Our journey to the state of Guangxi

Our trip started at 5 in the morning last week on Wednesday. We took a taxi to the airport and got on the plane for about 2,5 h to get to Guilin. At our reserved hostel we met Frauke and Nora, two German friends from Paderborn, who are participating in the same program and spend their semester in Beijing. We were very excited to see each other again after the first couple of weeks in China and exchanged experiences for a while before we left the hostel. For the first day we had planned to explore Guilin, but for Susanne and me it ended up being a desperate search for something warm to wear. So far it had been around 30 degrees in Shanghai and we didn’t expect it to be any colder in the South. But unfortunately it was very windy that day and since we had planned to climb the rice terraces the next day, we decided to buy some warm sweaters. This took much longer than we thought as the Chinese fashion is a lot different from what we like to shop for which made it very difficult to make up our minds. At least I own a pullover now that will always remind me of the Chinese style :) Because of our shopping tour we didn't get to see a lot of Guilin as we stayed on the main shopping street all day. But we were still happy in the evening when we sat in the hostel with our warm, comfortable sweaters and enjoyed some very delicious pancakes with the rest of our group.

Our travel crew (Nora, Susu, Frauke, me)

The next day started with a three hour bus ride to the village of Longsheng. Once we arrived, there were already some local women waiting to carry up our luggage. At that point we didn’t know how many stairs we would have to overcome again and we also didn’t know that we would have to walk uphill for one hour to get to our hostel… we actually didn’t bring that much luggage, but a backpack instead of a suitcase would have been very helpful (2nd lesson we have learned on this trip :)).

After we had tried to stay strong for the first part of the distance and after continuously trying to tell the local  women that we would be able to carry our own stuff, we were determined to make it all the way to the top. But those women were clever. They followed us the whole time in the hope that we would give up at some point… and I must admit I did think about it several times ;) When we finally reached the top, the great view recompensed all the effort. It all would have been perfect if it had been a bit warmer, but it still was a great and stunning experience to finally see how people grow rice there and how they live in the middle of the terraces. We used the rest of the day to explore the area and to take some pictures of that beautiful countryside. 

We spend the night in a hostel in Dazhai Village in the middle of the rice terraces. The accomodation looked like a cozy cabin and a nice place to stay at until we saw the facilities and discovered some cardboard on the walls that was used in some corners of our room which would explain why it was terribly cold in that place. We tried to take it with humor, ordered something warm to drink before going to bed, and just slept with all of our clothes on. It was very foggy when we got up the next morning so that we weren't able to see more of the beautiful countryside as we were hoping for. After breakfast we headed back down with all of our luggage again but this time we decided to ask the local women for help... they were actually already standing infront of our hostel while we had breakfast and waited for their next opportunity to earn some money. After they had annoyed us all the way up the day before we were now thankful to meet them again.

Back in Longsheng at the bottom of the rice terraces we took the bus to Guilin again, where a Chinese man was already waiting to drive us to our next highlight of this trip. About one hour south of Guilin we arrived at the water's edge of Li Jiang River. The river also runs through Guilin, yet we drove to a specific point of the river to take a bamboo boat through the beautiful karst landscape. For 1,5 hours we just sat back, enjoyed the wonderful weather and the great surrounding. At the end of this relaxing ride we got to see that part of the landscape that is also printed on the 20 RMB banknote. Another bus ride that day took us to the city of Yangshuo, where were stayed for the next three days. 

The first day in Yangshuo started with a very nice Western brunch that we couldn't get enough off after having eaten soft rolls, cereals or Chinese noodles for breakfast the weeks before. With all that energy we were ready to go on a first cycling tour through the karst landscape. Our first destination was the so-called dragon bridge which we reached after riding our bikes along the river and through small villages for about two hours. 

When we arrived at the Dragon Bridge we took a break for about an hour, sat down in a small café next to the river, and had something cold to drink. I actually had the best Mango Sorbet ever :) at this point it really felt like being on vacation and not like taking a few days off from our semester abroad in Shanghai. The Dragon Bridge itself wasn't that special, but once again we had a wonderful view on the river and the karst landscape in the background.

Following a suggestion of our Lonely Planet, we decided to go back on the other side of the river which turned out to be a lot more complicated but at the same time adventurous than we were expecting. The street we drove on was more of a gravel walk for which our bikes were not very convenient and then the curve that was supposed to show up after about 20 minutes just didn't appear or we missed it in the end. After around 40 minutes we figured that we were on the wrong track and tried to asked for directions. Although there were some Chinese farmers who were willing to help us we were challeged by the language barrier again. An even bigger issue was that we were driving on the wrong side of the Karst hills and didn't

find a way to get through. When we were almost ready to stop some vehicles to ask them for a ride, we found a small and very bumpy road to the other side with the help of a Chinese lady pointing us in the right direction. Against all expectations we made it back to Yangshuo before it got dark and at the perfect time to go out for dinner. That night we went to my favorite food experience in China so far as we chose a vegetarian restaurant where I could finally find a great variety of choices. It was so yummy that we actually forgot to take pictures ;)

As if our first day of cycling had not been exciting  enough, we decided to go on a second trip the next day.

