Worst Weekend Ever

Since we did not have classes on Friday, Steve and I took a train from Hangzhou to Ningbo on Thursday night. The plan was to go to Putuoshan, a small touristy island off the coast, for a few days. On Friday, we woke up early and bought a ticket that included a bus ride out of Ningbo and then the ferry ride to Putuoshan. However, when we arrived at the docks, we were told that the ferries would not be running because the wind was too strong. Before we had time to process this change of plans, we were surrounded by people offerring us rides to Putuoshan via their privately-owned, thus non-legit cars and boats. We call these kinds of rides "hei che," (black cars), or in this case, "hei chuan" (black boats). Oh, and of course these "hei chuan" were charging us double the original price.

We decided not to try to get to Putuoshan. After all, we were already on the coast, so we decided to check out the area. We boarded the local bus back to Ningbo with the intention of just getting off if we saw anything that looked interesting.

The bus was a nightmare. It was old and uncomfortable, and opening the windows only let in gusts of car exhuast. As we drove through one factory town after another, people crowded onto the bus, jostling and fighting for seats. Our only view was of power plants, buildings and houses falling apart, tractors rumbling past the bus. The woman next to Steve got car sick and began vomiting. When we finally made it to Ningbo, we went straight to the train station to buy our tickets back to Hangzhou.

Then, on Saturday night, I got food poisoning from a seemingly benign plate of pasta. I could not eat anything without throwing it back up again for three days. On Monday night, Steve took me to the hospital were we paid 120 kuai for the doctor to tell me to ask me three times if I was pregnant and then conclude that I had food poisoning. His solution for the vomiting? Don't eat. Thanks. Well, my body was eventually able to work itself out and I am finally back to normal again.

This week is my midterm exam week, and then next week is my midterm break. I am heading off to Xinjiang for a week, where I doubt I will have internet access. You may not hear from me for a while, but I will have plenty of news when I return!