As the fates would have it, the day after I climbed my personal best, a 5.12c face climb, the temperatures a dropping and the winter rains a beginning to fall on yangshuo. Despite being deterred from climbing by the weather I had a pleasant and productive day. After a lengthy session of yoga in the morning I spoke to a travel agent about getting my Vietnam visa here in yangshuo to avoid travel expenses of going to the embassy 6 hours away to get it myself. After some haggling with a one eyed tourist agent he agreed to arrange a visa for me for about $12 more than it would cost if I went to the embassy myself. So in 3-5 days I should have a Vietnamese visa in hand and will be getting on a one way bus to Hanoi, Vietnam.
  I also finished my most recent novel today about the pacific crest trail. If you are or ever have been an avid reader you know how transfixed one becomes when he has his nose buried in a book with the end in sight. As my eyes rapidly darted from line to line while I was sitting on a bench reading by the Li river, a Chinese man, to my dismay, started a conversation with me. I do enjoy talking to the locals, but it was apparent that his notebook in hand and requests of photographs meant that he was an English student and I was yet another homework assignment to speak to a foreigner. As this particularly talkative student spoke he had a very consistent stream of drool and spit bubbles spewing over his lips. Trying to muster all the patience I feel I have acquired through my travels I sat idly by listening and nodding to his "I'm from here, where are you from?" routine. All the while watching the ever more apparent spit fly from his mouth, trying to stay as far away as possible. Finally my patience wore thin and I really wanted to finish my book. How rude in the first place I thought, to interrupt a person intently reading on a quiet riverside. So I had to cut him off in med sentence a request he leave while I finish my reading. Instead he pressed on telling me about how I should take kong fu lessons from his friend. Finally forced away my peaceful bench I got up left without further comment. 
   Moral of my story is, while traveling have a patent tolerance to events and people crossing your path. But to an extent. At some point you have to say "fuck off" for lack of better words.
   As my time here in china draws to an end I'm getting increasingly excited about travels to come. I four or five destinations in mind left to see in Southeast Asia. Then what I feel will be the culmination of this trip, INDIA. I spoke to my former traveling partner's father today who spent a lot of time traveling in India. He gave me list of highlights of his trip to research. Including laid back beach towns, one of which is Hampi India's premiere bouldering destination. He also recommended a 10 day silent meditation retreat, paid for by donation. I found his analogy of the hardships of traveling in India even more of a draw for me. "To travel in India you must be like bamboo, either sway with the wind of India, or India will snap you"
   One of the reasons I decided to travel in this part of the world was to be taken out of my comfort zone and hopefully learn something in the process. Up to this point it's still been to easy by my standards. I have yet to find many comfort level or cultural challenges. This is what I hope to find in India, to have a life changing, character building experience of sorts. Plus you can live on next to nothing in India :) 

  I thought it would be an interesting part of this entry to include a list of cultural difference I've observed in china. Some of which I can understand, and some I find utterly perplexing.
1. When using a toothpick, Chinese people cover their mouths with their opposite hand. I asked a Chinese English teacher, why? Her response was "tradition".

2. Not so much cultural difference, but funny never the less. The Chinese sneeze has a distinct Chinese accent to the end of it.

3. In china, or all over Asia for that matter, they will burn anything, anywhere. I've seen mattresses lit afire on jungle trails. rather than recycling plastic, burn it. Instead of collecting raked leaves, just burn them.

4. Bring your earplugs to china, because no seems to use a muffler. A roaring semi in the United States is like a lullaby in comparison to a large truck on the roads of china.

5. Everyone knows that China and other Asian country eat a lot of rice and noodles. But it's not so much a stereotype like French fry eating Americans. It's more of a national everyday every meal additive. You would be hard pressed to find a single authentic dish that doesn't include rice or noodles.

6. I find it interesting that the beer is overpriced and is a useless 3.6% alcohol. But local rice wine is very cheap and is a punch-in-the-face 53% alcohol.

7. Known by many as the "great firewall of china". China blocks many websites from people within its' borders from viewing, including social networking sites, video sharing sites, and pornographic or adult material online.

8. The beggars and homeless people of china are a much more disturbing scene than that in the U.S. Here many of the people asking for handouts are seriously mental and/or physically disabled. I've seen men lying on the streets face down with dislocated, gnarled feet, one man that will never leave my mind was bald, on his knees, in a hunched head down position, and had two 1/2 inch deep indentations 4 inches wide one either side of his skull. 

9. On a lighter note, the Chinese take pictures of everything! Just like they do in the states at tourist destinations. I don't think a day has gone by when I don't have to pose with Chinese tourists in yangshuo. I don't so much mind the cute Chinese girls, I'll take pictures with them all day, but the guys get on my nerves.

Loving the backpackers road.