Hey Hey and G'day to you

I just got back from my May 1 break. I spent a week with a friend travelling along the Chinese/Vietnam border in search of the best noodles, bbq, beer and sea food. It is such a beautiful place. too tired to write now.

all up over 24 hours on buses going through the most amazing country side, barely any sleep as my buddy SNORED and SNORED and SNORED! But you can't blame a snorer. Will write more after many many many hours sleep.

It's now time for 'wok em up' noodles and a very early nights sleep...bye bye
now to the entry finally entered on the 12th January 2007....no spell check..too much beer!

 Wednesday, 3rd (Tianyang, Detain Waterfalls to Daxin)
 
After many days debating what to do for my week off for May Day holiday I decided to join my Police Buddy Brad and head further south. We had a general plan of what to do and that was to follow the Chinese and Vietnam border east from Jingxi Town to...maybe the coast...maybe Beihai.
 
I guess it was time to introduce Brad to 'my type' of travel.
What I mean by that is having a little idea of where to go and leaving it to the day to tell you where you you will spend that night!
 
Brad met me in Tianyang with an open map and many questions to which I answered, 'Hey, lets just head to Jianxi and take a bus east'. Cool he said, let's go! We grabbed a road side bus to the Taindong/Guangxi South turnoff. The sun was bloody hot and we had to wait for a lot longer than we thought for a bus. Here we grabbed a bus to Derbao and changed to a bus heading for Jingxi. We passed the usual transport for here in southern China...that being motor bikes with dogs, chickens and goats strapped to their rear.
 
Once in Jingxi we headed to Bus Station No: 2, grabbed some lunch and then boarded a mini bus to Goolong Hill where we voted against forking out some huge amount of money to venture into the park. We grabbed another mini van and made our way to the Detian Waterfalls. Even though it was the dry season here in the south of China, nothing can describe the beauty of the Detian Waterfalls.
 
I can only imagine what they are like in the wet season.  
 
Also judging by the amount of people here this day (during the dry season), I can only imagine how many people would actually be here during the wet season when the falls would be at their peak. Even now they were beautiful. On the side of the river where I stood, was China. On the other side of the river was Vietnam, a country I visited six years prior. All along the border are guard posts where each country keeps an eye on the other. Nothing like it used to be, now it's mainly keeping an eye on the river and making sure no one crosses between countries.
 
I can only judge Vietnams growth by that of China in six years and man, do I want to visit Vietnam again! But I'm also very happy I got to see it just as it was beginning to explode.
 
Its growth in tourism must be huge.
What would I feel if I visited now?
Could I comprehend?
 
After several hours at the waterfalls we decided to head up the mountain to a Chinese Fort/Guard Post. Like I said, here you have many forts on either side overlooking it's once enemy. I was full of energy but Brad, well lets say, for a Policeman he is very VERY unfit! Poor Brad was breathing heavily and coughing and spluttering, needless to say, we didn't make the fort and made our way back down hill.
 
We left the Detian Waterfalls and grabbed a minivan to Daxin Town. When we finally found a hotel that would let ME in we headed out for late night BBQ.
And what an awesome BBQ is was!  
 
The Great Chinese/Vietnamese Beer N BBQ Border Tour has begun!
Say that 20 times after a few beers!
  
Thursday, 4th (Daxin to Longzhuo to Ping Xian)
 
Up much too early and grabbed a Sunmajay (three wheeler taxi) to the bus station and caught an early morning bus to Long Zhou. For those of you who love rice fields like I do, this is the bus ride for you. It took us through some of the most lush and green rice fields I've ever travelled through. I would put this bus ride as THE MOST BEAUTIFUL BUS RIDE I've ever taken. The limestone kast peaks surrounded by some of the most beautiful scenery I've ever seen.
 
It was a bus ride to remember!
 
In Longzhuo we changed buses to one that would take us to Ping Xian. Pity as this city looked pretty much like my type of city. Very vibrant and full of people heading here and there on two wheels. Also the population of 'tiny denim shorts and high heels' was also a very inviting factor!
 
The bus trip to Ping Xian was nice but nothing like that last six or so hours.
 
Ping Xian...what can I say. I passed through this town six years prior but at night and on a train journey that took me from Hanoi Vietnam to Nanning China. The 'Friendship Pass' as it's known here in China was pretty boring really. Very small and really not that much to offer. We walked around for a time and then grabbed a mini-van to the actual 'Friendship Pass'. Here we ventured on a walk that took us an hour or so up a hill to an army base.
 
When we arrived there was a sign IN CHINESE that stated NO FOREIGNERS ALLOWED!
 
How strange, what would have happed to me if I wasn't with Brad. The sign was only in Chinese. I guess I would have ventured onto forbidden land. What then? I can only wonder and thank god I was with Brad! I waited for Brad to spend some time walking around the Army Base and we both then descended the mountain that I had sweated so much to climb.
 
