Shopping and big piles of meat.
For some unknown reason I appear to have been undercutting my budget majorly. So I decided to have a bit of a spending moment. I headed to America-Mura to check some bad t-shirts out and have a bit of chat with some of the staff of the shops. I eventually ended up buying a leather glove effort which has become my new favourite piece of clothes next to the cowboy hat.
I then explored the rest of the Osaka Castle grounds that I missed before and took in a couple of the musicians practicing there. Then it was back to the Hostel for an Onsen (hot bath). I met Trev in there, one of the Leicester lads who I befriended and invited him to dinner at a place I`d seen.
It was a bbq with a great twist. The tables all had a pit in the centre that was filled with hot coals then covered with a grill. The meat is then brought to you raw and you get to cook it yourself. We took the "all you can eat" special which meant endless refills of meat. Trev`s face was a pure picture. He looked like a kid at Christmas and we both got real excited about getting to quaff vast quantities of meat. Was awesome fun.

Quiet day to Loud day
Now Playing: Crazy Japanese Live bands!
I had a quiet day since my budget wasnt looking too clever and just wandered the town. Stopped in at the Sega Joyopolis which is a huge arcade topped with a ferris wheel. Place was fun to wander in and see all the crazy machines and pachinko stalls.
I took in a park called Nakano-Shina after that where there were a bunch of artists painting the near-by buildings so I stayed and chilled there for a bit enjoying the ambience. I went over to Nippombashi, the electronic district, and took in some of the high tech nonsense and the anime shopps that spanned four floors. A pretty uneventful day but at least it was cheap.
My plan the next day was to hit a temple and then the aquarium but was told some live bands were playing at the Osaka Castle park so decided to head there. I got there fairly early and bumped into Iain who was also there to see the bands. We took in a set done by some Japanese drummers which was good to watch. We then grabbed some beers and took in the bands. There were some awesome set-ups. We watched a few then a few kids took an interest in Iain while I was away at the toilet and when I got back we ended up playing soccer/basketball with them for a bit. We then watched the bands again. There was a couple of J-punk bands who had a good sound, a band that seemed to be led by Willa Wonka (of chocolate factory fame), a Irezumi tatooed band who sounded like the mad-capsule market, a 50`s rock n roll band with their Kawazakis lined up at the side of the stage and a funky ska band who were really into getting the crowd to participate.

Osaka Castle, America-Mura and Dotombari
Devon, Kale and I headed out to invade Osaka castle and see what all the fuss was about. We got to the castle, saw the surrounding moat and walls and thought: "Screw invading that bastard!"
The walls were around 30-40 feet high with a wide moat surrounding them. Once passed that wall and moat invader would find themselves a little frustrated by being confronted with another moat and another wall.
We took a lesiurely stroll round the grounds and bumped into a volunteer guide beside one of the shrines and she took us around to show us the sights and even showed us where we could try Osaka`s famous Takoyaki (octopus in balls of dough and fried). The castle was very cool to see and we got some cool photos of the grounds.
We took a wander after that and stopped in at some random anime shops and t-shirt places to see the awful translations on the t-shirts.
We then headed to the America-Mura (American Village) a part of town where it`s all anerican themed and all the Japanes go to hang out and dress up American style... or what they think is American Style anyway. We did our American tradition of buying a few cans of beer and chilling watching the skaters as we drank em. We then headed to Dotombari, the bar/nightclub area for a couple of drinks. Kale and I had an absinthe and got the full perforated metal spoon with buring sugar cube on?@it and soda water treatment. After that it kinda made wandering round Dotombari just a little more intense since all the bright lights seemed to take on another edge. The experience was very potent shall we say. We dropped in a skewer bar on the way back, got some snacks then?@hit the hostel.

BATTER UP!
I left Kobe on good terms and headed to Osaka. Using my mastery of the Japanese language it didnt take me long to reach my hostel. I dumped my bags and headed out for a wander.
I took a gander round the city and got a burger since I had a huge meat craving.?@I took a look around the business district which is about an interesting as a group of very large buildings can be then headed to the hostel.
I ran into an American named Iain who came from Wisconsin who invited me out with his German friend Carlo to come see a Baseball game. Having never seen a baseball game before I was all for it. We were joined by two guys, Kale and his little brother Devon, from Chicago. We had a few drinks beforehand to lubricate us up for the game then hit out for the cheap seats. It was the Osaka buffaloes Vs the Nagoya Dragons so we went with the Home team. We arrived in the forth inning to see the Buffaloes were ahead. The stands we were in were fairly empty so we decided to sneak into more crowded and lively ones. We cooly (drunkenly) walked past the gaurd who didnt even register and then found ourself a spot to stand. It took a moment and we suddenly realised we were in the Nagoya dragons stand... we quickly changed our loyalty and decided that the dragons were our team. They scored a run and we started high-fiving a bunch of people and caught the interest of a few businessmen who we ended up sitting with. They were the sponsers of one of the pitchers: Sato. So we joined in the cheers for Sato. Iain turned around and then said "Lets get a wave going." So we leapt up and got the business guys to help us out and we started a mexican wave in a Japanese baseball game. We got the crowd really riled up and got them to do the wave about 4 times! We were getting a lot of interest from the crowd who were very amused by our antics. The Dragons won the game and we celebrated by jumping around, screaming and high fiving anyone near us. People were crowding us to give us high fives, kinda felt like being a minor celebrity. All in a good introduction to baseball and Japan

