Chinese New Year

Go for Chinese New Year they said. It will be an experience they said. No group has ever gone before they said. 

Yeah.

Well.

That was an experience. 

Or lack there of.

Hahahahahaha. 😂😂😂😂😂😂

Apparently Chinese New Year is a holiday celebrated at home with your family. 

Therefore, February 18, all stores, food, and anything involving the billion people who live here goes ghost town. Who's left the white people wandering the street wondering what's going on.

Then for hours and hours there is unstoppable fireworks. But not the cool fireworks that explode in the sky and make beautiful colors. These are the home alone style fireworks that make an ear splitting sound for a solid 5 minutes and only explore five inches off the ground. All. Night. Long. 

So.

The good? 

We got to eat a lot of oranges and kumkwats( I know that is spelled wrong but unfortunately I have no internet and kumquat- maybe that's how you spell it- is not in auto correct) anyway oranges mean good luck and health so we got to eat a bunch. They have those and the little red envelopes all over trees and hostels etc. Everything was decorated pretty cool. 

The bad?

Everything was closed and the fireworks so loud!

The great:

We get the whole month off to travel!  

So when you come to China and expect to see dragon parades and air blown fireworks you're wrong. 

😂👊🇨🇳

Update: we arrive to Changsha at 3:30pm, starving. We find our way to our hostel which is by far the most unhygienic and unwelcoming one to date and are greeted by empty streets and no one in sight. The hostel restaurant will be closed all month due to the holiday we are told. Furthermore in the little English spoken she can't tell us a single place that is open. We spotted a tiny mart on the walk in and rush there. It's like we are preparing for the zombie apocalypse. People grabbing ramen noodles, crackers, water, the works. Then there is me. The one who said I would go back to no processed foods, for lent. Glad that lasted not even 24 hours. But when the whole country of China shuts down, you do whatcha gotta do.

Let's update: the shower curtain has mold. The ceiling has mold. The bathroom is a squatter. The squatter has poop splatters on the side of the wall. I literally had to shower in my socks and then wash them and my pants while trying to avoid the mold curtain.

On a positive there is a cat, who chases the rats in the ceiling. Yes, the ceiling right above us. 

I'm sleeping in my sleep sack tonight. Please pray I don't get bed bugs. Thanks.