Day 44 - November 17th

Wake up with a bit of a cold. Find it hard to get out of bed! The excursion today is to the Ghost City (Hades)! Highlights were the 3 challenges we had to pass to show that we were pure and that we would be reincarnated and not have to live the rest of eternity in hell! The first test was not to fall into pond with a bridge over, the second was to pass through a door without touching the step, and the final test was to balance with one foot on a stone for 3 seconds whilst looking at the altar of Yama, the god of hell! I pass all 3 tests, using my ‘BIG Phil stretch’ exercise to pass the final test (BIG Phil Stretch: a stretch devised by the ‘Big Phil’ where you balance on one foot and hold your opposite ear, stretching both calf muscle and ear muscle!). Another highlight was the two bridges where we chose either to have long life or wealth when we crossed. All the old folk chose long life, whilst me, the only person, chose wealth… rock and roll lifestyle!

On the way back, I hear one of the most disturbing thing ever! The old folk on the tour start discussing how they are going to leave all the room keys on the table and swap wives!!! I am truly disgusted!

Have lunch, then we get invited to go look at the bridge. It’s pretty cool, just 3 guys sitting in a room and steering! I then have a nap! I wake up and then go to the free tea and biscuits give away on the viewing gallery. Weren’t great bickies! End up chatting to old Aussie couple again and Claire and her mum! Topics end up on politics and free press. Claire’s mum ends up calling me a cynical youth!!! I don’t think I’m cynical, in fact I confess that I bloody love my life and everything in it! It’s great! But some things just don’t add up in the world and that’s the way I see things!

The captain has a leaving banquet for us… free wine! Then we have performances on the ship from all the people on board. I go up and play a few songs of course! A guy from Cumbria does a poem recital, which I found it hard to figure out, god knows what the Chinese on the ship thought of it!

Miles walked: 292.412m