Sleepers and Squats.

Claire on the sleeper bus. Contrary to it's name Claire was unable to sleep due to overload of excitement.
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CLAIRE.

Caught the train from Hong Kong to Shenzhen on mainland China. Passing through the no man's land between shiny, happy Hong Kong and dark, gloomy, barbwire bordered China we saw a sign reading 'Welcome to China. No Photos'. A few paces later was another big sign that said 'No U-Turn'. I wondered briefly if perhaps the fact there needed to be a sign warning people against changing their mind and fleeing back to Hong Kong was a subtle hint that China would not be as easy and fun as shiny, happy Hong Kong. In Hong Kong the police smile and greet you. In China the first police we saw were beating up a man. Perhaps he tried to U-turn.

It felt like the Patridge Family Hospital bus.

Ryan: strapped in and ready to roll.
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Shenzhen was sterile, unwelcoming, lonely and boring. We wandered around all day before finally catching the sleeper bus to Yangshuo. The sleepe bus. Oh my. The most fun of my life. Three rows of 'mental institution' bunks spanning the length of the bus. Like lying in a hospital bed with a seat belt. It felt like the Patridge Family Hospital bus. My seat was in the middle with no window, only aisle either side. Every time we turned a corner I'd be hanging over the side, saved only by my seatbelt. The most exciting 7 hours of my life. The low point was stopping at the toilets. Squat toilets. No cubicles. Only a small 70cm brick wall between the squats and no doors. Everyone 'subtly' watched the foreigner pee. It was dark, there was no toilet paper. My first experience of real China. I managed to not pee on myself.