Note from the Now

I woke up in China today.

Yesterday I squeaked out of Vietnam with the last little bit of currency I had left. The Chinese border control guards scrutinized my very existence as they searched my bag. I just played along cheerfully and after an unecessarily long waiting period was set free on Chinese soil. What an exciting feeling! All this fuss about China and I was standing within its borders. (I would find later that another border had to be crossed, this one patroled by heavily armed military officers. Fortunately, they didn't require a search of my bag).

My first financial transaction in China put me in good spirits. In Hanoi, I had been lucky to sell my malaria tablets for Chinese RMB currency. When a moto driver offered to take me to the bus station for 15 RMB, I shook my head and pulled out one of my 10 notes. Walking away, I heard the universal sound of success, "Okay, Okay!!" I was smiling the entire 20 kilometer ride to the bus station.

Sitting next to me on a fairly posh express bus was a friendly man who was eager to practice his English. Perfect opportunity for me to figure out and practice my essentials. Hello, please, thank you, beer, and I'm sorry are the first five I like to secure. This guy was practical and added "I go to ____" and a few more. He even helped me figure out how to catch a public bus to the city center. We parted with a handshake and a smile.

This is a good start to China. I have only 30 days, unless I can find a teaching position for a week or two. China's refusal to grant even long time resident English teachers visa renewals translates to opportunity for me to pick up lucrative short term work. Still not sure how that one will play out. For now, I'm looking at Shangri-la by way of Kunming. I've always heard the name Shangri-la and now I'm only a train ride away. Why not? From there, perhaps north to Chengdu for some fiery Sichuan cuisine. Might at as well check out the Three Gorges en route to Shanghai after that. I won't plan farther than that.

This is all for now. I'll get a post up about Vietnam once I've adjusted to China.

Cheers!