YANGSHOU










OK, a couple of longish stories here, one of the usual comedy misfortune style and probably my first story of good fortune....a cup of tea before reading would be advised....

A trip to the hospital or the police station was always on the cards given my trip so far....so here it is.

So on arrival in Guilin I was feeling pretty depraved of spoken English and fellow backpackers (although I would hardly say I was the most hardcore and authentic of which) I decided to skip Guilin and head for Yangshou one hour South, detailed as a real backpacker spot - excellent.

My arrival in Guilin also made me long slightly more for faimilairity than normal as I was feeling pretty pathetic and sorry for myself. The cuts on my foot that I have been nursing (religoulsy so!) appear to have got infected, resulting in me trying to get out of my bunk on the train only to discover my right foot is the size of a grapefruit!!
This and a mixture of sleep depravation meant "sod this" r similar less publishable thoughts were at the forefront of my mind when choosing Yangshou.

So, hobbling out of the train station at 1mph, guidebook in hand I was giving out 'sitting duck' vibes for all to see and I'm promptly accosted by someone selling onward tickets, hotels or perhaps more sacrificial goats.
I quickly (OK, slowly) dodge him and get my tickets at the Government tourist agency next to the station, and am accompanied on the bus by the freindly (English speaking) guy I bought the tickets from....at least some conversation en route where I don't have to use my hands I thought - nice.

After a few minutes down the road he then began to tell me and the handful of Westerners on the bus of the five hotels his company has in Yangshou and starts handing me enough brochures to keep me reading solidly for a week.

To be fair he was a nice guy, and after he discovered that my choice of accomodation fell under the "Pikey but clean" bracket he points me in the way of a nice place, and at half the price of Guangzhou's place I take it.

With the train arriving in Guilin at 6am, and 'Grapefruit foot' causing sleep issues I get straight into bed, foot propped up and get some rest.

The one detail that did strike me on the way to bed through the hotel is that all the floors were very shiny, not through their cleanliness I discovered but through a thin film of water - all the time!

Hospitality in China it would appear is obsessed with clean floors at all times. After more time in Yangshou I learned that this obsession is really a lengthy excercise in futility.
By constantly mopping the floor all day, the traffic from backpackers and staff means the mop is more accurately being used to shuffle dirt around to new places on the floor rather than making it any cleaner!

OK, so back in my room and sleeping, resting my foot I was awoken by a knock at the door at the ungodly hour of 11.00am. Having been awoken from a deep sleep I was bolt upright in bed and heading straight for the door to answer it.

In my half awake state and haste, I forgot about the 'ice rink style' floors in my room meaning I fall over on my arse halfway between bed and door, manging to smash my little toe (on my right foot of course) into one of the mahogany chairs by the door - not a very forgiving material that mahogany you know...

So now completely awake and on the floor I gave out an involuntary pathetic yelp and answered the door with blood pooring out of where my little to used to be.

At the door was Mike (love their English names) the Chinese tour guy I got the hotel from making sure everything was OK.
Rather than explain to him the new agony on top of the old I was in, he makes his way in and starts talking about Yangshou in great detail.

Mike was a nice guy as already said, but he does know how to talk!! Although, after a few minutes of one word answers and profuse sweating from the pain he starts to leave, probably wondering what's wrong with me and what kind of Country lets a mental patient like me out! Another awesome start to a new place.

So, determined to turn this train wreck of a start out I go out for a sloooow walk around the place and it's absolutley beautiful. It's a busy town of tourists, locals, bicycles, bars and Cafes all against the amazing backdrop large tree covered hills jutting out everywhere.











So after a day or so walking round some fantatsic scenery and frequenting the odd bar and cafe with some new found buddies (left to right: Jo, Cliff, myselfand Georgie) all is well in Yangshou but for the inflamed and rather hobbit looking right foot.


On sitting down in a cafe (a recurring theme) having some nice Beijing dumplings a Chinese lady asks me "what's wrong with your foot?". Having had these questions a few times over the last couple fo days (amongst random looks of horror!) I explain to her that I'm not really sure although think it could be an infection.
Rather than being met with looks of confusion she understands perfectly - turn's out she's an English teacher at one of the many language schools in Yangshou.

She straight away offers to help me out, saying that parents of one of here students work at the hospital and can help. I obviously take up this extremely generous offer without hesitation as it was getting no better, and seeing things at 1mph makes for a very inefficient day!

Although Happy (that was her nickname apprently, and a well chosen one) wanted nothing in return, after some coersion I agreed to meet with her students one evening to help them converse in English. The reason Yangshou is so popular with language stuidents in the influx of tourists providing an opportunity to converse with those other than a teacher as well as genuine native speakers.

People with English accents (plain English, Geordies etc. need not apply) are the most sought after given that the Chinese relations with America meaning learning with an American twang is not desirable to say the least.

So at 3.00pm that day as arranged I meet up with Happy for our visit to the Hospital, although I am slighlty unsure of what to expect..... people shaking sticks at illnesses and chanting them out? armies of leeches for all diseases???

The hospital is pretty good by any standard and Happy is brillaint. After seeing the wife of her student we are passed on to her husband who is much better equipped to deal with such things.
So a small moto ride across town to the other part of the hosptial and once again Happy is doing all the talking and running the show. after soem intial discussion it turns out Happy's friend is the director of the hospital and left a meeting to come and have a look at me!!

The guy as well is also fantastic, amd despite putting what I can only conclude is chilli paste onto my cuts (it burned that much!) he bandages me up and sends me on to another area, Happy along with me as always.

Being the only Westerner in the hospital and with Happy once again in charge of the Mandarin I feel a buit guilty being seen straight away.

Happy's insistence that I get better straght away sees me in the unusal position of being on a bed wheeled into the director's office and hooked up to a drip!
Two more sessions over the next days meant that I was completely better and up to my usual walking speedof 1.2mph and with no grapefruit!! Nice.

I duly returned the favour and met some of Happy's students, as well as the daughter in question whom without, I would have certainly still be less than comfortable (to say the least!) when typing this.

I have to say, that although a trip to the hospital can never really be described as fun, meeting Happy and the events that followed had left a great impression on me, one which I won't forget.






Although only 2 events, these took up most of my time in Yangshou, meaning that although I saw the river from a boat (pictured below) and took in the parks and views from the hill,I missed many more things the place had to offer, such as a home cooked meal from Elisa ,a Chinese friend of Happys (who visited me in hospital), bike riding through the countryside and rice terraces....











The result of my time so far as that a month isn't nearly enough to cover anywhere near what I'd want to see here, other destinations are pending though meaning a return trip to Yangshou at least is on the cards.

Next place from here is Kunming, taking 24 hours in total,so will update from there once alive!