Our backside was still hurting so we could hardly sit on our bikes but yet it was worth overcoming this little handicap. On the one hand because Frauke had not been able to join us the day before due to a migraine and it was more fun with the whole group and on the other hand there were still some must-see places left that we wanted to visit duirng the cycling tour. Our first stop was the Big Banyan Tree. It really wasn't worth paying entrance for it as I had seen many trees like this in botanical gardens in Australia. Susu and I decided to make the best out of this situation and payed for some Chinese Customes to take fun pictures in them. We don't really know if they had some kind of traditional meaning, but it was lots of fun especially because we were surrounded by many Chinese tourists who were taking pictures of us like crazy and also kept asking for pictures together with us. We enjoyed that feeling of fame for 20 minutes but then it was also nice to take those customes off and just walk around as a normal tourist.

Our next destination was the moon hill. Just like in most other nice places we have been to in China there were stairs (800) that we had to overcome before enjoying a view through that great moon hill window. After this hike we were ready for some lunch and decided to ride our bikes to the next little town which was only about ten minutes away. At first it didn't seem like we would be able to find a restaurant, but then we saw a young man eating some rice with vegetables that looked very good. We tried to ask him where we could get something similar and he pointed to a little place that we would never have entered without his hint. The menu was all in Chinese letters and there were no pictures that we could order from. In the end we followed the waitress in the kitchen and just pointed at all the ingredients for the meal that we got served. We didn't know what to expect but we were lucky. The food was very delicious and I'm sure this was a special experience for the Chinese working in that restaurant as well. The city didn't look like there are ever any tourists that get lost in this place. 

We used the morning of our third day in Yangshuo to go souvenir shopping in all those little stores that may be found in the city center next to lots of bars and nice litlle restaurants with food from lots of different countries. In the evenings there are hundreds of tourists, lights everywhere and you can definitely feel a special holiday air! I really enjoyed our stay in Yangshuo! It is a very touristic town but yet the perfect place for a short and memorable vacation surrounded by one of the most stunning natural spectacles China has to offer. Just as all good things this trip came to an end after six great days in the state of Guangxi and Susanne and I flew back to Shanghai in the evening.

Everyday life in China

Another two weeks have passed since I last shared my experiences and we went on a second exciting trip outside of Shanghai to the south of China, which I will for sure write about in detail during the next days, but before I would like to share some everyday life experiences. One big daily topic is the food :) For breakfast we have decided to live on cereals to start the day with something familiar. We also have a lot of bakeries here, but of course they don't offer our good German rolls and bread. Instead there is a great variety of soft rolls and some sweets that are hard to identfy. To survive the rest of the day being a vegetarian is not easy. I thought it would be possible to just get rice with vegetables on every corner, but most of the dishes still have some kind of meat in them. If I try to order something without meat it's always difficult to communicate this knowing just a few words in Chinese. But something very nice, cheap and convenient are the night markets that can be found on most streets during lunch and dinner time, where you can get all kinds of meat, fish and most importantly vegetables :)

Some more impressons of everyday life are the following: little kids having a hole in their trousers so that they can easily do their business, or their parents holding them over trash cans for this, a lot of motorcycles everywhere, clothes hanging outside the house to dry, people sleeping in the middle of a busy street, cramed vehicles, food being sold on those little stalls on the street, a huddle of electric cables, crowded places with the Chinese standing very close to each other without keeping that natural distance that we would feel comfortable with and elderly playing cards on the pavement.

Our apartment, a first trip outside of Shanghai and our start at Tongji University

Time just seems to fly. Tomorrow I have been in Shanghai for two weeks already and there are lots of things we have experienced. Most importantly: thanks to some very nice and helpful people at our university Susanne and I have found a great apartment located in a Chinese living area, where we will have the chance to experience the true way of life here. When we first saw the building from the outside and walked up the stairs to the first floor we were both thinking that it wouldn't be possible to live there.... but then the door to our apartment opened and it was all good :) exactly what we were looking for! It still feels strange to regularly hear the sound of our neighbors spitting from the bottom of their hearts which is generally very common in China (at least for the older generation) .... but still we are very happy and starting to feel at home! 

Our house from the outside

One of our rooms

After finally being able to unpack our entire luggage on our 5th day in Shanghai, our next challenge was the registration at university. This almost took all day at the beginning of last week as we had to go to a second campus of Tongji University, which is about 1,5 hours away from the main part of the city. The metros were so crowded, that we decided to just take a taxi to go there. That is something really convenient in this city as taxis are very cheap here. Susanne and I both paid about 10€ for this long distance. On the campus we just handed in different papers and noticed that there are several people who seem to be responsible for us, but at the same time couldn't give us any detailed information on courses. We all realized how well our university in Germany is organized and how great it is to be able to select courses online. But there was also good news that day as we were told that we would have another week off.

