National Day Holiday

It is National Day Festival this week. Most people in China will get 5 days off starting from the 1st of October. At this time, lots of people travel to different places in China. So, yet again, we get everyone doing something at one time, which seems to epitomise Chinese tourism. This is like the boat trip in Dali, where they had three boats leave port at same time, visit the island at the same time and have lunch at the same time, resulting in massive overcrowding. They could have staggered the start times!

Anyway, next week (Monday or Tuesday), I hope to head somewhere nearby. Hopefully I can make some arrangements tonight. It will be a bit overcrowded and overpriced but I don’t want to miss out on the opportunity of travelling in China. I was thinking that there is no point in saving money here, since I could earn a month’s Chinese pay in a few days at home! So, I reckon I should live the good life over here!

So, yesterday and today I haven’t done a huge amount. Went for a lovely hotpot on Friday. It’s where you have your own gas-powered pot boiling away at your table and you put in different meat and vegetables. On Saturday evening, I went to a Korean BBQ. Similar affair except they BBQ the stuff at your table for you!!

I had my first taste of a Chinese disco-bar last night as well! Myself and Song Dan decided to go for a beer, so he took me to the disco bar place across the road. It was a bit weird, cos we arrived at around 8:30pm and the place was in full swing! People dancing, music banging. Well, the music was sort of thump, thump, thump sot of euro-dance, except in Chinese. Well, we had a laugh and a few beers anyway. The strange thing, however, was that since most of the people there were students, they had to be back in their dorms before 10:30! So, by 10:30, the place had emptied!! So, it was a bit surreal! People at home don’t generally hit the dance floor before midnight!

Today, I was hanging around with the 2 American teachers and their friends, who came to visit from XI’an. Quite an international bunch, with American, Irish, English, Spanish and Filipino! Went to their house for some food and then we headed into Xinghai Square, which is a massive open square beside the sea. It's supposed to be the biggest square in China or Asia or something. It's just a huge expanse with buildings on 3 sides and the sea on the other side. So big that you wouldn't think it's a square (well it is oval-shaped actuallly!) They also had a sort of dodgy looking fun-fair beside the square but we didn’t partake! I dunno about the safety factor!!

Saw a new game. Kids playing with spinning tops. However, instead of spinning them normally, they hit them with a whip to make them spin! I wouldn't wantto get on the wrong side of one of those kids while they were playing that game!! Here's a pic: