Not so long ago I returned from a fantastic two week vacation in Indonesia with Clementine where I sipped pineapple juices, spoke English all the time, stayed in cheap easy to find B&B’s and was catered for by a Tourism infrastructure that looked after all types of travellers.
This time I was looking for a different rush. One where I’d do minimal research, land at a port in fuck knows where China, take a deep breath and think to myself: Why the hell did I choose this route.
This unfortunately was not the case. I arrived on time at the port in Incheon where I boarded a gigantic boat with a red carpet, duty free shops and happy Chinese faces. I don’t know what I actually expected. Did I think I was going to be on ferry where they crammed people on and you share a small cabin with Soju drinking Koreans that fart and spit on the cabin floor?
This ferry (Weidong Ferry) was luxurious enough with everything you’d need for a 17 hour trip across the Yellow Sea. I booked the cheapest bed in a room with about 50 other people. A very basic bed with linen and a pillow provided. The round trip cost me only 210000 Won.
The nights sleep was comfortable and it did not for one moment feel as if I was on a ship. The excitement grew and I soon caught my first glimpse of Qingdao through the morning mist – a city that looked as mysterious as what I’d thought it would be. I smiled through customs, jumped a crowded bus and headed to the train station. Scenes of rundown, half built buildings, dirty pavements, people taking to the street with their produce, potholed roads and cranes on the horizon. The craving experience of new smells, interesting sights, a diverse range of cars and people crossing the road as they like – This was it, I made it to China!
I opted for the first train that would leave Qingdao and headed to Beijing after being in China of only an hour.
The station was modern, the bullet train even more and I was soon cruising at 200km/h North to the capital.
The mist and smog did not clear up but I could see the countryside as we sped through where farmers used every square of land. Hard working men and women ploughed and worked the fields. We passed massive industrial plants that send black clouds of pollution into the air. These were the industries I expected to see, but not so many.
The most prominent thing that stood out for me when entering China and throughout my brief one week stay was the amount of construction taking place. New apartment blocks were built next to old dilapidated ones and cranes coloured the horizon.
The construction increased even more as I entered the outskirts of Beijing and my 800km journey by train was soon over. A few subway stops later and I walked through the busy streets to the backpackers where I ended up staying for the week.
