Hhhhhhuccccck-putt! Honnnnk! Honnnnnk!

That, if you're wondering, was the dulcet tones of China at its best. A big hacky phlegm followed by several loud honks on a bus horn. My poor hearing! I'm sure that most of the Chinese must have a level of hearing below the average person in the UK. Everything is SO LOUD here.

For example, yesterday we spent 7 hours on a bus. Lil' ol' me is recovering from her second cold of the month (no doubt the phlegm being spat everywhere has contributed to that) and her head was already throbbing when we took our seats behind the driver. Road rules in China apparently state that before you overtake ANYTHING, be it another vehicle, a cyclist, a person walking in the road or even a dog, you must honk your horn. Honk it once when you first see the hazard. Then again a couple of times as you're passing it (if it ignores you, honk harder and longer just in case they didn't hear you the first couple of times). And when you've passed it, honk again as you've not doubt just passed a distant relative and you need to say hello. Oh, by the time we arrived at our destination last night I felt like a lead pipe had been pushed through my temples. Can you imagine, on a very windy perilous mountainous road in the most populous nation on earth how many hazards we passed? The pain only subsided when I'd had 2 pints of tea and a lie-down. But wasn't helped by the fact that last night was the end of Chinese New Year here on the mainland and therefore we were treated to fireworks and bangers being let off in their hundreds from dusk until around 10pm. Ah, it's all a slice of another life, eh?

Anyway, still loving China, despite the phlegm and the minging toilets - yesterday at the bus station I encountered my first doorless toilets. Thanks China for breaking me in gently - I'd heard of them but until yesterday had been spared them. So China waited until I was comfortable with squat toilets before throwing in another obstacle to ablution enjoyment in taking away any privacy. Luckily I didn't need a number two!

If you've read my dad's comment on my last entry, you'll see that I am indeed "eating my way around the world" and this last week has not deterred me in any way. I can safely say that we've not had a bad meal (or the craps to this day, touch wood) and we've been eating Chinese all the way this week. Highlights this week have been stir-fried bacon fat with veggies at the road house yesterday (30p each); spicy noodle soup for brekky yesterday for 15p each; yummy yummy tofu (the only nice tofu I have ever eaten) and, to top it all, after wishing for my mam's sausage rolls in bed last night whilst feeling over-tired and a little homesick, steamed buns filled with what tasted like sausage roll meat for breakfast this morning - a full feed for 6p each! We are mostly pointing and smiling to get what we want, although we now can count in Mandarin (which helps when you're being hassled to buy tourist tat from little old ladies in rural villages and you say "ling kwai" meaning "no money" i.e. piss off, I have no cash to give you so no, I do not want to buy your tat, thank you very much, especially as your village charged me double what I spent on accommodation last night just to get into your village").

Ling kwai was exactly what we had yesterday pretty much when we stepped on the bus for our peace-free journey (which was, incidentally, still enjoyable as the scenery was breathtaking - steep mountain-sides covered with rice terraces and peppered with wonky-looking wooden houses going down to a huge river with locals punting their way along on their bamboo rafts). We have spent the last 5 days in rural China, pretty much as away from it all as you can get, staying in little cute villages that seem stuck in a time-warp where the women still wear traditional dress and grind corn of a morning and work the fields. We were hassled to buy tat in some parts but in general we got to see a but of rural life for the Yao, Dong and Miao people. The villages were all made of wood and were surrounded by paddy fields with women in brightly embroidered clothes toiling away (whilst the men sat in the square playing cards - how does that work?) We could have spent ages staying in these idyllic villages were it not for the fact that we didn't realise that between large town A and large town B on our journey there were no ATMs - luckily we realised whilst we still had enough cash to buy the ticket to town B, but we missed a couple of lovely days, I feel, for bad planning on our part. Ah well, what we did see was well worth it. I feel sorry for the many people we met in town A who were bypassing the whole experience just to get to another Chinese city (Kunming) because the weather is nicer and there are some nice western cafes.

Today we are having a rest as it's the first day without any transport of any kind. We're in a nothing-ness town but the food is good, the sheets are clean and I really need a day of rest to shake off this cold. Tomorrow we'll probably head off (by train, we want to avoid the honking) to Kunming - of nice-weather, western-cafe fame - in the hope of finding somewhere to do some washing (we have limited clothes and last did a load of washing in Hong Kong, which was nearly 2 weeks ago, so we're a little bit stinky. Rach, you'll be pleased to know that the wonder-soap has been put into action, so I did manage to wash some smalls and some socks, but that's about the lot).

Before I sign of for the day, a couple of special mentions.
Firstly, to Emma B - your presents are coming in so useful on our trip. The washing line is getting a lot of love and that little packet of soap sheets did not see the light of day in Oz but is now with me constantly in the minging toilets of China. I even sniffed it last night to get rid of the smell of the room! A very Happy Birthday for this week.
Secondly, to Heather Grace Abrey who turned 1 this week.
Last, but never ever least, to my lovely big sis Jane, who turns thirty-cough today and who I love and miss very much. XXXXXXXXX