ONTO JAPAN!
Now Playing: Asian Kung -fu Generation and Orange Range
Stayed in a hotel in Tianjin so it wouldnt be too hard to get to the Ferry in the morning although I was hassled not once, not twice but three times by women knocking on my door for massages. I told them straight tho: "I am not giving you a massage!" The taxi ride was fun: My driver was clearly awesome since he had all the tricks: Driving on the hard shoulder, going down cycling tracks and even cutting up a police car! But I made it to the Ferry and slogged through the 48 hour journey.
Arrived in Kobe with no complications. Compared to my escapades in Shanghai it doesn`t get much smoother than this! I arrived in Kobe port and caught the subway into town then headed to a large station map to find my hostel. Before I knew it a businessman asked me where I wanted to got then guided me through buying tickets and finding my platform. I thanked him greatly then headed on. ON the platform another man asked if I needed help and I greatly accepted so he showed me which train to get on. The Japanese people seem?@immensely friendly and enthusiastic. I arrived at my hostel a mere hour after landing in the port and headed to the nearest cheapest restaurant... I felt kinda bad since it was a chinese place and making it my first meal in Japan after two weeks in China is taking the piss a little. The room was a basic tatami mat floor job with an awesome view of the harbour.

Tiannamen Square and the Forbidden City... with a Hangover!
My head felt several sizes too big when I woke up but I managed to fight throught the muggyness to go see the sights. Our guide was a cheery chinese chap called Kevin who was very informative and funny. Tiannamen square was basically just that... a huge square with a couple of monuments dotted around but the real sight was the forbidden city.
It was a three km walk through it! It was great to see all some of the rooms and such and imagine how it would have been to be an emperor of China (a pretty cushy number if you ask me!). My favourite part was a small stream outside one of the main courtyards which was quite quiet and serene. The Gardens at the end were another high point, filled with impressive rock structures and gorgeous trees surrounding fascinating buildings and statues.
Then it was time for Peking Duck and saying "bye" to the group... and if you guys are reading this tyou better post a comment!

The Great Wall and more Kung Fu
So we went to the Great Wall and I have to agree... it`s a great wall alright. We walked up the steps (being to stingy to pay for the cable car) and took in the view. The weather was overcast and a little drizzly but it worked to our advantage as it meant there were no crowds and the views were awesome without any sort of heat haze to spoil it. It was quite a spectacle to see with the mountain ranges in the distance and wall stretching along it.
We walked the length of the section of the wall we were on and even beyond into a non-touist but of crumbling wall which was overgrown with trees and long grass, which was probably the best bit to be honest.
We took a tobbangan ride back down to the base of the wall which was fun then headed back to the hotel.
In the evening I was lucky enough to get a ticket to a Kung Fu show which was a dramatised show of Kung Fu skills of the shaolin schools. It involved choreographed fights, breaking metal on their bodies, showing different styles and even sneaking in the crowd to jump up beside us and scare the living hell out of us... bastards...
Then I hooked up with the gang and we headed out to play pool and drink beer. Then Dan, Peter and Me headed to a club called Vic`s for more dancing and drunken fun.

High altitudes, hill walking and slingshots.
Woke up around 7ish, oustide the homestay to find Brett had already gone walk-about. Kunchuk made us breakfast of egg and tomato with fried bread.
We then hit the road again and decided to stop for a walk down the hill... which turned into an all out sprint due to the gradient. Kunchuk was behind screaming something incomprehensible and laughing, while Brett, Tim and Katy were ahead. Once we stopped running I felt a little dizzy which made me?@think maybe I dont climatise well. Which made the next idea seem really dumb.
Tim and I decided to go for a short jog. Within around two minutes I was puffing and wheezing and really feeling the effects. Time fared better than me keeping his pace a lot longer but after around 10 mins we packed it in.
We went for a more relaxing trek with Kunchuk a little later up over a ridge over-looking the town. We crested the ridge at the top to the site of a huge wooden structure covered in prayer flags. There were small pieces of paper blowing around with horses drawn onto them which were called "wind-horses" and are for good luck. It was about then the wind really picked up. I`ll never forget standing on the steep incline looking down into the valley as the small squares of paper blew up and around me as the prayer flags flapped in the wind.
The wind didnt last long as soon the sun was out again and Kunchuk decided to show us his skills with a slingshot. No slingshot was available so he used my belt instead a sent a stone around 60 metres... then a passing shepard (I think thats what he was, he was following the goats and shouting a lot at them) lent his slingshot to Kunchuk. There was a whipcrack noise and the stone flew out the slingshot for a good 150 metres or so! It was pretty awesome to see. I had a go and sent the stone whizzing around 10 metres... sideways...
We sauntered down after to have dinner and go to bed. The next day was mostly travelling down to Lanjo and then flying out to Beijing.

