6 out of the past 7 days, i've been on a bus for at least 8 hours a day. the southern silk road is a complete misnomer. there is neither silk nor anything resembling a road. the dirt kicked up from the bumpy bus ride seeps through every window pane leaving you coated in a fresh coat of filth every hour. as a result, my hair is now a brownish gray color and now i can distinguish the flavors of all the dirt i've ingested over the past few days.

i haven't showered in 4 days but it gets worse... i ran out of chinese money 2 days ago so i haven't eaten anything in over 36 hours. you're probably asking, "why don't you just pull out more money, you idiot?" i tried this morning... get this... my bank has cancelled my ATM card. what am i gonna do you ask? well after soiling myself and crying for a good 1 1/2 hours, i'm gonna regroup myself and see if i can meet any foreigners and hit them up for some dough.

i left my french canadian friend 2 days ago, and immediately afterwards, i realized i didn't have enough money to even buy a bus ticket to my next destination. the southern silk road's towns are small and wild. banks don't exist and i've had to rely on the kindness of chinese folks to help me with a few yuan here and there. yes, i have devolved into a beggar in a strange foreign land.

well, from this point, i guess things can only get better. don't pray for me, i'm already dead.