Travel Diary
12/07/06
i don't know why but my writing style seems to randomly change quite often... erm, you'll see.
Today we got up early(8am) to our visa then went to Hung Hom station to get the train to Shanghai at 3 o'clock, we ate at maxims while we waited. The train journey is 26 hours! 26! the train is cool, theres compartments on the side for 2 people 4 people or 6 people depending on the class. People with snacks walk up and down the corridors and there's a food carriage.
Anyway we got on the train and found our compartment, coach 8 compartment 8. There being three of us we knew we were going to be sharing with someone. We opened the door wondering if there was going to be anyone inside. there wasn't. A nice small undisturbed middle class carriage prresented itself infront of us. We settled in quickly, Me on the bottom right and Yan and Pang on the top two bunks. Shortly afterward the compartment door opened and in came an old man with a smile on his face as he looked at us. He put his bags down next to remaining empty bed and after some chit chat, the old man, we found out, was born in Shanghai but had lived in Hong Kong for the last 40 years. This was one of his visits he made to Shanghai occasionally. It was only half three in the afternoon but i decided to go to bed. Yan and Pang went off exploring the train. I woke up at half 7ish and me, Yan and Pang went to have dinner in the dinner carriage. After dinner we came back and went to bed.
13/07/06
I got up at 11 today, we went to eat and sat in the dinner carriage looking out the window admiring the views, seeing the world pass by, until about half one when they asked us to leave. We went back to our carriage where i played on my laptop for a while sorting photos, writing, etc. before i knew it the train arrived in Shanghai, well it did arrive 80 mins early. so i hurried to pack up my stuff and leave. As i walked a few paces away from the train i realised i had forgotten my contact lenses and quickly dashed back onto the train to get them. We made our way to Captain Hostel which the guide book recommended, we didn't manage to make a reservation a few days earlier because of problems with the website. When we got there we found out we couldn't get a room without a reservation. We also knew that all reservations were cancelled after 6. it was 5:30. and there were about 20 unclaimed reservations. There were 6 of us in the lobby waiting for a room. We sat anxiously waiting to see if anyone would show up. Nobody did and we got the room. yay! The room was a 10 person dormitory and we were sharing with 3 others. We put our stuff in the room in the lockers and left to explore with Jouri, who we met whilst waiting for the room. We walked towards the river and saw the skyline across the river. The Oriental Pearl radio tower makes the place look like a space station. There were so many beggers, very persistant beggers, they come up right infront of you and put their cupped hand infront of your chest almost touching and they do this following you for almost a whole block. We went to eat somewhere. We found out Jouri was a web designer from the Netherlands and had been travelling for 2 weeks prior, he had been to all the places we were going to go to. After dinner we walked along the river then back again and sat down on a wall. After several beggers came and went, someone came up to us selling postcards, $10 for 10, thats 7p each. Yan intending to say '$10?' accidentally said "$4", so the guy thinking shes haggling offers $5 and Yan realising what she had done said in a firm voice $3, and the guy broke quite quickly and said ok ok $4(3p each). Amusing and entertaining haggling I thought but I thought she could have gotten a much better deal. We sat gazing at the view across the river and discussing what to do tomorrow. Then headed back for the hotel north along the river. I couldn't sleep that night so i went to the sit in the lobby. It was quite busy for 3 in the morning, i chatted with some americans for a while the went on the internet then went to bed. at about 4:30
i don't know why but my writing style seems to randomly change quite often... erm, you'll see.
Today we got up early(8am) to our visa then went to Hung Hom station to get the train to Shanghai at 3 o'clock, we ate at maxims while we waited. The train journey is 26 hours! 26! the train is cool, theres compartments on the side for 2 people 4 people or 6 people depending on the class. People with snacks walk up and down the corridors and there's a food carriage.
Anyway we got on the train and found our compartment, coach 8 compartment 8. There being three of us we knew we were going to be sharing with someone. We opened the door wondering if there was going to be anyone inside. there wasn't. A nice small undisturbed middle class carriage prresented itself infront of us. We settled in quickly, Me on the bottom right and Yan and Pang on the top two bunks. Shortly afterward the compartment door opened and in came an old man with a smile on his face as he looked at us. He put his bags down next to remaining empty bed and after some chit chat, the old man, we found out, was born in Shanghai but had lived in Hong Kong for the last 40 years. This was one of his visits he made to Shanghai occasionally. It was only half three in the afternoon but i decided to go to bed. Yan and Pang went off exploring the train. I woke up at half 7ish and me, Yan and Pang went to have dinner in the dinner carriage. After dinner we came back and went to bed.
13/07/06
I got up at 11 today, we went to eat and sat in the dinner carriage looking out the window admiring the views, seeing the world pass by, until about half one when they asked us to leave. We went back to our carriage where i played on my laptop for a while sorting photos, writing, etc. before i knew it the train arrived in Shanghai, well it did arrive 80 mins early. so i hurried to pack up my stuff and leave. As i walked a few paces away from the train i realised i had forgotten my contact lenses and quickly dashed back onto the train to get them. We made our way to Captain Hostel which the guide book recommended, we didn't manage to make a reservation a few days earlier because of problems with the website. When we got there we found out we couldn't get a room without a reservation. We also knew that all reservations were cancelled after 6. it was 5:30. and there were about 20 unclaimed reservations. There were 6 of us in the lobby waiting for a room. We sat anxiously waiting to see if anyone would show up. Nobody did and we got the room. yay! The room was a 10 person dormitory and we were sharing with 3 others. We put our stuff in the room in the lockers and left to explore with Jouri, who we met whilst waiting for the room. We walked towards the river and saw the skyline across the river. The Oriental Pearl radio tower makes the place look like a space station. There were so many beggers, very persistant beggers, they come up right infront of you and put their cupped hand infront of your chest almost touching and they do this following you for almost a whole block. We went to eat somewhere. We found out Jouri was a web designer from the Netherlands and had been travelling for 2 weeks prior, he had been to all the places we were going to go to. After dinner we walked along the river then back again and sat down on a wall. After several beggers came and went, someone came up to us selling postcards, $10 for 10, thats 7p each. Yan intending to say '$10?' accidentally said "$4", so the guy thinking shes haggling offers $5 and Yan realising what she had done said in a firm voice $3, and the guy broke quite quickly and said ok ok $4(3p each). Amusing and entertaining haggling I thought but I thought she could have gotten a much better deal. We sat gazing at the view across the river and discussing what to do tomorrow. Then headed back for the hotel north along the river. I couldn't sleep that night so i went to the sit in the lobby. It was quite busy for 3 in the morning, i chatted with some americans for a while the went on the internet then went to bed. at about 4:30
posted by Kevin at 3:33 am
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