One thing I can say about Ping Xian is that it really has a BBQ street that kind of lives up to the BBQ in Jinghong. The BBQ Street in Ping Xian is very lively, very big and full of all types of meat and bugs you wish to eat. Unlike Jinghong, there were no vegetables and assorted 'yummies'. After BBQ we walked around the town and headed to the massage area.
 
Very cool, an hour massage for 15 Yuan.
That's two Aussie dollars.
Unbelievable!
 
If Ping Xian is on your list of destinations for a look-see due to it being the border town, head elsewhere mate. Not beautiful, not exciting, not much at all really. BUT, if BBQ is a reason for you to visit a town, give it a go. Being one that never listens to another's comments and likes to make my own judgements, I'll leave it for you to decide.
  
Friday, 5th (Ping Xian to Nanning to Dongxian)
 
After too many beers, too many bugs and too much meat we rose once again too early!
 
Grabbed the 10:20am bus to Nanning. Brad had spent an hour asking how we could continue our journey along the border and had come to NO success. Not only did most people NOT understand him but they couldn't reach or even find a dialect that both understood.
 
So, here you have it, from a man that has been in China for over a year.
The Chinese not only look different in the south but they don't freakin understand each either.
 
Seriously, it's not the first time this has happened. Guangxi, China's southern most border province to Vietnam is over 60% Minority Peoples. Meaning...Village People in our words. In my town of Tianyang, we can go from Village to Village and my Chinese friends can not understand what is being said.
 
Example...if Mandy, Lunar and Yang Yang and I go to a village basket ball game, maybe Lunar can understand what is being said on the loud speaker but Yang Yang and Mandy can not.  I was so confused at my first game. There was speaking over the loud speaker and I asked Mandy what was happening and she said she had no idea. WHAT! 'What do you mean you have no idea' I said. 'I don't understand a word he is saying' she said. I then learnt about Villages and THEIR OWN dialects. Seriously, you go five kilometres each way and the same happens. At the next game, more towards Pingguo (Mandy's home town), Mandy of course could understand but Yang Yang and Lunar couldn't!
 
Very Very Very Very Very FREAKY!
 
So here I find myself with a Chinese Drug Enforcement Policemen and no one can understand him.
 
We really are only 5 hours south of were we both live and it seems we have passed through four or five different countries. So for those of you who have wondered why I don't speak Chinese, there is your answer. It is to bloody hard in Guangxi, really it is. At the market place they speak five or so different dialects. Really, it's true. I practice Mandarine BUT no one actually speaks it.
 
OWWWW TOOOOOOO MUCHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH For Me!
 
Anyhow I got to see the 'Immigration Pass way' from Vietnam to China. It's a bridge where they bring cigarettes, seafood and nickknacks etc from Vietnam to China and from China to Vietnam etc. bit of a trip really, So what happens is when you walk along the China side of the border you get harassed by Vietnamese people and I'm sure if you were in Vietnam you'd get harassed by Chinese people wanting you to buy Chinese smokes etc.   I don't know how it actually works but I'm sure it works on a time basis...maybe 12 hours you sell, 12 hours you sell and back home again.
  
Saturday, 6th (Ping Xian)
 
What can I say...After not sleeping at all due to a SNORER!!! Not much I can say.
 
Brad snores like a trouper mate. Tis not his fault so I won't offer any further comment! I got no sleep AT ALL! We rose early and took a bus to the beach. Can't remember the number of the bus but man we had some awesome seafood. We began in a government hotel but ended up changing because it was really shit. Too take notes at this stage. Brad full of energy but me, well no sleep for many snoring nights...not happy!
 
Anyhow, we spent an awesome night on the rive riverside.
The freshest seafood, the coldest beer and the most beautiful 'Mamma' joined
us for our dinner and late night activities!
 
Sunday, 7th (Ping Xian to Tianyang)
 
After a huge night on BBQ and Beer we headed to the bus station and boarded a bus to Nanning. I gave Brad the option of where to go for lunch. Off to Mc Donalds we went. Being Chinese, Brad went to the counter to order and I found us a coupla seats. Whilst I was waiting a 'black guy'...oops, gee sorry Australian Government, I should have said 'an off white guy' approacehed me to say hello.
 
Crazy Aussie Govt and their silly 'Black Guilt Trip'.
 
He sat down and we began the usual 'how long have you been here' questions but strangely when Brad arrived with our food he gave Brad a strange look and walked off. Very strange indeed. Maybe he doesn't like the Chinese? He didn't even say good bye. I just sat there stunned wondering what had just happened.
 
On the bus from Nanning to Tianyang I got to sit through the movie 'Anaconda' for about the tenth time. Chinese bus drivers have an obvious obsession with this movie. I really have no idea why, to me it's one of the worst movies ever made. It's kind of like, if you buy a long distance bus ticket you also buy Anaconda.
 
Beers n Noodles to ya...shane