 

Therefore we decided to take the opportunity to escape from the busy city for a few days. Susanne, Anna, Sina, Kim and I went on a trip to Huang Shan, a mountain range south of Shanghai. We took a bus for about 6 hours and stayed in a very nice hostel from Thursday to Sunday. The first day we visited two ancient villages called Chengkan and Tangmo. It was really nice to see some rural Chinese areas, different architecture and another way of life in China. 

Chengkan

On Friday we started early in the morning as we had planned to climb Huang Shan Mountain that day. Climbing in this case meant walking up stairs for 2,5 hours (7,5 kilometers). It was really really hard and exhausting especially because it was also very hot outside but once we got to the top and were able to enjoy a great view it was definitely worth it!! I haven’t seen such an amazing countryside before. 

 

planning our trip with Steven after a very delicious dinner

Chinese men carrying food for the hotels to the top

endless stairs on the 7 km to the top

enjoying the great view :)

Our PB group on Huang Shun Mountain

Our very patient driver for the three days

On Saturday we visited a bamboo forest and another ancient village called Hongcun which is a world cultural heritage. After three fantastic days in a beautiful countryside we took a bus back to Shanghai on Sunday.

This week we have been taking it a bit slower to settle down and get into the routine. In summary we have been trying to find out what we can buy in the grocery stores so we don’t have to eat out every day  and we went to two courses at university so far. On Thursday there is a national holiday and we have already been warned that it will be very crowded and maybe better to stay at home. I can’t wait to see this spectacle!

Arrival in Shanghai and our first days

We made it to Shanghai!! The journey went really well! We (Susanne, Kim and I) started in Düsseldorf last Wednesday, had a short stopover in Istanbul and then we flew about ten hours to Shanghai. Luckily the flights weren’t so bad so that I could sleep and watch movies on the way even though I really don't like to fly as many of you know ;)

Susanne, Kim and Iat the airport in Düsseldorf

After landing in Shanghai we decided to take the metro to the city which was quite an adventure. It was really crowed and always a little battle trying to switch trains with that entire luggage. Plus the Chinese seem to think that it is most important to get on those trains and don’t care about the fact that some also like to get off.

Crowded metro where we were stuck with all our luggage on the way to Shanghai

When we arrived at a central point in the city, where Kim had to get off to get to his apartment, Susanne and I decided to take a taxi to the university where we were hoping to stay the first night. First of all we had to overcome the language barrier. We tried it in English but unfortunately the taxi driver didn’t understand a word so we switched to Chinese… oh well let’s say to those few words that we were able to remember in Chinese ;) when we arrived at the university we were lucky to meet some other exchange students who helped us to find the way to the international student dormitory. We thought it would be possible to stay there for a few days at first but they wanted us to pay for the whole semester right away. At this point the first excitement started to turn into some kind of frustration. It was already dark, we had not changed enough money and were supposed to decide without even seeing the rooms and on top we didn’t know that we would have to share one room. Again we were lucky, because we met Inga, a girl from Germany, and her Chinese buddy Min. They took us with them to Inga’s dorm, so that we were actually able to see one of the dorms. The first impression wasn’t very good and we didn’t want to make big decisions after such a long journey.  Min then helped us to book a hostel for the first night. Susanne and I left our big suitcase in Inga’s room and took another taxi to that hostel. Our mood changed to the better when we got there. The hostel was located in a really cute street, there were very friendly Chinese working in the hostel that were also able to speak English and we were so happy about that nice room with two comfortable beds after having traveled for almost 24 hours. After the challenge of finding something to eat on menus that were all in Chinese signs we decided to just go to bed and wait for the next day to find a solution for our accommodation problem. 

Our nice room in the koala hostel

The night was very short. At eight the next morning we were supposed to register at university. This all didn’t go as we were expecting it. After waiting in line for one hour, we were given a registration sheet, a number and the information that we should come back next week on Tuesday for the actual registration. There was also a good side to this since we actually had the rest of the day to get things organized. Susanne and I looked at two apartments which were okay, had a very nice view from the 27^th floor, but were too expensive for us. The other three students from Paderborn offered that we could stay in their apartment for the first nights, which of course was a big help… thanks a lot to Sina, Anna and Kim :) Friday evening we went to “The Bund” of Shanghai for the first time, enjoyed a very nice view and had our first experiences eating noodles with chopsticks. That was very hard work but there are four more months to practice. I have hope that we will not starve here :) 

The bund and our group from Paderborn (Anna, me, Susanne, Sina, Kim)

After sleeping in today which actually ended up being until lunch time we started a nice tour through the old part of the city. This was totally different from the modern buildings that come to one’s mind when thinking of Shanghai. I guess some pictures will be more interesting than trying to explain different prats of what we have seen! 

My first impression of Shanghai is a good one! The city is not very noisy, a lot of people stare at us but they are still friendly, it is not as busy and crowded as I thought it would be and of course there are lots of things to see that we are not used to like people walking around in pyjamas on the streets, but there is nothing that has really shocked me so fare. It’s just very interesting to experience all this!

Love, Mira