Harbin Day 1 & 2

So this is it, we'd been looking forward to and dreading this part of the trip in equal measure. I'd seen about this amazing ice festival that takes place for a month in Harbin, In northern china. Crazy palaces built out of ice and an international snow sculpture expo. The downside is temperatures go between -20 and -40c. I have never known temperatures that cold and we had only been able to prepare so much as our bags were so small.

When Alan arrived he showed us what he'd bought and man was he prepared!! Luckily he let me borrow his hoodie, an extra layer that ended up being a life saver for me. We figured to layer up for the flight & as we walked out of the airport it hit us with a sting i'll never forget!! We caught the shuttle bus from the airport. There were some illuminated ice sculptures along the way which looked amazing and we all knew we were in for something special coming here. I was amazed at the logistics of things here. The UK is s*** when it snows, everything stops & cannot function. The roads, pavements, everything here was covered in either snow or a thick layer of ice but drivers managed, their cars as if everything was normal. I was expecting skidding or braking to feel like we were on ice but everything was fine. No special chains or anything, just regular tyres.

Me on the other hand was all over the place!! It didn't help that my bag pack added 10 kilos to me and changed my balance point but I was slipping everywhere. I didn't fall but my core muscles had a good workout as I was constantly losing a foot then correcting. We made it to the hostel and was a bit disappointed, the room stank & just was really run down. The common room area was ok though so spent most of our time there.

A defrost & a cup of tea later & Alan had found a dumpling place we should try so putting all the layers back on we headed off to find the restaurant. The cold was bitter. All of us were so wrapped up we only had our eyes showing. I can't speak for the boys but I was wearing thermal leggings, my jeans & then my combats on top. Two pairs of socks. A vest, long sleeve thermal, short sleeve thermal, 2 tshirts, micro fleece, fleece hoodie & my coat!! That ensured my core was warm but my face & feet really felt it. You needed a break from it after 3 hours to feel your extremities again. Unfortunately for us the dumpling place closes at 9pm and it had just gone when we arrived. Settling for a Pizza Hut as everything else was closed at least we warmed up & had some food.

Tomorrow is the New Year's Eve, the hostel were hosting a dumpling party but we also wanted to head up to the ice festival. The hostel had an arranged tour to transport there, entry and return to hostel. As our navigating skills using buses hadn't been great we decided to book on the tour. It was us three and 40 odd other Chinese people on the bus. The guide was giving the group a great commentary on our way to the site although 100% in Chinese so we didn't catch a word of it. As we pulled into the park we could see these massive illuminated buildings past the gate. The guide found someone who could inform us to be back at the coach at 7pm so at least we knew when to be done by. The girls who passed on the message started to ask us some questions as we were waiting in line to get tickets. Even though their English wasn't great it was tonnes better than my mandarin!

We got through the gate, walking was much easier as it was snow rather than ice. I don't even know where to start on explaining this place. There were sculptures and buildings everywhere. They were tall, most you could walk in and around. They'd laid a carpet over the ice blocks so you didn't fall. You could explore the bridges or temples or courtyard style circular tunnels. The castles were amazing with steps up and slides down them.

We followed the path around the site taking in all the sights. As every ice block had a coloured light embedded inside it was so pretty. They had an insanely large snow sculpture of Buddha that was unbelievable. The boys went up a massive snow/ice thing that looked like a swan. I went to the other end to ask if I could take pictures as this thing was one massive ice slide. I was very bluntly told no but after seeing their ascent I understand why. They were given a plastic toboggan and off they went, gathering speed all the way down. The track abruptly stopped at the bottom and the brake was a massive powder snow cave. They didn't know that when they climbed up the stairs. They both came out head to toe in powder snow, laughing at each other! They were definitely braver than I.

After the couple of hours and hundreds and hundreds if photos it was time to leave. It was such a magical place & so so worth the visit. We were happy to be heading back to the hostel to thaw out and join in the New Year's Eve fun.

We hung out with others at the hostel, ate dumplings, drank beer and at midnight all went outside. Admittedly the beer jacket had kicked in because I remember standing outside in -25c with no coat!!! We watched everyone let of fireworks in street corners and waved sparklers, wished passers by Happy New Year in our badly pronounced mandarin.

In china midnight is when the family gathers to eat their meal and the streets get really quiet. The hostel even stopped serving alcohol! We chatted with our new friends until we gave up and went to bed but it was a lovely night & the ice festival was etched on our memories.