Northern Route
It took me a week, but I finally got out of Guangzhou. After a week in Hongkong I decided to continue my route north and get into China proper. After a night in Guangzhou, I felt I was good to move on but was told at the train station that because of all the rain they’d been getting, the rail ways north had been damaged and would be out of service for at least a few days. Feeling the need to get out of Guangzhou, I asked the ticket seller where I could go. She checked her computer, briefly dangled Fujian infront of me, and told me the only place available was Hainan Island. I passed and took a late train back to Kow Loon. A train and bus later and I was surprising Max by showing back up at his door.
After a few more days in Hongkong they had the rail lines fixed and I returned to Guangzhou where I learned a lesson about booking tickets in advance; I could get a ticket, but I’d have to wait two days. The first hostel I checked into was not pleasant. Their hostel section was booked and I had to rent a double. The plus side was that with two beds in the room I could pick the one with less bugs. I was able to sleep without them bothering (or getting on) me but it was still a hard night’s sleep and I was frequently visited by feelings of homesickness for California, Taiwan, and Hongkong. Places where I could feel comfortable and knew people. The following day I checked out early and spent a few hours wandering the city looking for a better hostel only to end up at the place I spent the night the previous week before heading back to Hongkong. My room mates were a German fellow and a Taiwanese guy, both experienced backpackers.
When the time had come for me to board the train, I had the fun of trying to work the conductor for an upgrade to a sleeper instead of the seat that I had. For a 12-hour train ride, I think it was worth it. While waiting for a conductor to be free, I made friends with some of the others waiting in the vestibule. One who eventually showed up spoke better English than I spoke Mandarin and was kind enough to help me get a sleeper. A long train ride later and I’m now in a nice hostel in Wuhan. Next stop is going to be Anhui for a mountain and then, depending on where I can go, either Huangzhou or Shanghai.
Stories and pictures from Wuhan and pictures from Guangzhou soon (I hope). Most of my TW and HK pix are up here.
