nickyjohnt

She is going on the overnight train to Xian tonight , then also flying to Shanghai on Friday !
Not had much chance to talk to her as yet , but her last text says she is loving it there !

Amazulu

We were in Xian (flew there from HK) and got the overnight sleeper train here (not bad in soft sleeper class). Xian Station is bedlam on an epic scale, not a bad city though, we stayed in a fantastic hotel (Grand Mecure).

It's goddamned hot here!

Pollyana

I stayed in a backpackers in central Melbourne a few years back, last minute booking on Grand Prix weekend so I didn't expect much, but.....the cockroaches were the size of small mice, the showers were so grime encrusted that they were unusable, and all the windows were barred and fire escapes locked (this was the year AFTER the fire at the backpackers place in Childers, by the way). The rooms had bunk beds, and just enough space to walk between them, but to get more people in for that weekend the owners had stacked another bed on top! Making them three deep Not surprisingly the people from the top slept on the floor - next to the people who had been sold a "cheap sleeping space"- on the floor
That resulted in a room about 12 feet square having 10 people sleeping in it

It was an experience, I'll say that for it. Strangely enough the environmental health people closed the place down a week later until "extensive safety modifications" had been made
I don't think I've ever seen accommodation so disgraceful, not before or since.

nickyjohnt

Well she will be on the train now , staying at the Grand new world hotel in Xian , not quite as posh as the Grand Mecure looks , but still not to bad !

Was looking at reviews from where she stayed at the Rainbow hotel in Beiiging ! made me laugh that apparently they display in the bathrooms extra things you can buy like condoms , lube & vibrating rings haha

Very common also for a hotel 4 stars or over that has a sauna to offer " extras " seems quite the norm there !

The weather here is crap at the moment so enjoy the hot climate while you can !

Nicky

BTW ! what is the legal age to drink there ? my daughter was sure it was 14 , but looking on websites here it seems to be 18 !

moneypenny20

Could I hazzard a guess as to how old she is?

nickyjohnt

Haha ! yes she is nearly 16 ! not a chance on a school trip ! but i think some of the boys she was going with might of been hoping for a sneaky drink if it was legal !

Amazulu

I would say it's 18. Not seen many 14 year olds knocking back Tsing Tao!

Bernieboy

Home from home eh

Pollyana

Even in my sickest days back home I could never have lived in a pit like that, I'd rather have been on the streets. I wish I'd taken photos, I still can't believe to this day how bad it was.
The worst bit was the fire danger though, so soon after Childers (less than a year) and every fire escape we saw was padlocked. Five storey building, doesn't bear thinking about.

pommybird

These 2 posts made me laugh...I remember when we were living in Perth one of my Italian rellies visited, she is from Southern Italy where most people go out to eat about 9.30pm, she couldn't believe that most restaurants were closing about this time.

In terms of places not to stay in WA, we were recommended by one of my work colleagues to visit York as, and I quote, 'seeing as you are English you will appreciate somewhere steeped in history.' Well after the 2 hour journey all I can recall from our visit was a dodgy high street with some rickety buildings, not a soul about, other than a couple of teenagers sitting on the road drinking booze out of a brown paper bag, presumably because there was eff all else to do! Bloody awful place.

Isn't Northbridge still rocking at night?