NEXT 6/04/2011: Truck stop just before Zhonghexiang to Yibin 107.67km

China finally almost broke me, in Yibin I came as close to having my head explode as I have ever come since leaving Australia and for this I am going to list everything I can think about this I dislike about China and the Chinese habits.

First though my day. I was pretty glad I wasn’t in the tent last night as it did rain and I really don’t like packing things away wet, its just not healthy. It was chilly again this morning but I soon warmed up with a long climb but this turned into a long decent of 28km which sent me through some tunnels that were almost 3km long, I can tell you going through those tunnels at 50kmph on a bicycle is a thrill. 

The day seemed to be going to plan, I was making good time but was hit with a setback when my target for the day was out of reach and then I was caught by the traffic police about 5km after crossing in to Sichuan province. They took my picture yet again, I should be a model, said it was very dangerous but being on the road with any Chinese driver is and put my bike into the back of a ute and took me to the next exit and set me on the road to Yibin which was my only option of a place to stay, (I wanted a hotel and a shower). 

Getting into Yibin I almost blew up, it was a typically busy Chinese city which I didn’t mind, lots of stalls and even rickshaws. I’d got here early so was hoping to get a hotel cleaned up and look around, this did not happen. The hotels I went to were either too expensive or the language barrier got in the way and they just waved me away. I began to get really frustrated, steam was coming out my ears and at one place it seemed to be going ok then she just began to smirk and waved me away. I had flames burning as well as steam, I started to yell ‘ why’ ‘whats the problem’ and stormed out. 

I called Loon to interpret and the little guy seemed to have it sorted it was 35 yuan for the night. Thanking him I got my passport but then after looking at my passport, a she made a quick call then started giggling again and waved me away again. There was about 4 onlookers all young looking guys and they seemed to be having a giggle to, I was ready cream them all I was beginning to blow my lid. I walked down the stairs after standing my ground and demanding an answer, but nobody speaks English, they talk to me as if I should understand Chinese and when they finally understand I don’t they try and write it down in Chinese, this arrogant process was really getting to me also. I called loon again and the problem seemed to be she couldn’t work out how to register my details with the police as has to be done. The deal seemed to be back on, somebody was coming to sort it out. The 4 guys were till hanging around, one was just staring so I eyeballed him, I was pretty pumped and confrontation was a way to release some tension, I took some pleasure in watching him then not know where to look. Im not a confrontational person but being stared at everywhere I went was another thing that got to me and now I was steaming with anger it was even worse. The guy who was to solve the problem ended up taking me to another hotel. I had been going from place to place for 2 and half hours now and I said if this one was no good I would go to the most expensive one I had found (it was mega luxury). This hotel seemed much better run, slightly more expensive and to overcome the registering problem we walked to the police station where at the reception there was a naughty boy in a naughty chair. It was a bulky metal chair, he had his hands and legs cuffed into it and a metal bar so he was unable to lift his legs or move his mid section, human rights china still has some way to go. Finally I was in the hotel, it was a communally toilet and shower and this is where I tell you what I dislike about the Chinese.

Chinese ways that boil me:

1. The habit of hawking and spitting, outdoors or indoors doesn’t matter, its bloody sickening to hear it and see it,
2. Toilet habits, if you go to a public toilet after a china man has had a number 2, flushing the result seems to be something not done, they just leave their sh!t for the next person who I guess just does his business on top,
3. Eating habits, imagine a pig tucking into a pile of slop, when the Chinese eat they make a similar nose, slurping loudly as they hog down their noodles and any bones in the meat are either spat out on to the floor or over the table, sort of things back in England you’d get the cane for,
4. Last but not least, driving, on the highway its not as bad but everywhere else its awful, pulling out you don’t wait for anything to go by just pull out in front im often playing chicken with these guys and if they continue I yell so they get the message, next is the use of the horn, its used more often than not, once to when they are approaching, again when they are close, again when they are alongside and normally once they have passed, finally overtaking, do it anytime blind corners doesn’t matter just beep the horn continuously so oncoming traffic can hear you, I have seen so many cars and trucks get caught out getting it wrong, they just have to stop in the middle of the road making the oncoming vehicle do the same but amazing not seen a crash, yet.

I am wrong to go at the Chinese like this, they have some very fine qualities and don’t assume every Chinese person is the same because they are not, I have just been pushed and pushed today but at the same time met some really genuine people who have gone so far out of their way to help something back in England I would never expect. Lots of things that I listed is just part of upbringing and culture, some are a bit much and I think out dated but ‘people are strange, when they are strangers.’ Still I have had my fill and ready to move on to the next country, Japan.