn't look that appetizing... soggy and what not.
I saw Thai ladyboys in Hainan, and that really kind of scared me. I dunno, I just felt a tad uneasy. I also did feel sorry for them... a lot of those involved had to choose to live this life, or starve - and learn everything in order to be the "perfect woman" - and they only live to 40 because of plastic surgery. It makes me really sad to think that their life... its spent on this particular "field".
Well after all that, back to Guangzhou. Bargaining and shopping, eating bo luo bao and drinking bubble tea and the milk they have there (its not fresh cow's milk, but its got additives, preservatives and such- but I love it lol. I must admit though, I got pretty sick of it and bo luo bao after a while)
I had snake for the first time, and these sea snails. Ok you prollie think I'm some sicko, but hey, I only have one opportunity to do this, and I never know when it'll come round again, so I just did it lol.
But really, I'm just glad to be back home. The atmosphere and just the people here - i missed it. I'm glad to be back where people don't drive so crazily, centimetres off each other's car doors and speeding down a bridge in a bus - felt like a rollercoaster - Though, I'll probably miss the "way" of Guangzhou, I'm in no hurry to go back. I love it in New Zealand, even though Levin is a bit of a shit hole - its great! Theres not much people around to steal your bag you're wearing, or even beggars with amputated limbs and burnt skin on the streets. It really hurts to see them, even if some of them are forced, and not truly beggars. Makes me appreciate my life more, seriously, no soppy stuff or anything, but I really do appreciate eating vegetables now! Ha, ha. Everything was mainly meat over there, and there were vegetables, but the majority was meat. Everything was just really fatty, drenched in oil, I lost my appetite for food after a while.
Dad says we're gonna go back in a few years time again, to celebrate my Nana's "big" birthday. But he's in no hurry either. I don't think any of us are. My brother sure isn't. Dad and him had to go to hospital two times because of food poisoning. I'm so relieved that they're better now.
Well now that I'm back in NZ... its great! I got my hair chemically straightened and pink streaked over in China- and no one has the type of clothes i have
Yusss. I hate to dress like everyone else, to be in the flock, the group, like clones.
Everything was really cheap over there, but I guess it seems that way because of how NZ's dollar is and all that - most of which I don't exactly understand, lol.
I miss the shopping, a lot. Lol. I know, you're thinking, typical... all girls are like that. Lol. But its true - China is so near Japan, so the fashion trends are like fast to catch on, and yeah. I love clothes!
I kinda miss all my relatives back there...
But I guess its okay, I'll see them in a couple more years, and some of them are coming to visit.
Anyway., this journal entry has been waaay too long. I'm sorry. I tend to talk and then go into some random tangent and start talking about that and yeah. Heh. Well, I took a few photos, not much. They aren't that great, and you'll probably think "typical tourist photography" - but whatever, I make do with a digital cam. , and if I take something nice, then I'll share it :]
Pinky promise I'll submit,
soon.
-Vickii
Leave of absence.
Content
Defeated
Christmas Spirited
Love
