My Bum

Xi-an was my next port of call, I was quite excited as it is home of the Terracotta Army, but due to unforeseen circumstance (my arse playing up) I couldn’t go. But more on that later.

I have never had a train journey like it. As its the Chinese holiday season the whole of china is on the move so all I could get was a 3rd class hard seater which is basically like trains in the uk but with one major different…… They ram the carriage with so many people there is no room to breath let alone move and with everyones eyes on the strange western it I felt like I was on view in a zoo. I did have two teenage girls help me out as they could practice there English on me which young Chinese people really seem to enjoy. As soon as I say I’m from the UK all they say ‘I love David Beckham, he is a good footballer’ it really amazes me that this footballer is known all over the world, why is this? I didn’t think he was such a great player. Anyway thank god there was air con on the train because many of the older trains don’t have such luxuries, there was also TVs in the carriage……. We are so lucky in the UK when the BEEB makes such good programmes. Unlike the Chinese who seem to rip of US TV and make a right hash of it. The most random programme I could make out was a Chinese version of ‘Sex in the City’ set in Shanghai. A Chinese Sarah Jessica Parker and a almost identical title sequences to the US one but with cheap wobbley sets and no sex made it very amusing to watch. Another thing that strikes me strange about the girls on tv over here is that they don’t look like the everyday Chinese girl, Its like they have caught Michael Jackson syndrome and want to become white as there skin is so white its almost transparent.

Getting some sleep was a killer as there was nowhere to rest my head, I should have taken the advice from the guy laying under my seat and using my camera bag as a pillow. He seemed to get a good night sleep even with people climbing over him to get to the toilet or fill up there instant noodles with hot water. I didn’t even dare going to the toilet knowing what state they were in. This was confirmed by one of the teenage girls who came back from the toilet making a yuck sound and waving franticly with her hands. Jezz I needed a piss once I got to Xi-an.

We rocked in to Xi-an on the dot and was met by someone from my hostel.

Once at the hostel something wasn’t right with my stomach. Yip the travelers flu had started. The rest of the day was spent either asleep or on the toilet. I have a feeling I picked it up off the train as hygiene isn’t one of china’s stronger points. Weather it people constantly spitting on the floor (pavements, buses, train, anywhere they can hock up a greeny), fast food outlets next to dirty toilets that never get cleaned or the babies that are aloud to piss and shit anywhere. Yes I had a darling little child piss on the floor of the train carriage as the mum just looked on. Lovely.
The next day I made an effort to go sightseeing. First stop was the wall of the city.

The wall surrounds the whole city in a 14 km rectangle and takes a couple of hours to walk around. Most of the wall has been rebuild but saying this it looks very good and you can’t really tell if you are walking on a old or new part.

Next sight to see was the Drum and Bell tower of the old city. These cool looking buildings weren’t worth the money to look around the inside so my tip is to save your money and admire them from the outside.

The next day still feeling ill I managed dragged my sore arse out of bed and down to the Muslin Quarter to check out the mosque and the market that surrounds it.

Loads going on wherever you look. People walking their caged birds, cooking mouthwating street food and selling caged giant grasshoppers.

The food did look great but I didn’t risk any street food with my stomach. Being in a Chinese Muslim area was real eye opener, I went to check out the mosque and its very different to a mosque in the middle east, it looks more like a Buddhist temple with pogodas and Chinese scripts everywhere. It was a very beautiful and peaceful place with friendly people interested in why Random Sam is in a Mosque in the middle of China. I didn’t really think that there was a big Muslim population in china. How wrong I was!

The next day I was far to ill to go to the Terracotta Army which was bad news, especially as the was the main reason to come to Xi-an. The other problem I faced was that had a 14 hour train Journey ahead of me to Chengdu. But then The German Mother Theresa going by the name Sandra appeared in my Dorm room and give me some METOCLOPRAMIDDIHYDROCHLORID (try saying that when you are drunk). After 24 hours Random’s arse was on the way back to normal ready for.. Chengdu and the gateway to Tibet.

2 Responses to “My Bum”

1. Doc Jon says:

   August 28, 2007 at 4:56 am

   Ganbei!! That’s Chinese for “bottoms up”! Bet you wanted to know that.
2. adrian daniels says:

   September 4, 2007 at 2:50 am

   Hi Sam,
   Just to say I’m really enjoying your pictures and blog. Reading your web entries is always fascinating and is a good way to spend the long night shift! so keep writing and keep having a good time!
   Adrian (red bee)