We're currenlty in Dalian in a city in the north east of China near to the Korean border. We're quite proud of ourselves for getting here successfully and for booking our return to Beijing for later in the week. I think we're aclimatising to the Chinese way of doing things, though the queue jumping and spitting won't be habits that I'll be taking home with me!
However on the positive side of things I love the tea here. I love wandering the markets even if it means being harassed a little and I love the game of bargaining (when I have the energy to engage!). I also really enjoy meeting the people here in China. It's so funny to be busy doing my own thing only to look up and find a small crowd has gathered to watch me or just to have a look at one or either of us. It's not intrusive it's just curiousity and it's not surreptitious it's bold and open and I appreciate that. I also find the kindness of strangers to be incredible. My faith in human nature is returning and being restored and it's a wonderful feeling.
Dalian seems to be a fairly typical Chinese city. It's definately not as polluted as Beijing and the annoying cough I've been cultivating has abated since we landed here a day ago. We were out at the Summer palace in Beijing before catching the night train to Dalian, the day was very hot about 38c and sticky. I can honestly say I have never felt as dirty after a day of wandering around. I had to make do with wet-wipes as we didn't have time for a shower before leaving Beijing andthey were filthy after running them over my sticky skin! No wonder my poor lungs are beginning to give out.
So we're returning to the final time to Beijing towards the end of the week and then we embark on a three week tour of the rest of the country ending in Hong Kong. I'm not too sure what the internet accessibility will be like as we travel so I may have to store up the next instalment until Hong Kong in July...
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