Little Tibet

Arriving in Lanzhou in miserable weather was not inspiring. I'd thought to stay over, utilise a hotel to rest for the day. Not when I saw it, it was dirty and industrial, looking as big as Beijing with none of the charm. For over half an hour I walked back and forth, wondering what the hell to do. I'd had enough of trains, my plan had been to catch a bus to Xi Ning, a much smaller city further north, heading along the Silk Route. I was hungry, having not eaten on the train at all, and desperate for my early morning squat. I couldn't find a toilet so decided on a bus instead, now which bus station do I need. Getting there at 7.30 am gave me plenty of time to get the hell out the place, I only had to find out how. If there is one thing I'm finding out about the Chinese, they will try and help you if they can, all you have to do is approach them. (Photo: Quan Qui Shan mountains - North west China)

Badly pronouncing a city name baffles them, but they aren't perturbed. I carry a notebook with me and write it down, which tends to do the job, even though it isn't in Chinese script. Smiling lots and looking dumb works wonders, between the three of them the women at the first bus station point out the correct bus, tell me the wrong number of stops and send me on my way. Finding myself lost in the city was easily sorted too, pop in a pharmacy, where a picture of a bus and the name of my destination gets me simple directions. Either I'd counted wrong or been mislead, I'm willing to take the blame, what the hell it makes no difference. A short walk, a confused ticket teller and a bit of persistence gets me a ticket, not of the first bus but one an hour later. Aah, enough time for the loo and some food! So for the first time I'm confronted with communal toilets, and I don't mean the urinals. Yeah, I will admit to being a bit shy trying to have a dump while being stared at; having dreads can be a disadvantage sometimes. I failed, just couldn't finish my business, or even start; a quick pee was enough to be getting on with. (Photo: Quan Qui Shan mountains - North west China)

The staff in the bus station were lovely, despite the fact I could communicate nothing to them. They took me and sat me where I could get some food; well I say food, I mean pot noodles, the mainstay of the Chinese diet when they travel anywhere. Someone came and got me when the bus was ready, and made sure I was safely in my seat well before departure time. I sat quietly and content, watching an increasingly beautiful world slip by. Dozing on and off the time passed quickly, a five hour drive went in no time. Xi Ning was due to be quieter, that's what I'd convinced myself anyway. When I walked out the station I was staggered to find a heaving mass of people, of many diverse cultures and creeds. It's marginally Tibetan, but also a strong Muslim area of China; till then China had consisted mainly of Han Chinese. Sitting down to give my head time to mull over what to do I was aware of receiving a bit of attention. Lifting my head I found myself surrounded by twenty of more people pressing in close, staring and discussing me amongst themselves. Beaming smile and a bright cheery, "ni haar," seemed to do the job. At least they recognised me as human then, I got flashes of bright white teeth in response, and they weren't snarling either. It didn't do them much good when they tried to talk to me, nor when I attempted to explain I wanted either a hotel or a bus further along the road. (Photo: Ma Ti Si Temple complex- Gansu Province, China)

There weren't any buses wednesday to Zhangye So I wouldn't be leaving town till the following morning. I'd seen a couple of hotels on the approach to the bus station, so I traipsed back that way with my murderously heavy pack. There were three or more, so I tried them one after another. No, No, No and No! I didn't even have to ask, they saw me and shook their heads; no foreigners here pal. Oh well, what to do? try another teller in the station, maybe they could prove more helpful. Indeed she was, she showed me the buses due to leave the following day, in English, so at least I got a ticket. I even got to wait in the waiting room, though I thought it might be open all night, like in India, so I could doss on the floor. But no, at 6pm I got a rather irate police officer shouting at me to leave, get out. Oh dear, that isn't the sort of way to get the best out of me, it just made me linger even longer. I did finally go before he called in his buddies, but he'd left me for over half an hour without further hassle. A handicapped guy who spoke a little English asked if he could help me, so I tried to get some info from him. First and foremost was where I could find a hotel, I thought the railway station, which he confirmed. So off I set. After walking about a mile I noticed he was following just behind me, he was apparently concerned for me, still wanting to help. He seemed quite humble and genuine; an impression I wish I'd kept at the forefront of my mind, I regret not doing so. (Photo: Quan Qui Shan mountains - North west China)

Insisting the Rail station was not within walking distance he persuaded me to go back with him. When we arrived back it was to be told we would need a taxi, and my inner alarm bells went off. So I checked for a price, 3 yen I was told. So I checked again, "is that 3 yen, not 30 yen"? Assuming he'd take me to a particular hotel and reap a commission I agreed, I could deal with that when we got there. It was ages to the station, so far I was convinced something dodgy was going down. But no, after half an hour we reached the rail station, at which point I was asked for 30 yen by the driver. This is so common by taxi or tuk-tuk drivers in Asia, normally I will not budge, but it was a long way, by far more than a mere 3 yen. And the guy took me to a small and grotty hotel which only cost me 40 yen. But when it came to getting some food I blew it. Ordering a cheap meal for myself I told him to order in the same way, after ordering he asked if I eat mutton, to which I replied yes. So a plate of it duly turned up, as well as a separate meal for each of us. When it came to paying the bill was 82 yen, not expensive by western standards but a far cry from the 10 yen meal I'd ordered for myself. I really dressed him down outside the restaurant, telling him in no uncertain terms that he'd taken advantage. I didn't shout or get aggressive, but I gave him his marching orders. Stopping to get cigarettes on the way, I got back to the hotel and he was there trying to find the owner, and I sent him packing again. Now I can't get this out my mind, I can't wipe out the look on his face, a look of incomprehension. And to be honest I feel ashamed of my actions.
Half the time I'm spending in China I'm like a little boy lost, not quite out of my depth, but not handling the language barrier very well. I'm coping right enough, I'm getting very good at Pictionary, but I'm not at my quickest or brightest linguistically. I can only praise all the people who I've stumbled into, who speak no English but put in a massive effort to help me. Few have been after my money, few have been trying to take advantage. Today a woman who felt like she was accosting me when I got to Zhangye, turned up trumps in my eyes; well her and her husband, who happens to be a taxi driver. I know she gave me the correct information to begin with, there are no buses to where I wanted to go, but I failed to get her to understand I wanted to know how close I could get a bus to the site. She stated the only way to get there was by taxi, which I know to be true, but you can get halfway there by bus. I actually took her husband's taxi, and it wasn't expensive for the journey and time spent at the monastery. Considering the phone calls to an English speaking friend, organising a decent hotel for a decent price, and their company for five hours I consider it money well spent. They've both been lovely to me, concerned for my welfare and happiness, maybe my linguistic helplessness brings out the best in many people. I certainly have no complaints about the way I've been treated in China, it may be hard, but the people have been lovely with me. All it needs is a smile, some sign that I'm a human being and see them as the same. (Photo: Ma Ti Si Temple complex- Gansu Province, China)