I was so excited about the mountain that I'm actually out of bed with
time to spare before the bus there leaves. A nap/trip, taxi, luggage
storage, and false start wandering in the wrong direction later, I'm
on the mountain.
/Stairmaster. Literally, the trail is concrete steps 99% of the time.
Any non-flat surfact is up or down stone ledges seemingly meant for
feet smaller than mine. It's certainly worth feeling the burn: over
the course of ~12 miles, I experience mountain-filled vistas in every
direction. They were so nice that I barely noticed the stares of
frequent tourists as I hurried by shirtless on my way back.
What type of luggage storage place arbitrarily closes at 4:30? The
one I used, apparently. Fortunately, my cab driver sufficiently
gouged me for the fare on the ride to town that he calls and drives me
to the owner's house to get the keys. I began to get a little angry
with China.
An old lady best described as the local wicked old witch thinks it's
hilarious that I'm trying to get a bus from Tankgou (sp) to Tunxi; I
get angrier with China. She (the woman, not China) literally stood
next to me cackling as I tried to point at Chinese in my Let's Go to
figure out if I've missed the last bus of the night. I finally
resorted to paying 105 yen (~$15) for a cab. I think it'll be going
straight to the airport, but when he stops and tries to pick up
another fare I get a bit nervous. But we do end up at the airport,
him angry that our negotiated fare is like 50 yuan less than his meter
says and me relieved to be at the airport with plenty of time. After
a tasty seafood stew served over a burner called a hotpot and a smooth
on-time flight, I'm calming down and regaining comfort with China.
But then, in Guangzhou, all deals are off. I cannot get what I want
most at that moment: to get to Hong Kong. It's only ~10:30 pm, but it
seems all trains for the day are done. I literally sneak onto a
sold-out bus and pretend I'm asleep, but I'm found out when the last
man on doesn't have a seat, they don't buy my excuse that I lost my
ticket, and won't let me stand for the ride. I contemplate taking a
cab, but decide against that pricey endeavor because I'd be seeing red
if I do and then find the Shenzen-Hong Kong border crossing has
already closed.
The hostel's dorm rooms are actually full, so I sleep, pissed off,
along with 50+ fellow early-morning travelers: outside the bus
station. My particular spot is halfway down the steps to the subway,
allowing me to achieve the subterranean warmth while hopefully
avoiding the rats I saw at the bottom. Not the first time I've slept
outside, but my cold concrete mattress may well be the least
comfortable.