would suck soooo bad! Maybe that is culturally insensitive to say out loud, but oh man, that is sure what I'm thinking. Be thankful people, be so thankful that you were not born here! The majority of rural China seems like an absolute hell hole. I know I'm not suposed to say that but, I can't complain to say these things to anyone else around me, so I'm sharing my inner most thoughts with you. The privledged few. Seriously though, I thought growing up in Wasco was boring. There is nothing out in these villages. From 7 - 16 you go to school. Then after that most kids go to the city to work and send money home to the village because there is no real work in the villages. If you are a girl and you go to the city you can get a job in a store or a restaurant or hotel or something. If you are a boy it's pretty much going to work in a factory assembling cheap, made in china, stuff or construction. Everything in China is under construction. Then when you're ready to get married, so early 20's you come back to the village. And get this... they only get married on the Chinese new year. So on new year's eve, every family with a daughter that is marrying age opens their door and invites the marrying age boys to come over and visit. Often the boys get really drunk first and travel in packs. They go around and talk to the girls and their families for one night, and then if the conversation or whatever goes good, they propose and get married the next day. The next freakin' day!!! How crazy is that?! The girl does have the right to say no if she doesn't like the guy. But I'm like what happens if a week later your like, actually, this guy is a jerk? I guess your screwed.
Today was horrible. We had to take 2 public buses, very public and it took hours longer than we thought it would. On the first bus there were like 5 guys who chain smoked the whole way. One guy in the back who was like coughing up a lung the whole time. And this other guy who kept spitting, sometimes out the window but sometimes just on the floor of the bus. Lunch was the high point. I had noodles and veggtables, and they were a little spicy but not too spicy and it was 5 yuan, which is like .75 or something. The 2nd public bus also had chain smokers with rotting teeth but in army uniforms this time. That somehow made it even more replusive for some reason. Just like walking through the morning market in Laos made me want to be a vegetarian... traveling on public busses in China makes me want to become a lesbian. Ha! Just like the vegetarian thing, it's not really going to happen, but these Chinese men are so freaking gross you guys! Lots of them have long nails for some reason, and I think a lot of people here just never wash their hands. In the last 2 guest houses we've stayed at, with only squat toilets mind you, they don't even give you any soap. How is that ok? How can you live without soap? Gross! Now I know you're not supposed to say something is bad, just "different" but I'm sorry not washing your hands is bad. Spitting on the bus, spitting inside the elevator, that's bad! There is no culturally sensitive way around that, I'm afriad. The women are way less revulting and actually smile and seem nice, but it's really only because they want to sell you something I think. (I'm in a foul mood, can you tell?) Oh yeah, so on the 2nd bus, we are on these crazy dirt and rock windy roads up in the mountains and with each turn I keep thinking we are going to plunge over the cliff and die. Then this big truck in front of us blows a tire, and my first thought is that it is a road side bomb. I'm like oh great, they have those here too! But of course it wasn't. But a rock did fly up and hit this lady in the chin and she was bleeding and some other lady was holding her stomach. It delayed us for a bit. Then we get 5 minutes from our destination and there is all this road construction and we have to sit and wait for like 30 minutes or more. It was so annoying. If it weren't for my ipod, I'd be ready to kill people right about now. So anyway after all the adventures on the bus, we finally get to the base of the Longji Valley, and we have to hike about an hour uphill, up these rocky uneven steps, through the rice paddies to our guest house. The hike was actually really nice. And the terraced rice paddies are pretty amazing. I wanted to stay pissed, but it was kinda of hard. It felt really good to finally be outside and seeing something beautiful. So far, everytime I think to myself, ok this river is actually nice, it is pretty here, then someone will come along and throw a huge handful of trash out the window of the bus, or out of their store front window and ruin the whole thing. It really seems like people here could really care less, about their health, about their teeth, about common courtesy, about the environment. It's nuts. Anyway, enough of my complaining. Then next few days we are trekking from one guest house, through the hills and rice paddie fields to the next guest house. It should be nice. I only wish the accomodations weren't so crappy once you finally get to your destination. Still only squat toilets. They put the shower head like right over the toilet, which I don't understand at all. The sink drains right onto the floor right by your feet. It's just insane. I can't wait to freakin' get to Hong Kong. I'm really not cut out for this shit. I know I know, it's an adventure, but let me tell you, not one that will ever need to be repeated.
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