Hey Hey and a Big G'Day toya,
 
As it was time to leave wonderful little Bozhou City I rose early and headed out for my last short walk around and then up to KFC for my mornings caffeine fix.
 
I then caught a cab to the long distance bus station which is way over near the train station. After purchasing my ticket the staff went into a complete worried frenzy and soon I was in another cab with a staff member and we headed to the highway where she sat chatting with me until a Hefei bus dropped into the petrol station.
 
Her English was pretty cool and we were soon saying good bye in both English and Chinese.
 
I love the Chinese people so much and could simply NEVER thank them enough for all their care and consideration they have shown me over the past two and a half years.
 
Soon I was on another bus heading six hours further towards the east coast and sadly as Luo Wei put it, six hours further away from her. A real Bugger for us! The six hours past beneath very angry skies. For many hours we had huge thunder, lightening and rain that blocked any form of distant views. All traffic was crawling along at a safe speed as the huge winds threatened to uproot all the trees on the roadside.
 
It was pretty scary at times, especially as the lightening was so close!
 
As it was still pouring when we arrived in Hefei I grabbed a Tuk Tuk from the front of the station, gave him my price range and after several hotels knocked me back for being a foreigner we finally found one and after a bit of haggling we came to a price we were both happy with. After I dropped my pack off I headed down stairs to find out were the hotel was on the LP map and it seemed we were off the map.
 
Cool, I get to see more of the city then!
I asked which way to the main post office, the girl pointed and that's the way I walked.
 
I soon found Changjiang Donglu and continued until I found the Nanfei He (river) and the huge Holiday Inn. I crossed the river and entered Xiaoyaojin Gongyuan (park) where I walked around for a short time but found only part of it was free. I then continued along Shouchun Lu and was soon joined by a young Chinese guy named Leon. He hadn't spoken English for several years but I praised him for his great memory. He was from Beijing and had moved to Hefei only two weeks prior for work. He now worked for the Japanese company Hatishi as a purchasing officer.
 
We both seemed to be out walking aimlessly as the thunder and lightening still continued above us. It rained off and on, more on than off and soon we were slurping Muslim Noodles as a huge down pour filled the streets outside. We then moved onto Mc Donald's for a coffee and to continue chatting.
 
Even though he had been in Hefei for around two weeks he seemed to have no idea where he was going when we began walking back towards where we were both staying. I walked us back to his street without a map and each time he pointed down a street I told him, no you live over that way! Soon we were several streets past the Holiday Inn and at his street corner. He tried to tell me that he should make sure I get home safely but I think we both knew that I would then have to walk him home to save him a taxi fare.
 
I then continued on my way and was soon standing out front of my little hotel.   
 
Poor Leon couldn't understand how I could, after only two hours being in a city at night time simply point in a direction and tell him that's where he lived. It's taken years of practice I tried to explain. I may not be good at much in life but at least I have a good body compass.
 
Needless to say I'm sure I will get lost in the Melbourne Airport when I return home for a visit!
 
I don't' think a good body compass in an unexplored city really leads to much in a career but at least I've found many beautiful temples and parks and a girl named Amigo!
 
Hefei so far seems like it will be a very easy city to walk around or at least the parts I want to visit. I don't' think I will stay long though. Bozhou was so much smaller but it also had so much more to see and so much more history to walk around. So far I've spotted several foreigners whom have also spotted me and after I've said Hello they have looked away and totally ignored me. Poor Leon was totally bamboozled by this. I tried to explain that sometimes foreigners want to be 'the only foreigner' in the city they are in.
 
Or if they have been there along time they think they don't need to say hello to another foreigner. Leon couldn't understand and simply, neither could I!
 
Beers N Noodles toya.....shane
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The soundtrack to this entry was by The Spermbirds
The album was 'Joe'