General China Thoughts

So my tour finished on Sunday and everyone on what was an awesome tour group got straight out of Beijing and went home, leaving me to fend for myself until Wednesday night when my plane flies me to Australia. Just one day left until I get on that plane. Can't wait.
Today I did something I've been fired up to do since I arrived here. I went to see the Mausoleum where Chairman Mao's body rests. I was going to describe it now but perhaps I'll wait until I'm back in Australia to do that.
Instead I'll mention some other things I found interesting about China.
1. The funny stares. I think I mentioned this in my last blog entry but since I can't remember and can't access my blog to read it, I'll mention it briefly here. We kept getting many stares and in some cases laughs and giggles when people saw the 12 westerners walking around in a group. Even yesterday I was just sitting down in some shade outside a big temple resting when some dude who was there with his girlfriend and some other dude, asked if he could have a photo taken of me and him. I didn't mind. I'll never understand this photo thing but it's happened lots to people on the tour.
2. Babies bums. For some reason, young kids who have only just figured out how to walk, get put in clothes with pants that have a whole in the back that shows their bum. I thought it was kind of cute at first but then when some of our group saw a kid backing out one of his best on some nice tiles in the middle of a busy walkway in a train station, I think we all realised that's there are certain drawbacks to this no-nappies idea.
3. One morning, three of us from the tour (Ellisa, Lucy and I) went for a walk in Xi'an at 6.45am to find the main square and the tai-chi that happens there. It was great. So many mostly elderly people out and about before the heat of the day had kicked in. Some did tai-chi, others danced, others did gentle stretching and one crazy old guy was hitting a tennis ball attached to an elastic band and a brick and jogging around a bit hoping that one of us might take his picture. It was an aspect to the people I hadn't seen until then and made me respect that they are so dedicated to their health. I just can't imagine so many people getting up for public exercise in the morning in Australia for instance.
4. The Great Wall was well worth a look and one of the highlights of the trip. Oddly none of the guide books or our own tour guide mentioned that it was built to keep the rabbits out. They tend to go for the reason of keeping the Mongolians out which they so obviously stole from that South Park episode. A cable car took us up to the area where we started walking and after a while it got real steep. Felt a bit like the Inca Trail but without the altitude problems. The most dangerous part of the wall is the path from the cable car to the bus where vendors on both sides of the path try to sell you tourist rubbish you don't want and yell "hello!!" at you in almost accusing voices.
5. Lastly, the tour group was a really good one. We all got along really well which made the whole thing so much more fun. Made some great friends, some of whom I'm going to miss very much.

Finally, cos I've got the time , I've typed out exactly what was on a sign at the start of the great wall. While it's a definitely a Great Wall, they failed to hire a Great Translator.

"Welcome you to visit Mutianyu Great Wall. For your and others' security. Please pay attention to the following items.
1. Please don't carve arbitrarily on the Great Wall. Protect one brick and one stone consciously.
2. For your personal safety. Please don't climb the crenelated wall.
3. Please walk carefully on abrupt slope and dangerous way. Don't run and pushes to pash violently and the laugh and frolic.
4. Please pay attention to your safety in the rain and snow weather.
5. Old people and children must have been accompanied and leaded by their family members when climbing the Great Wall.
6. The fire is forbidden here. Please don't take tinder.
7. ( this was just police contact details so I'm not typing this out)"

Of all the many many examples of bad English I've seen since I've been in China, the one at the Great Wall takes the cake for me. Especially number 3 with the urging not to pash violently. Gold!

Hanging out to get back to Melbourne now and see if I can get back on the merry-go-round of daily life again after getting right out of it for 5 months. So many things I want to do when i get back. And yes, porridge with brown sugar faces in it and coffee scrolls both feature heavily.