Farmers

T headed back to Shenyang today for a family wedding and I headed for a small seaside city called HuLuDao. It certainly was an adventure just getting there and getting a hotel room.

I took a 5 hour train ride there and when I got off I went to my hotel. As soon as I walked in the door, the lady who was obviously the manager started waving her arms at me saying that I couldn't stay there. Even though it is a national chain this particular hotel didn't have the licence to allow foreigners to stay there. Her face went white when I told her I had a reservation online. I jumped up and down and called the booking agency I talked to them and they talked with the hotel. They told me I couldn't stay there and they offered me 255 yuan credit on another stay.

I walked around the city asking at every hotel if they took foreigners.. None did.. I finally asked a guy at one of the hotels and he wrote down an address to give a taxi driver. It was 12 kilometers to where he dropped me off. He dropped me outside a place and said that it would be OK. I went inside and they said it was a restaurant and not a hotel.. The Chinese for a hotel and a restaurant can often be the same and so I started asking around if there was a hotel in the area. Everyone kept pointing towards a particular road ans so I took that road. I finally made it to the beach and there was a small hostel there. The little old lady just looked scared when I asked her if there was a room available so I jumped on a bus and headed back into town. I decided to give it half an hour longer and if I hadn't found anything I was just gunna go back to Shenyang.. I eventually found a place and settled in.

This Blip was taken from the train. A guy who was watching me taking pics told me that these two were collecting peanuts and upon closer inspection, I am sure he was right.