Freedom… I couldn’t believe!!! I thought I was going to be a Tibetan prisoner the rest of my life!!!! (As you can see I haven’t lost my habit of exaggerating things ahahahha!)
I flu from Lhasa to Chengdu (my initial plan was to go overland through Golmud! But as I was very sick the doctor, being exact “the police”,only allowed me to fly. So I had no choice!
I know many people who have been in China will have a laugh and think I am crazy when they read it… but I loved Chengdu! After so many days (weeks!) out of the civilization, in the mountains… it was party time to arrive in a very big city with many moderns high buildings. I felt I was in New York ! A very important city girl! Hahah! I am even telling you a secret that I shouldn’t tell anyone (things to be ashamed!) …please don’t let everybody know it …. But my first meal in Chegdu had to be at MacDonalds and the second at KFC!!! After so many fried rice and fried noodle (only kind of food we can get in the Himalayas)… the MacDonald fries were a 5star meal!

Visa novel part 2!!!
As I arrived in China through Nepal/Tibet I only got 20 days visa. But I knew it was quite easy to extend visa in China (of course you need to pay a fortune! – Oh! I forgot to say that they charged me 50 dollars to split my visa in Tibet!). I tried to extend my visa in Chengdu but they said visa only could be extended 8 days before its expire date , so I still had some days.

After Chengdu I went to Guilin and Yanshuo ( 38 hours by train plus 4 hours in a bus – I thought I would get crazy as I couldn’t find any tourist in the train – the worst – even not one person who could speak even Hey in English! It was a 2 days mute! That was hard!). It is a very beautiful region in China. Wonderful country side and amazing boat trips (check photosBut, better than that, was that it is a tourist area… so guess what I got for dinner…. Western food… chicken with ham/cheese, salad and fries! Delicious!

Visa novel part 3!
8 days to my visa expires! I went to the immigration office they said that as I arrived in China through Nepal they couldn’t extend my visa, that I should go to Kunmmin (forgot the correct spelling – whatever!).

So I went to Kunmmin (whatever!) to get my visa extended. The city whatever (that I forgot the spelling) is just a big city with none attraction but it is a good place to arrange southern Asia visas and also the gate to get to nice villages in china, such as Dali and Lijiang . I met so many nice people there ( foreigners of course!) !

Visa novel part 4!
By the time I got to whatever city, I had only 3 days on my visa! So it was my last chance saloon (name of a girly book in UK )I woke up early to go to the immigration office ( guide book and hotel had wrong old address – new address was almost out of town – so far!) after spending all morning and almost all evening I got to the immigration office ( 3pm! )The immigration officer DIDN”T WANT to extend my visa because I went to Tibet! I got so angry that I couldn’t even use my new acting skills… I couldn’t even cry! That f***in officer from the f***in China even said to me that if I didn’t leave the country by the expiring date I would be fined US$95 per each day I stayed after the expiring date! So I only had one alternative -to leave the country!
I really cannot understand how these international governments agreed that 2008 Olympic Games are going to be in China! Crazy people!

Well… after all these Chinese visa things I came directly to Vietnam … express first bus I could find … paying express as fast as it was possible Vietnamese visa…

Visa Novel part 5!
It never ends!
I have done it! I got to the border before the expiring date. But as I hadn’t had enough! The immigration police held me for 5 hours and didn’t want to let me leaving the country saying I had a fake visa!!! It was because my visa wasn’t in my passport but in a paper – but that is the way it is when you enter China through Nepal – it is like that to everybody! These incompetent people even don’t understand about visa in their own country… so they kept my visa and didn’t want to give back to me…
As the Chinese Immigration kept my visa… Vietnamese immigration didn’t want to allow me into the country and they held me for more 3 hours!!!
Finally got inside Vietnam! YUP! Celebration time!!!

Final Comment about China…
Most of the Chinese don’t speak any word in English but they are much friendlier than I had expected. It is so sweet; they really do try to help you as they can… even without being able to speak English.

Funniest Meal in China!!!
I love the Chinese Dumpling! They are my favorite food in China! But as I wanted to taste new things I was trying to get dumplings with a different filling, instead of pork. I went to a restaurant willing to eat fish dumplings (only in my imagination!). Waiter couldn’t speak English (as always!), so I was trying to make him to understand what I was looking for! I got my phrase book and showed the words… dumpling… filling… fish… or chicken…
After half hour effort I had the impression he finally understand what I meant!
Surprise!!!
He brought to me a super huge dish of normal pork dumplings plus another super huge grilled fish and another super huge fried chicken! Everybody in the restaurant was looking at me… sitting alone with food for 30 people on the table! Oh no!!! But the worst thing was that I had to pay a HUGE bill!

Most interesting meal in China!
As I wrote in an email to all of you, one of the main dishes in China is called Hotpot, a Chinese version of fondue- it is a big pot of hot water, spices and sesame oil they put on the table and they also bring many different things you can cook in your hotpot! Of course I had to try the Chinese specialties such as pork brain, scorpions, snake skin, fish eye, chicken intestine ect! I promise it was an unique experience! Hahahah!