Grumpy as hell this morning over making hotels reservations in Shanghai and got into power struggle with Emery that ended up with my luggage outside. Picked up a few breads at Bread Talk for breakfast to cool off. Bought two Portuguese egg custards, a pizza bread, sausage bread, "Apple Worm," and a walnut twisty one. We made up when I came back from the bakery and merrily went on our way to buy more snacks together.
For breakfast, Emery found this great Chinese fast food joint that sold a whole basket of dumplings for 3Y, that's under 50 cents US! They also offered simple dishes such as a scoop of steamed rice, any choice of meat, and a side of bai cai. And all of it came out within a minute after ordering it. We need more places like this back at home.
Our group left Xi'an around noon to board the train to Luoyang, our layover town for the next touristy site. The ride was only 5 hours long but going through the train station was still a big hassle. As usual, most of China's train stations don't have escalators to their rail platforms so hauling 30+kg suitcases up and down big flights of stairs can be a nightmare if not downright dangerous. "Excuse me" is not a phrase exists in these parts.
On the train, we played (guess what) Chinese poker, munched on some MSG-laced snacks*, and got acquainted with some of the newer tour group members. Some Chinese teenagers also approached some of the tour group and started singing karaoke songs to "make friends." We all know it's just an excuse to take pictures with foreign people. That's another odd thing about China: in the city, people won't hesitate to ask to take pictures with foreigners. It's like foreigners are Mickey Mouse or something.
*Oh, Emery got this weird lunch box that had a heat pack to steam the rice but he said the whole thing tasted like garbage. Oh well, guess it was the sauce.
It was raining when we arrived in Luoyang around 8PM and we were exhausted from wresting our luggage in and out of the train. The group looked hopeful when our taxis drove up to this glitzy hotel that must have been 4 or 5 stars. Then our tour guide realize he made a small error and that our actual accommodations were in another hotel one block away. So we rushed back out into the rain, dragging our suitcases to that other hotel. Dirt piles on unfinished walkways became thick mud that caked onto our shoes.
This hotel lobby was considerably smaller but I don't think it mattered to anyone. We all wanted to get settled in our rooms as soon as possible but Tomic had to argue with some of the service clerks for 20 minutes and still had more information to give us about plans for tomorrow.
The hallways leading to the rooms were kind of dark and seedy but the actual rooms weren't bad. We were given rock-hard twin beds again (hard mattresses don't bother me anymore). A clean drinking water dispenser was included. The shower was separate from the toilet but there was no curtain, just a narrow panel of glass--which I originally mistaken for a slide door--to prevent water from splashing onto the counter. I also accidentally knocked over the shampoo dispenser while showering and lost about 2/3rds of my supply. Oops.
Emery and I toyed around with some of our souvenirs then went to bed around 11. Tomorrow we'd be visiting the Shaolin Temple to watch some martial arts.
Shared Expenses
Bread Talk 45Y
Wal-mart 82Y
cup ramen and lunch box on train 21Y
Total = 148Y approx. $22
* Friday, May 8, 2009
For breakfast, Emery found this great Chinese fast food joint that sold a whole basket of dumplings for 3Y, that's under 50 cents US! They also offered simple dishes such as a scoop of steamed rice, any choice of meat, and a side of bai cai. And all of it came out within a minute after ordering it. We need more places like this back at home.
Our group left Xi'an around noon to board the train to Luoyang, our layover town for the next touristy site. The ride was only 5 hours long but going through the train station was still a big hassle. As usual, most of China's train stations don't have escalators to their rail platforms so hauling 30+kg suitcases up and down big flights of stairs can be a nightmare if not downright dangerous. "Excuse me" is not a phrase exists in these parts.
On the train, we played (guess what) Chinese poker, munched on some MSG-laced snacks*, and got acquainted with some of the newer tour group members. Some Chinese teenagers also approached some of the tour group and started singing karaoke songs to "make friends." We all know it's just an excuse to take pictures with foreign people. That's another odd thing about China: in the city, people won't hesitate to ask to take pictures with foreigners. It's like foreigners are Mickey Mouse or something.
*Oh, Emery got this weird lunch box that had a heat pack to steam the rice but he said the whole thing tasted like garbage. Oh well, guess it was the sauce.
It was raining when we arrived in Luoyang around 8PM and we were exhausted from wresting our luggage in and out of the train. The group looked hopeful when our taxis drove up to this glitzy hotel that must have been 4 or 5 stars. Then our tour guide realize he made a small error and that our actual accommodations were in another hotel one block away. So we rushed back out into the rain, dragging our suitcases to that other hotel. Dirt piles on unfinished walkways became thick mud that caked onto our shoes.
This hotel lobby was considerably smaller but I don't think it mattered to anyone. We all wanted to get settled in our rooms as soon as possible but Tomic had to argue with some of the service clerks for 20 minutes and still had more information to give us about plans for tomorrow.
The hallways leading to the rooms were kind of dark and seedy but the actual rooms weren't bad. We were given rock-hard twin beds again (hard mattresses don't bother me anymore). A clean drinking water dispenser was included. The shower was separate from the toilet but there was no curtain, just a narrow panel of glass--which I originally mistaken for a slide door--to prevent water from splashing onto the counter. I also accidentally knocked over the shampoo dispenser while showering and lost about 2/3rds of my supply. Oops.
Emery and I toyed around with some of our souvenirs then went to bed around 11. Tomorrow we'd be visiting the Shaolin Temple to watch some martial arts.
Shared Expenses
Bread Talk 45Y
Wal-mart 82Y
cup ramen and lunch box on train 21Y
Total = 148Y approx. $22
* Friday, May 8, 2009
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