Yesterday evening I came up with an idea to go to a big book store and maybe buy a book to read, since sometimes I am bored in the train, when I am sitting for 20 hours and thinking.
I found it quite easily the book store I wanted. 5 store building for a book store! Anything you want! I also have found a whole section in English! Tolstoy, Hemingway, Shakespeare, Dickinson you name it. A lot of fantasy books. Lord of the rings and Harry Potter were among them. I couldn’t choose anything from that variety and also it was quite expensive. Any book was over 100 RMB and I have to save until the end of the trip. Also the clothes do not dry with this humid weather so I will have to buy T-shirts again. I have bought the Art of war. Tiny book but very old and very interesting to read.
After the book store I walked around and saw the skyscraper area! It looks amazing at night! I saw all kinds of skyscrapers! All different shapes, heights and with penthouses on top.
It was quite difficult to find building numbers. I was looking for electronics store. I was going into all directions. Numbers on the buildings are quite random. Here it was 99 and then 251, just cross the crossroad and then 505. No 400-eds.
Also, lot of construction going on around.
I wondered around, walking by the river for awhile, which was quite nice, despite a strong smog.
In the end just took a metro back to hostel.
The speaker in the metro was saying that some station is not working. Couldn’t get it clearly.
In the metro, everyone was staring at me. I felt somewhat uncomfortable. There was a Chinese guy standing in front of me and it looked like he wanted to talk to me, but was too shy. Suddenly another Chinese from my side says “Hello”. I turn around and there is a drunk guy talking to me. He was saying “How do you do?”. I answered and asked the same and then he starts talking Chinese. I guess it was all he knew in English. I apologised and told him that I don’t speak Chinese.
Some children even were pointing the finger at me sometimes. So funny! I feel so exotic!
I was walking in the night streets and they are so busy! All street covered with tables, which are not there during day time. The streets at night turns into night restaurants.
I didn’t feel eating Chinese tonight, so I ate burger at KFC.
I kept hearing “Hello” from random people in the streets, but I guess that’s all they knew.
Later I turned into a path by the river and saw amazing view! All town glowing in lights! So beautiful!
I could see the skyscrapers far away and lit riversides and couples on the benches everywhere holding hands or laying in each other kissing each other. Here it was – my hostel.
I came back to the room. The room-mates are quote boring. They are really want to talk to me.
Tomorrow I am going to Hangzhou. I’ve got just a hard seat in the train today. They told me that the seats should be numbered. Well I am going to try that extreme experience for 20 hours! I am supposed to leave 2:00pm and arrive 7am. That would be 17 hours! Taking into account that trains are almost every time late in here, so it should be around 20 hours in total.
It is heavily raining outside. Very strong wind and lightning so really don’t really want to leave my hostel. I was planning to go the park with old relics, but I guess I am not going to see them. Here in the lobby it is warm, dry and cosy. Don’t want to move anywhere.