Apologies for the delay

Sorry for not updating my blog for so long, but I'm finally getting around to it now.

I spent about a week in Ruili. On one of my last days there, a Chinese guy (named Wu tong) from the Mandalay GH and I borrowed the boss's scooter and went to look at the border with Myannmar. It took about 15 mintues to get to from the guesthouse. During this time I discovered, to my disapointment, that the scooter's top speed was about 50km/hr. Just enought to enjoy the discomfort of every pothole in the road, but with out the sensation of moving at any real speed.

Wu Tong first showed me the official checkpoint on the Myannmar - China border. This was just what you'd expect of a Chinese border: armed police, huge gates and walls, a big queue and offical buildings. However, just 1km along the border from here the wall deteriates into a 2.5 meter fence of iron railings and no patroling guards. It is here that there is a steady stream of people (including whole families) illegally crossing the border both ways. This is such an establish illegal border hopping point that there is a ladder and a rug set up over the fence. Wu Tong told me that there people usually illegally simply because they don't want to queue and fork out 5 yuan (which is about the price of a bowl of noodles from a street stall). I considered joining them and hopping the fence for a minute just so I could say I'd been to Myannmar, but decided that while most Chinese caught doing this get no more than a slap on the wrist - a forigner might recive considerably more serious punishment.

Other than the border, there wasn't a lot to see in Ruili. I decided to catch a cheap flight back to Kunming rather than endure the gruelling bus trip. When I arrived in Kunming I discovered that as well as a complimentry on flight magazine - the airline had decided to give my bag a complimentry smell of rotting fish. This smell was so overpowering that on my taxi ride to the hostel every time the taxi stopped, the driver and I had to lean out the window to gain some fresh air. He even charged me extra for stinking out his taxi. I tried unsuccesfully to get the airline to refund some of my money, they just kept telling me to ring differnet people until I gave up. I had to wash the bag twice to get the smell out.

I had a weeks before my family arrived so I went to Dali with Irish John. Nothing really worth mentioning happened in Dali.

Finally my family arrived, I had a great week showing them around Kunming and another smaller city called Tonghai. You can ask them yourself about it if you like.

After they left I thought I should do some serious traveling, e.g leave my province. I travelled north on a 20 hour train to Chengdu. The train was remarkably nice and hardly boring at all because I ended up in the same room as a cool Chinese family who's daughter spoke english - but also because I spent about 12 of those hours sleeping. That brings us to last week, wow, almost done! I arrived and met up with Blake. He's now teaching in a private school and living with the Chinese family who own it. They invited me to stay with them for a few days, which was interesting. They were a big family, because they had their grandparents and some of their uncle's, aunt's and counsin's living with them. I spent a few days there then came back to Chengdu city to extend my visa. I discoved that i couldn't extend my visa because it was a work visa and i was no longer working. Ok, fine, no problem. Could I have a new visa? NO? WHAT? Apparently to get a new tourist visa I would have to leave the country! WHAT? Chinese burocracy is so incredably rediculous sometimes. However, convinetly for some reason going to Hong Kong is considered leaving the country, although the Visa desklady failed to point that out to me - despite speaking flawless english! A western couple behind me had to point it out to her and she rolled her eyes as though she would have though going to hong kong was OBVIOUSLY leaving the country. Anyway, I had left just enough time to get my visa extention (they take 5 working days - and i have 7 as of today), but that was not taking into account i would have to get to Hong Kong. Luckily the hostel staff helped me book a flight for this weekend so I should be able to get there in time to put in my application and get back the new visa before this one expires.

That's where I am now anyway. I'll put some pictures up now too.

Tom