The end of one chapter...but not the book!

Trip Start Sep 17, 2006

Trip End Aug 2007

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Flag of China Island of Gulang, (Xiamen) Fuzhou, China
Thursday, January 11, 2007

Well I knew I could only write this next entry once Id gained some distance from the nightmare that occured last week. Whilst anxiously waiting to see if my Visa could be extended to get me back into China after my trip to Thailand it was then explained to me that the problem was getting a Visa at all, and in fact, the college had no license to employ me so it was time to leave for good! All the Visa issues before I even left the UK never did get sorted and the patch up job of renewing my Visa every 4 weeks could actually only be done 5 times! I have been Angry, Bitter, Devastated and extremely Negative for some time but there is something about being by the Ocean that seems to take your worries away, therefore this entry will not be dwelling on how sad I am to leave Shangluo, the friends that have been my family these last 3 months, or the infruiating bureaucracy that I have been court up in, that Chapters been closed and the next one is about to begin...in Thailand!!!
My Journey started on Thursday (4th) to Xian and then a Flight to Xiamen on the 5th. When the plane landed my bag didnt come through and despite this being my worst nightmare, I had to chuckle at the comedy of everything going wrong for me! It then became apparent that we weren't even in Xiamen yet, I had one more plane to catch and thats where my bag would be!!! I met some nice Chinese Girls in my dorm who looked after me and we visited temples, botantical gardens, churches and the Island of Gulang. We aslo went to a famous place where they cook great seafood and your group has their own little gazeebo to eat in, was alittle surprised that the girls managed to bargained the price after we'd eaten!
At the temple I spotted a sign that made me smile, it read "Protect the green plot and devote your loving heart to it" and to think we just say - Keep off the grass! How sweet are Buddists eh!
Gulang (the island) is wonderful, theres no cars and all the little streets wind in and out of old fashioned Villas from the 1900's. Some are overgrown and look really magical, and then theres the little sandy coves, but the seas still freezing! Although Im feeling really in between things right now, not yet in Thailand and no place to call home in China, its been nice to put life on pause and just admire the view. So whatever the future holds, theres no point worrying about it, the worlds your oyster and all that, it'll all fall into place it always does...right!? Anyhow I'll be in sunny Thailand this weekend! Catch you later!

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