After a truly disappointing time in Xiahe (number 3 on the map) I decided to just cut my loses and get
across to Xining (number 4 on the map) a day early.
Again the only way to do this was to find a car and so I was put in touch with a local driver who agreed to drive me the 6 hours into the neighbouring province. This sadly was another unlucky break as the woman who turned up did so with her 5 year old kid in the back. I don't mind kids but this one was rough to be around, especially for a 6 hour drive over the mountains. She was a rude and dangerous driver and made the journey very very unpleasant. I sent a complaint to the company when I arrived. Something I have never done before. Drivers in China are horrendous but she was the first to try to make a stupid "look at the foreigner" video for tiktok WHILE WE WERE DRIVING!!! I took her phone from her and shouted at her like a child. She didn't speak Mandarin so all of the Satnav apps were useless to her. She ended up having to get her 5 year old kid to translate which went about as well as you can imagine.
The scenery along the journey was incredible but this was actually part of the problem, all mountains, steep cliffs, sharp drops and speeding cars of tourists.
It really is a miracle I survived!
I found an ATour hotel in Xining which is a chain hotel in China. They are all the same and are incredible value for money. I have stayed in them before and know that the beds are comfy, showers are powerful and the food not too bad.
After the last place I was happy to have somewhere nice to stay.
I arrived, checked in and immediately went to find food and a well deserved beer.
Xining is obviously not a large city and so my high rise hotel did stand out a bit. It gave me some beautiful views.
No comments:
Post a Comment