January 3-7, 2006
Ok, this is the point in the vacation where things really went downhill for me. Shanghai was really beautiful, but I had about enough of China and the bone chilling weather. The train ride to Shanghai was pretty much the final nail in the coffin:
“Here we are, back on the train again, and I rather be anywhere, including that dingy ass hotel room in Peking, then be on this fucking train again. Firstly, it’s dirty. Like the sheets have been re-used dirty. The toilets are appallingly awful – moist floors, stagnant water, horrific bowls (if I see another brick in the bowl, I’ll scream). The service staff is rude when they are not indifferent. I’ve never experienced such horrible service/racism before. Deplorable and does nothing of my impression of China…”
But to be fair, Shanghai did have a lot going for it: The Shanghai Zoo (saw my first monkeys, including a chimpanzee and gorilla, and my first panda), famous skyline (simply breathtaking at night), cheap bootleg DVDs, and modernity.
In the end, I was just tired of the otherworldliness and my nerves were raw from too much culture shock:
“…I don’t think I’ve ever had such strong feelings towards an entire country. The people were perhaps the worst thing about thing about the whole trip – the spitting, the rubbish, the lack of courtesy to their fellow human, the rampant unfriendliness, the outright rudeness, the aggressiveness, the lack of warmth. Granted, we were in the most populated parts of the country, but coming from an industrialized W. country (Canada) via an industrialized E. country (Japan), I was just shocked at how mean (for lack of a better word) this place was.”
It’s all over now and I left China with a sense of gratitude for where I was born and raised, and for where I am now living. I’m sure plenty of people would disagree of my assessment of the cities I visited, and frankly, I don’t care. I saw what I saw and did what I did, and this was my experience. I did it and now I know, and knowing is half the battle (ref?).
Here are some pics - Enjoy!
1 comment:
Those monkeys ROCK, super cool. I'm really sorry the people were... however they were towards you. Sadly you didn't have time to break them in as you do here n get them to see beyond the shell.
Nonetheless - trust me - those dingy hotels and sketchy trains are the first thing you'll recount when people ask about China; and with a smile that grows larger and larger as time goes by.
take care in that snow!
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