Plans for next summer
(NOTE: This will probably never happen, you know I'm no good at doing big things like this.)
Anyway, I've been thinking on it, and if I get a job in Leeds, don't buy any fags for 5 months (=£500), put this summer's wages into savings and live like a cheapskate for the next two semesters, I will have more than enough to go to China for a month next summer. I know it'll be the stupid stupid Olympics then, but you know I like to stay far away from Beijing anyway, so hopefully the high yank : Chinese ratio won't be too much of a problem. I haven't done a list for a while so here are the reasons why I want to go:
1. I'd be closer to Yeounteak/Yeon Teak (the spelling changes daily), and I have just now emailed him asking if he wants to Do China with me. It won't be too expensive for him (well, the plane tickets to china won't anyway) which I know is an important factor given that the poor thing is currently earning £1 an hour just to get a plane ticket to England. In China we could spend a month together and relive old times, and we could cheaply fly over to Korea for a week or whatever so I can see where he lives (you can buy tickets pretty much at the last minute, so it wouldn't require any planning). If it doesn't work out between us, which feels inconceivable at the moment but who knows, at least I wouldn't have the commitment of a pre-booked plane ticket to Korea and I would still be going to a country where I know the ropes.
2. I want to go to Tibet! It looks so amazing in my Michael Palin books, and they can speak Mandarin over there (which isn't necessarily a good thing, but it's very convenient for me).
3. I know the language and I know how to get by in China, so it would be a safe-but-still-exciting option for getting out of England (the way I see it, going to Italy isn't sufficiently 'getting out of England', but that's just me). And I think it would be really good for improving my Chinese, especially after spending 2 months in Italy which would inevitably kill it a little.
4. China is fucking brilliant . I could never stay away for too long. I want to ride a sleeper train and smoke zhongnanhai's and forget how to queue all over again.
Well, that's a year from now, so I never know what might happen before then, but I hope that it works out and that my travel bug doesn't die. Anyway, what do you's think?
Anyway, I've been thinking on it, and if I get a job in Leeds, don't buy any fags for 5 months (=£500), put this summer's wages into savings and live like a cheapskate for the next two semesters, I will have more than enough to go to China for a month next summer. I know it'll be the stupid stupid Olympics then, but you know I like to stay far away from Beijing anyway, so hopefully the high yank : Chinese ratio won't be too much of a problem. I haven't done a list for a while so here are the reasons why I want to go:
1. I'd be closer to Yeounteak/Yeon Teak (the spelling changes daily), and I have just now emailed him asking if he wants to Do China with me. It won't be too expensive for him (well, the plane tickets to china won't anyway) which I know is an important factor given that the poor thing is currently earning £1 an hour just to get a plane ticket to England. In China we could spend a month together and relive old times, and we could cheaply fly over to Korea for a week or whatever so I can see where he lives (you can buy tickets pretty much at the last minute, so it wouldn't require any planning). If it doesn't work out between us, which feels inconceivable at the moment but who knows, at least I wouldn't have the commitment of a pre-booked plane ticket to Korea and I would still be going to a country where I know the ropes.
2. I want to go to Tibet! It looks so amazing in my Michael Palin books, and they can speak Mandarin over there (which isn't necessarily a good thing, but it's very convenient for me).
3. I know the language and I know how to get by in China, so it would be a safe-but-still-exciting option for getting out of England (the way I see it, going to Italy isn't sufficiently 'getting out of England', but that's just me). And I think it would be really good for improving my Chinese, especially after spending 2 months in Italy which would inevitably kill it a little.
4. China is fucking brilliant . I could never stay away for too long. I want to ride a sleeper train and smoke zhongnanhai's and forget how to queue all over again.
Well, that's a year from now, so I never know what might happen before then, but I hope that it works out and that my travel bug doesn't die. Anyway, what do you's think?