Xiamen

Thursday, March 10, 2016
Xiamen, Fujian, China
Winter again today in Xiamen (which is pronounced a bit like 'shamen'). We've rugged up in jumpers and coats and left the ship in search of gloves and scarves.

After clearing customs we we are deposited into a bustling terminal for local ferries with a large, delicious smelling food court on the first floor . It's early so we don't eat.

XIamen is our first taste of China and it's a big city we hadn't expected to visit - we weren't sure our visas were valid for this city, but we were wrong. There wasn't much time to work out a travel plan so we walk for 4 kilometres along the first main road we come to then turn around and walk 4 kilometres back. There is plenty to look at to keep us interested.

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A woman on a scooter, with a small child on the back, races past, headed along the four lane highway in the wrong direction. There's a lot of honking, but nobody really cares. Nobody stops her. Not long after more people are doing the same. We see people driving on the footpath, too. Later there's a man walking on the footpath, talking on the phone. He's lost in conversation as he wanders onto the road without looking. There's a bus coming up behind him, we're sure he's going to die but the bus swerves. Its cool. No-one is harmed.

We, on the other hand, are almost mowed down several times until we realise that cars in the right hand lane don't indicate when they're turning.

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A couple of stray dogs poke their heads out from behind the bushes. They look healthy and very happy. They don't bark.

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The weather is colder so we head back to the ship, hoping for a hot meal at the large food court but its closed. Not to worry, there's ramen on the ship, and we've forgot to buy gloves and scarves.

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