Another gloriously sunny day despite a haze hanging over the city. Andy is still unwell and finally resorts to taking the antibiotics we brought with us. Today we pack up our belongings in anticipation of our departure this evening for Hangzhou, We ask the hostel to book our on onward accommodation. But there’s a hitch, all the hostels in Hangzhou are fully booked! The weekend is coming up and Hangzhou is a popular weekend destination for those living in Shanghai plus it’s been heavily advertised on the television as a tourist destination. So we have had to rethink our plans. If we can get rail tickets, we are now planning to go straight to Guilin either tomorrow or Saturday. This afternoon we take the short bus ride to Huanghelou (Yellow Crane Tower). The tower is perched on the She Shan (Snake Mountain) in the Wuchang district and affords a magnificent panorama of the city. The surrounding landscaped gardens contain several buildings which have been rebuilt in the traditional style. It isn’t too busy and we have a pleasant afternoon meandering around them.
City roads in China are chaotic and those in Wuhan are no exception. Crossing the road is a hazardous affair for the novice. Whilst the locals take it all in their stride; weaving in and out of the moving cars, buses, bikes and mopeds coming from all directions including diagonally across junctions even when the lights are on red. Pedestrians share the crossings and often the pavements, with cyclists, scooters and mopeds carrying several passengers including young children or any manner of loads from huge cans of paint to 4-metre long poles. A ‘green man’ here means proceed with caution!
One abiding memory of China will be the ubiquitous spitting and the horrendous noise that precedes it. Spitting is a national pastime and it is undertaken everywhere; not just in the streets, but on buses, in restaurants and other public places, even, as we witnessed on board the cruise ship, indoors. Nowhere seems to be out of bounds.
Another unpleasant habit we have come across is that of allowing young children to relieve themselves wherever they please. Today we saw a child pee-ing on the floor in the Yellow Crane Tower in full view of everyone. Children of nappy-wearing age are dressed in one-piece suits which have a large slit between the legs specifically, it seems, for the purpose. Often you will see these children sans nappy with their bare bottoms on full view courtesy of this gaping slit.