Xiamen - Fujian Province: the homeland. Apparently. Well, Mum says so and so does Dad, but less convincingly. I'll take their word for it. I mean, what the fuck do I know anyway? The idea of it excites me at least. Before coming here, I had these visions of running into a parallel universe Mark, that had been living in China all this time instead of being born abroad. My vision is kind of 'Back-to-the-future-esque' (by the way - what happened to Michael J. Fox - i really want to watch Teenwolf now), and that if we ever meet, the world's will collide and implode. Dramatic indeed, and unlikely, but you can never be too careful. I wonder if I'd recognise him...
5 bowls of instant noodles after leaving Hangzhou, winding through some spectacular Yangshuo like scenery, I arrived in Xiamen. In Australia, such an instant noodle eating feat would be greeted by bright sunshine Beaches. In China, as it is such a common place achievement, only gloom and rain await. On the gloomiest day in the history of China, my first in Xiamen, I manage to find my hostel on the small island of Gulang Yu and enjoy a hot shower which is undoubtedly Top 5 in all China. Brilliant. First impression of Xiamen - and first impressions last - the weather's a bitch. But following advice from the song, I decided to bring the delightful Hangzhou weather with me and it paid dividends, with beautiful weather for the rest of my stay in Xiamen. How good is good weather? Rain is average...
So, my first impression of Xiamen faded, in particular, due to the delightful Gulang Yu. It's this little island only about 200m of Xiamen, devoid of traffic, quiet and beautiful, filled with ye olde world colonial shit. From what I have come to understand about Xiamen, it seems every bloody country has had Xiamen at some stage or another. I will refrain from any unsavoury metaphors as, inter alia, it's the homeland. But during these periods of colonial invasions, many buildings were constructed on the undulating island, making for some amazing walks for the modern traveller. And there's no one around. Yes. Indeed. Brilliant. On one of the gloomiest days in the history of China, I ascended the poorly named Sunlight rock (a misnomer equal or greater than the demilitarised zone in Korea), the highest point on the hilly Gulang Yu. As beautiful as it was from the top, the winding alleys and cobblestone paths along the steep Gulang Yu rises make the island, and are certainly the most memorable part of my time in Xiamen.
5 bowls of instant noodles after leaving Hangzhou, winding through some spectacular Yangshuo like scenery, I arrived in Xiamen. In Australia, such an instant noodle eating feat would be greeted by bright sunshine Beaches. In China, as it is such a common place achievement, only gloom and rain await. On the gloomiest day in the history of China, my first in Xiamen, I manage to find my hostel on the small island of Gulang Yu and enjoy a hot shower which is undoubtedly Top 5 in all China. Brilliant. First impression of Xiamen - and first impressions last - the weather's a bitch. But following advice from the song, I decided to bring the delightful Hangzhou weather with me and it paid dividends, with beautiful weather for the rest of my stay in Xiamen. How good is good weather? Rain is average...
So, my first impression of Xiamen faded, in particular, due to the delightful Gulang Yu. It's this little island only about 200m of Xiamen, devoid of traffic, quiet and beautiful, filled with ye olde world colonial shit. From what I have come to understand about Xiamen, it seems every bloody country has had Xiamen at some stage or another. I will refrain from any unsavoury metaphors as, inter alia, it's the homeland. But during these periods of colonial invasions, many buildings were constructed on the undulating island, making for some amazing walks for the modern traveller. And there's no one around. Yes. Indeed. Brilliant. On one of the gloomiest days in the history of China, I ascended the poorly named Sunlight rock (a misnomer equal or greater than the demilitarised zone in Korea), the highest point on the hilly Gulang Yu. As beautiful as it was from the top, the winding alleys and cobblestone paths along the steep Gulang Yu rises make the island, and are certainly the most memorable part of my time in Xiamen.
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