I'm so sorry!!!

Hey folks, so I've been on the road in China and so far it's been a blast. China is everything you wouldn't expect. It's shocking, beautiful, nerve racking and so on! Last time I wrote, I was on the train from Dunhuang et Jiayuang. A 4 hours train that would get me out of the small desert city I was in for 24 hours but also into the longest 21 hours of my life. Arrived in Jiayuang, I had to wrestled my way onto the T70 to Beijing because it was so full. For 30 minutes I stayed at the ticket office looking pittyful and it worked out. I got a standing ticket on the train to Beijing. Yeah. The worst 21 hours of my life!!! Not that bad but when you get a standing for a train in China it means you have no seat and usually when you get such a ticket, it's because you're not the only one. So picture Montreal Subway rush hour for 21 hours! For that one, I self proclaim myself tough, specially that it was an overnight. Train left at 22h42 from Jiayuang and arrived Beijing at 19h34 and I was up since 7h30. Even worst is that on the train, my jeans riped at the crouch. Nightmare. I basically had 10 hours left to A: not being able to sit confortably on the ground B: think about buying a new pair of jeans. If you don't know me, shopping for a pair of jeans is the worst thing that can happen to me! A bloody nightmare.

Anyhow, I did make my way to Beijing and to the hostel where I just crashed. May I also had that I didn't had a shower in the last 72 hours because I had two + 20 hours train ride and a day in Dunhuang and that there was no hot shower at the hotel I was and it was about -15° so therefore the was no way I would wilingly freeze to death in the desert! Seriously. So shower in Beijing at this really nice Hostel right by the Forbideen city! So I passed out for 12 hours. 

Quickly, I stayed 7 days in Beijing and was so lucky. Sunny and clear days, it was just awesome. The Siberian (wind) was blowing on the city making the sky crisp blue, the visibility unlimited and the tourist hide in restaurant and cafes. But nothing would stop a canadian, even not the wind from roaming around the amazing city of Beijing. And by amazing I mean OMFG. So of course there's all the amazing Forbideen city, pagodas, drum towers, and such but the city itself is awesome. Hutong, organized chaos, a city that didn't lost it's charm over the towers and newer buildings. A city that has so much to offer that 7 days was merly enough to see the tip of the iceberg! Of course, there's all the sights but Beijing is more than that, it's the vibrant people that live there and make it even more interesting. I would risk myself to say that Beijing is to China what Montreal is to Canada! I've meet great people in Beijing, especially at this amazing place called Cafe de la Poste. A french bistro. Great people hanged out there and 3 evenings where spent there having amazing exchange and heaps of fun. It was also there that I went to see the great wall of China. This was truly amazing. I choose a non restored part tour and it was truly mind blowing, walking on a wall that big, man made over a 1000 years ago. Seriously impressive! I didn't expect anything from the tour but it was nice because it ended being 15 of us, all travellers and therefore a day of fun, crazy pictures with fellow backpackers! Even a dude from Ottawa!! The hostel was really nice but so quiet. I guess not a lot of travellers in deep China winter! Conclusion. Beijing was mind blowing and so much fun.

After Beijing, Shanghai! I had to start thinking of making my way back to Hong Kong because my Chinese visa will end on the 19th and therefore, still want to see some other place because I could of stayed in Beijing for another week. So, time to try the high speed train. Beijing Shanghai: 1400km, 5 hours. Boum. 300km the hole way. It's really cool, like really cool. It's almost like doing Montreal Toronto in 1h45 minutes!!! High speed train FTW. I was suppose to take the train with two other guys, there was a misunderstading on the train to take, never found them at the Shanghai train station and they had the hostel reservation! Oh well, I found a cool hostel in Shanghai. There I've meet two Australians who saved my life. They told me to go to a store UniQlo and Eureka, I found so Jeans for 45$ Good quality, I almost like them and they're confortable! Because, if you think about it I've been travelling for 9 days with jeans with a hole in them!!! Because it was so could in Beijing, I always had long johns and therefore couldn't see my boxer but in Shanghai it was hotter. Well it was a great moment when I paid for those jeans. Feeling of relief. Shanghai was more about the people I've meet then the places I've seen because I got 4 days of rain! So hang out at the hostel, walked a little bit around the city but in the end there's no fun at all to go sightseing when you end up drenched and cold. So it was a time to sleep a little more to recharge from Beijing, take more time to eat and drink with some awesome fellows! Also, a friend of mine I've meet in Boracay, PH who's living near by Shanghai came to say hello for an evening and that was nice!

I left Shanghai with a really cool person which I'm making throught Hangzhou and Xiamen my way to Hong Kong. From Hong Kong, it's back to the Philippines, to board the next 3 months of my amazing journey. What will that be? A boat, a amazing sail boat. 3 months aboard infinityexpedition.com I'm quite honestly über excited. On the water for 3 months to see from the ocean, the islands of the Philippines, Malaysia and Indonesia! Some of the most amazing coral reefs of the South China Sea and loads of fun!

The reason I'm so sorry is because I haven't wrote in so many days!

Until next time,
Cheers!

Through my earphones:

- Albert King
  The Best of Albert King Remastered

- Jimmy Whiterspoon
  Jimmy Whiterspoon - Wonderful World

- Turn me on
  David Guetta feat. Nicky Menaj