This Days Pictures.
Today is may 1st day, the chinese labor day. One of their biggest holidays. So everyone had off work today. This will come into play later.
So Henry and I went our seperate ways this morning/afternoon because of the whole forigerer boat thing.
On the bus ride to the boat we got in a pretty bad traffic jam. We were taking roads out of the city that seem like they are mostly used to go to the area we are going to. So because everyone was going their the traffic was horrible. I got out of the bus and bought bannan's from a guy. 5 of them for about 13 cents. They were good.
I had a great time however. We took a very long river boat ride and saw some great scenary, and we went into a very famous japense cave.
A funny thing about the cave is that I over heard another tour group. Their tour guide rushed them through the cave pointing to rocks and saying, "this rock looks like a camel, this rock looks like a elephant, this rock looks like a hippo, this rock looks like a horse." It was funny to hear him state all of this as fact.
On the foriengers boat I met some frenchies (one of them made the joke "I wonder if there are saltwater buffalos" and a austrain girl named Pettina she looks just like my friend shannon. she has been interning in Hong Kong for the past 2 months. The funniest part of the whole tour thing (besides seeing the look on the pedlers face when they saw white people coming) was how they made us stop at a pearl shop, a very big one. With lots of tour busses in the parking lot. It seemed very clear that someone is getting paid to take us to this place.
Another funny thing. Our tour guide, Kiddy, bought us some fruit to try. After unsuccefully trying to eat the fruit I watched someone else eat it. I mimiced him and it then tasated much better. Well, anyway. China is full of litter, and I have read how people just throw garbage out of windows of buses, and I have seen it to be true. Well I did the same. Because it was just like fruit skin. Well when the tour guide asked me for my trash and I told her I threw it out the window (and explained my reasons) she was not impressed. She gave me the sort of look that said, "you bastard. why do you come to my country and throw garbage out the window." I was very ashamed. Later I was consuled by a fellow tourist on our bus (who will remain anonmous) that they did the same thing.
All the cave pictures had to be long exposure shots because it was pretty dark (even with all the chrismas type lighting) and the boat pictures just really lack contrast. It was a misty day which looks good the eye, but pretty bland in a pictuer (comparing to what I know it should really look like).
So after the tour bus droped me off I went to the bank to exchange some more money. A girl (chinese girl) came up to me in line and asked if I was american. I said yes and we started talking. We ended up haveing dinner together (and Henry) Her english name is Eline. She is studying English and art. We went to a place she recommanded. Fish was todays entrea. It was good, but lots of bones. We also was camelized water chestnuts. those were great! they are served very hot. You dunk them in water so you don't burn yourself and then eat them. Very good stuff. A dish local to guilin I'm told.
Then we went walking for a bit. We decided to head for Elephant Nose Hill. A very famous moutain in japan that you can hike up. near the base a flower seller came up to me.
These flower sellers need to be described in detail:
There are really cute little kids who come up to you, but a flower in your face, make a sad face and ask you to buy their flowers.
So this flowergirl (flowerseller, I don't mean rebekah) came up to me and said "2 yuen". I said "no". She said "2 yeun". I said "no". this continued for quite a bit as she followed me around. However soon the game changed. As I started saying "no" she said it with me. So she's following me around with her cute little girl face and voice and chanting "2 yean, no! 2 yean, no" over and over again. That won me over. I have her 5 yuen (less then a dollar. She then walked away.
I felt bad about not getting her picture.
So then another flowergirl comes up to her. I tell henry that I will give her one yuen for a picture with her. Henry tells her and she says yes. I give the money and then give henry my camera to take our picture. She then says something in chinese which henry translated to "No, a picture is another yuen." I said no and luaghed but I was really impressed by this kid.
We then walked up Elephant Nose Hill which was all good and senic and tiring.
However, on the way down we ran into that flower girl who gipped me on my picture. I took out my camera and took the picture that i paid for. She did not like that. And my camera flash (whenever I take a picture here like 50 chinese people turn their head as in "what the hell is that guy doing?") attracted more flower girls. Soon I had 3 of them trying to get me to buy flowers. Each of them ignoring the other one. First thing I did was put my hands over my pockets to make sure they weren't gonna swipe my wallet. but at the same time I tried to contrinue taking pictures just to piss off the first girl. Eventually one of them left. So now I had the picture girl YELLING at me in chinese, I was simpley laughing and saying no repaeted. Then I had girl 2 at my side giving me baby eyes and doing the pitiful angle sales pitch. that didn't work so she started hitting me with the flowers and pulling on my shirt. Flower girl #1 (picture girl) thought that looked like a good idea so she started doing the same. Eventually #2 got the point and left, so it was just #1. She was hitting me with her hands, and flowers whiles yelling at me in chinese and I realized how confused I was because I didn't know what she was saying. So I started talking back. I looked her stright in the eye and spoke very quickly directly to her. I just rambled on for about 20 seconds. She then looked to be very confused and scared and she ran away from me. The look of fright on her face was great. As I was very pleased with myself I realised that I have a group of like 20 chinese people just starring at me.
As we continued walking around we saw lots of celebrations going on for May day. Singers, water shows (fountains sycronized to music), and a very good laser show. Just a huge amount of people where out. It was fun walking around and seeing a chinese celebration.
So, tomarrow I am off the bejini. I was told that it will be very hard for me to get a hotel. We'll see.
I'm just liking it more and more here. I'm getting used to it. Not like I can talk to people but I'm getting used to expecting a motorcycle to drive up behind me on the sidewalk. I enjoy it. It's like I am beyond the inital culture shock and I'm just really appreacating everything now. I very glad I did this trip.
But their ice cream is horrible, really.