Across the Border and into China I go

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7 January 2011

After leaving the Friendship Village, we spent a few days in Hanoi preparing for the next legs of our journeys. Yes, Jean and I would be parting ways for a while. Her job was to begin in late January and she wanted to get settled in before starting work. Not quite ready to finish dossing about I was headed over the border into red China to visit Jean's erstwhile sister-in-law in Shanghai. I think I've mentioned her somewhere before.

Jean and I took in the New Year's Eve festivities in they city and spent the next few days running errands around town. I picked up my passport with a brand new Chinese visa in it. I also did a lot of questing. However, the holy grail lost precedence to trousers and warm clothes. My wardrobe was adequate for the cool climes of northern Vietnam but the hinterlands of China were currently getting blasted with frigid Siberian winds. It sure would be nice if the Siberians kept their winds to themselves

Parting ways. Goodbye Jean! I'll miss you!
Jean caught a flight to Sydney on the 3rd and I departed from Hanoi early on the 4th via bus. In addition to several pairs of trousers, one my purchases over the past few days had been brown wrapping tape. I'd heard reports of Lonely Planet guidebooks being confiscated on the border. Apparently, there's some issue with Taiwan not being shown as part of China on a map. To prevent confiscation the reports suggested disguising the guidebook. So that's what I did with a little help from Winnie the Pooh.
Wait! Is that Chinese Lonely Planet guide contraband you have there?
Oh! I'm sorry. I guess I was mistaken

Waiting for an early morning bus and practicing staged candid photography of myself
 It turns out the subterfuge was unwarranted as passage across the Chinese border was fast and efficient. The genial looking Chinese officials didn't give my backpack a second look much less its contents. The immigration desk was equipped with little panel with three buttons for rating your experience. As the clerk handed me back a stamped passport I thumbed the button with a smiley face on it, shouldered my bag and regrouped with my fellow bus passengers.

The Chinese/Vietnam border
After several more hours we arrived in Nanning. It's the sleepy little provincial capital of Guangxi with a population of 2.1 million residents. That's a fair sized city by Chinese standards. Exiting the bus station I was instantly struck by the non-existence of touts and rickshaw drivers. I took out my guidebook (A beacon for hawkers and scammers) to look at the map. It drew no attention. I was being completely ignored. It was both liberating and eerie.

There were drawbacks though; lack of signage in English being the most apparent. Using a compass and the map in the LP I found a suggested hotel and checked in. Acquiring dinner was easy enough. It consisted of walking into a little diner and pointing at a pictured entree on the board of the register. Prices were well marked, cash was exchanged, and receipt, change and food was given in return.

Briskly walking around town to stay warm I came upon a huge park filled with hundreds of Chinese people line dancing. Yes, line dancing. Across the park multiple stereo systems were set up and pumping out techno and dance music. It was a free for all of people of all ages. Welcome to China!

A group doing the tango

At the (unheated ) provincial museum where I discovered just how disinterested I am in antique porcelain
At the park fronting my new puffy jacket.
 

Comments

sly said…
"Staged candid" is not a phrase one sees often! We have been wishing the Canadians kept their winds to themselves, too!
13 February 2011 at 07:30
Ben said…
Chinese line dancing to techno music...haha. I guess the don't play Copperhead Road much.
9 March 2011 at 17:27
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