How can I summarize 5 days of absurd people, places, and things? I will just talk about the ones that stood out. Little did I know I only touched the tip of the iceburg with the people I met at the hostel. A Chinese American New Yorker that thought everyone was jealous of her (she spoke Chinese and was young and naive). A young Chinaman from Hubei looking for an accounting job in Shenzhen. A few other oddballs as well. The one that stood out the most and insisted I go with her on most of her outings was Toni. The picture is "Toni with an i" and Yaoyao. Toni with an i (I will keep referring to her as this because EVERYONE we met, she introduced herself as such and also informed people that they needed to write it down and remember it) If you've ever seen Kat and Kim (Aussie version, not the lame ass US version) mixed with AbFab...then you'll understand this woman. Her story: She's 48, owned and ran a gallery in Wales, had a daughter (that she can't stand), had a nervous breakdown (might have been institutionalize at some point. I didn't want to push the subject), sold all her stuff and started traveling 3 years ago. Lived in India the past year, thought she should write a travel book about art and artist in the East starting with China. Sounds pretty simple right...no. She also has an alterior motive. Change the minds of as many Chinese people she can. Every night we had a different Chinese girl in our room. Same conversation happened every night. Toni with an i asking: "are you happy here in China? what the hell is your government doing? where the bloody hell is the art and personality in this country? how many bloody fucking trees are they going to chop down before they make every city concrete?"
After night 2 I started chiming in, because I'm A. stupid and B. I found this interesting. I tried to explain to Toni with an i that you can't miss what you've never had...for example having to form your own opinion about the environment and how rapid your city is growing commercially. Toni, addressing the poor confused Chinese girl, "there are a billion of you people, you could over throw the government. What the bloody hell". Sadly Toni with an i never got what she wanted out of the Chinese girls until the last two young students roomed with us. I told her that of course they understand what she's saying because they're a new generation of Chinese thats more aware. Yaoyao, 21 year old student studying painting, said she wants to go to Germany - for the beer festival and Holland - because lesbians can get married. (Toni and I both later laughed at this and agreed that someone was a closet lesbo and it was really cool) Yaoyao was our tour guide for a few days. Local museums, gardens in Shenzhen, and really interesting spots. AJ was the last girl we had as a roommate. She was so inspired and fired up by Toni with an I, that she was talking of quitting school to start a movement with fellow classmates. I know times have changed a bit and I would never joke about this, but did we forget about a certain "Tiananmen Square" incident...I'm just saying
I believe Toni with an i understood more when we crossed the border to Hong Kong and how our lovely Chinese guides couldn't join us when we crossed back and forth. I felt like a ass for all the times I've taken my freedom for granted. China mainland people can't cross with such ease. Eye opening experience for sure. It took 10 to 15 mins to get my stamp and get through customs...insanely fast. Immigration freaks me out ALL the time. I always feel like I look guilty. Anyway Hong Kong was nice. EXPENSIVE AS HELL!!! Toni with an i and myself visited 4 museums, met with her friend Patty from London (she called her "short ass") popped across the border to Shenzhen for a cheap lunch and popped back to Hong Kong to do more free sightseeing.
FYI it was gloomy, rainy, crappy weather the entire time I was there. So the pictures suck. I will find some decent ones to post. I felt I was dragged around the city, willingly, looking for the "under belly" as Toni with an i says. She likes finding where the prostitutes, brothels, and gambling is happening around China. I found this hilarious, so why not, right? We found them and no comment.
We returned to the hostel in Shenzhen and the owner of the hostel told me that the police informed them that my 90 days expired. I slightly panicked and said "POLICE"!!! I forgot to show them my stamped passport after the 1st time I went to Hong Kong and the police check the hotels and hostel every few days to make sure everyone is registered...ugh. So all is good.
I left Toni with an i and AJ at the hostel and told them to keep me posted on the travel book about art and the student Movement. It was fun. I will keep in contact with them for sure.
I was very happy to get back to Shanghai. Something about being around "familiar" settings. Just knowing where shit is...is so nice.
Thats about it.
Pics to follow soon.
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