Bouncing buses, tibetan kids and open air sleeping.
We arrived in Lanjo and after breakfast we hit the road... and bounced... a lot. We bounced our way along for a good 6 hours or so until we arrived in Xiahe. We were met by our guide: Kunchuk, a stocky tibetan who came from a family of nomads. He walked us around the town to show us the prayer wheels and temples and explain a little of the history of the place. We then had dinner where Peter, our irish potato lover ended up in the kitchen cooking his potatoes to his desired crispyness, much to the amusement of the restaurant owners.
Next day we headed to the monastery for a guided tour. I`m annoyed that I can`t remember more of the facts but it was a pretty dense tour and lots of names were mentioned so it was pretty hard to take it all in. The temple had a great atmosphere: the air was heavy and the silence was almost oppressive.
After lunch we headed up another bumpy road towards our homestay and stopped at a Bund temple on the way. We then headed to a tibetan school to meet some tibetan kids. They were very curious about us and it wasn`t long before we were surrounded by little groups of tibetan kids who prodded us and shouted random things. They seemed really interested in our watches, my long blonde hair (yep... I kept it) and Brett taking his contacts out... altho they kept asking him to do it again and again and didnt seem to understand he wasnt taking parts of his eye out.
Peter, Brett and Dan all played football or frisbee with the kids. Brett started busting out his usual tricks and tormenting the kids. Tim and Katy taught them Head-Shoulders-Knees-and-toes which went down really well. I hung back at first as I`ve never been great with kids and wasn`t sure what to do. Then Katy asked me to do a cartwheel and I then had the idea to do some old Break-dancing tricks. Most of the kids gathered round to watch and I (tried) to teach them?@some moves but the language barrier made it very chaotic. Then I was stepped to by a 11 yr old girl who did the most amazing back bend I`ve ever seen. I know when I`m beat so I called it a day. We headed to the homestay after that and took a walk around the village wall.
The homestay was nice and our hostess was very pleasant. Kunchuk and her made?@us a thick noodle soup which was THE best meal so far. After that we had a couple of drinks of some paint thinner like alcohol called Arro (I think). Brett and Kunchuk then showed me and Katy how to play Sho, a tibetan dice game. We played a couple of rounds of that which was really good fun.
The offer was then revealed we could sleep outside so Kunchuk, Brett and I all headed out with some blankets and laid out. Once the lights went off inside you could see all the stars so clearly. It was beautiful to see the sky in the pitch black.

Xian, the wall (not the GREAT one), muslim hotpot, terracotta and dumplings!
So we caught the train from Luyoung to Xian. We arrived in the evening then headed to the Muslim quarter where Brett took us for some Hot Pot. If you`re unfamiliar with hot pot it is basically a large metal pot which is divided in two sections. One is filled with a spicy mixture and the other a more mild one. The pot is placed on a gas heater in the middle of the table and then you simply pop skewers of meat/veg/whatever?@into it and let them cook. It was a good meal but I just knew I`d be singing some Johnny Cash on the toilet the next day.
The next day was Terracotta Warrior time. We headed out to the pits with our guide, Tina. Who gave us a fairly rapid tour of the place. It was interesting and also, when I got thinking about it, a little overwhelming. SO many of the warriors were made and buried and the fact it took several years also made it hard to comprehend the scale of the construction of a burial chamber of this size.
After we returned to Xian, I took a wander down culture street and then headed down east street.
I should mention the layout of Xian here. The city has four main streets: north, south, east and west all converging on the bell tower which is a massive pagoda style building holding a bell. Down south street a little is the drum tower which houses... (go on,?@guess!) drums. The city is surrounded by a 14km long wall that was for keeping invaders out back in the day.
That evening we sampled a brazilian place which is basically meat, a buffet style salad/meat/sweets/soup bar, more meat and some meat to finish (fans of Jimmy Chungs/thai buffer raise your hands!) The meat was served by guys wandering round with skewers of meat and they cut pieces off for you to enjoy. They even wheeled round a full roasted pig!
The next day I got up early to go down the park to see the tai chi being practiced in the park. There were women doing fan dancing, guys practicing with sabres and people doing froms on all sides.
I headed to the Mosque in the muslim?@quarter after that to see what it was like. It was pretty and had an open layout that was good to wander through, but I really liked some of the displays they had in the little enclaves at the side of the place. Simple things like ornate mirrors or desk just seemed to stand out.
I then decided it was time to walk the wall. I hit out with my pack on my back and started trudging. I stopped at each of the main gates to take pictures and occasionally had a look over the wall while I was walking. It was good to get out into the air and take in the sights from a different perspective.
Then it was simply back to the hotel to catch a train to Lanjo.