A difficult day

Saturday 26 May

Although we should according to Caxton be able to draw out the equivalent of £300 at any ATM cash machine, on our Caxton FX Global Traveller card, we can only withdraw 2000 yuan today (about £200). With some money we already have on us, this gives us enough, with very little over, to pay for our train journey via the Chinese bank, since Paypal have still not unblocked our payment to the Chinese train agency.

It is very annoying that we have money in the bank but not much to live on today, until we can draw more tomorrow! After a morning of sorting out paying for the trains, we decide to forget about the annoying administrative problems that occur while travelling, and do something nice – cycle around the flat-topped, thick walls that surround Xi'an. We know we can hire bikes on the wall to do this – we are told we have to collect the bikes at the South Gate of the wall. Actually we discover afterwards that they are available to hire at a much nearer gate.

It's extremely hot, probably 30 deg C, and it's a long walk to the South Gate. I guess we're already a bit fed up because of our admin problems and I stop to coat my exposed areas of skin in factor 50 suncream (thank you so much Sylvia, for including that in your emergency kit for me). I'm wilting a bit already, after walking to the South Gate, but we finally arrive and pay 40 yuan each (£4) to climb the 60 stone steps up to the top of the wall (this is nothing to the climb to our hostel room several times a day, which is on the 3^rd floor and is 72 stairs!).

We approach the bike rental office, which comprises 3 young Chinese people sitting at a table under an umbrella; next to them is a long row of mountain-type bikes. We have enough money for hiring the bikes (40 yuan each, about £8 in total) for 100 minutes, but I suddenly remember they will need a deposit for the bikes – 200 yuan each (£40 total). Oh dear! Our Paypal blocked account has led to cashflow problems today and we don't have enough money for the deposit. Reg has had enough, and throws his rattle out of the pram.... or more, literally, throws our rucksack down in frustration. He really wants to cycle the 13 kilometres around the walls; and we've walked all the way to the South Gate of the walls to do this. We sit a little way off from the cycle rental stand, discussing whether there's any way around this. The young people must feel sorry for us, because one of girls comes over to us and asks,

“How much have you got?”

After paying the 80 yuan for the bikes, we only have 48 yuan over for the deposit, instead of 400 yuan. I offer my kindle and Reg offers his mobile as a deposit; they won't take either of these, but we must look honest, because after some discussion the young people say

“Ok, but you must return the bikes to this gate, ok?”

We readily agree, and promise to do this, whilst thanking them profusely. I point to my cross and say,

“You can trust me, I'm a Christian” but I don't know if this cuts much ice with them, although one of the girls gives a slightly embarrassed smile, and says, “It's ok.”

It's absolutely fabulous cycling around the walls, great to be back on a bike again, even if not my own bike! Reg is loving it too, and is finally de-stressing after all that has happened today.

The 13 kilometres along the top of Xi'an's walls is an easy, flat ride, despite the searing heat. We stop a couple of times, but return the bikes well within the 100 minutes allowed. Do we detect relief in the young people's faces as we ride back up to the bike rental stand?

We climb down from the walls, and stop to have a long drink and an icecream in the shade. We don't know which bus to catch so have to undertake the long walk back to the hostel, trying to walk in the shade where possible. By the time we reach our hostel I'm absolutely hanging; I drag myself up the 72 stairs to our 3^rd floor room, remove my walking boots, flop onto the bed, and sleep for 2 hours.

We go to our usual little place to have dinner, as it's really cheap, and we only have 38 yuan left until we can draw more money tomorrow. Dinner for 2, with unlimited green tea, costs 18 yuan, about £1.80.

On our return to the hostel, we open our computer intending to see whether Paypal have replied to our complaint, but we don't get very far. This is because you can only get wifi access in the bar area of the hostel; but whenever you sit in the bar, you end up in conversation with fellow travellers, and hostel staff who are keen to engage in conversation with you, enabling them to practise their English! We talk to 3 Germans, a mother, son and grandson from Berlin, whom we chatted to earlier, over breakfast this morning; an American acupuncturist who is teaching English over here; an American couple and their daughter who have somehow managed to arrange for themselves the coveted trip to Tibet and are off tomorrow; and to a young Brazilian bodybuilder who has just graduated in Finance, and has got himself a job with Goldman- Sachs, in Salt Lake City (yes, that is where the Mormons come from!).

We also have a long chat with Fion, a beautiful young Chinese girl who works in the hostel restaurant, and her friend, who's on night-duty on the reception desk. We talk about how Chinese families can only have one child in the cities; apparently, Fion's parents paid 8000 yuan to the Government to be given permission to have a 2^nd child. You can't always get what you want; but, it seems, if you're in the know, and have the money, you can.