Taiyuan

Thought I'd come here, since there's apparently nothing to do and that's what I like doing.

The highlight of the train ride was an old guy in a bona fide Mao suit and the diorrhea all over the toilet floor. Honestly, you'd think that Chinese people would have enough practice aiming into squat toilets. I mean, just after 4 months or so of squatters and I've got my precision down to getting it into the hole...

The Lousy Planet (photocopy, haha) proved as lousy as ever. Walked down the street of budget hotels and got quoted 50 yuan for each one (more than I've ever paid for accommodation in China). Walked down another street. Found a place for 30... still too much. Was about to go to Beijing, when I stumbled upon a dirty orange building with no reception on the first floor. Just a sign and a staircase. Found reception on the 3rd floor, staffed by 3 beautiful women who had a giggle at my presence. 15 for a dorm. Killer.

Next stop : Public Security Bureau. Thought I'd ask the guard outside for directions. Bad move. You're not supposed to do that. Went inside, found the office and recieved the following treatment: "What is the purpose of your stay of Taiyuan? Do you have money? How much money do you have? Where is your hotel?" Well, I have no purpose in coming to Taiyuan, I have enough money to get me through, and I don't know my hotel's name or address, because it is a dingy hole that isn't allowed to take foreigners, and I'm not about to dob them in. In the end, the daft woman's friend turned up and told me to go to another office at 3:30.

Walked into a market and bought some camouflage sneakers and a camouflage t-shirt (arsehole tried to rip me off, but I talked him down from 40 to 25... and he probably still ripped me off).

PSB office was shining new, full of officials, none of whom could help me. Eventually, a woman rocked up and told me that visa extensions took 5 working days to process.

Walked around the main shopping district. The usual: hordes of beautiful young women with their ugly boyfriends, noise and the smell of grilled stuff.

Thought I'd walk into a CD store. The woman there knew her stuff, and could speak English. She even had an Einsturzende Neubauten CD, which I bought. Also got some DVDs, as it's cheaper to buy them here than to rent them in Australia!

So, nothing much happened in Taiyuan. Catching a train out to Beijing at midday.