Tuesday 6^th October, 2020 1535

In a capital city of a province, located in a busy train station, how on earth can a fast food outlet fail to make a profit?

Yet that would seem to be what McDonald's and Burger King managed to do. They are not just closed but the premises are completely barren now. Packed up and left, lock stock and no smoking barrels.

Being starving I ended up at Dicos. Chicken is not something I associate with breakfast unless it is in a curry and comes with chips (I know it sounds weird but try it!) but it was that or KFC. KFC can do nothing wrong in China but burger joints for some reason struggle.

I ordered what I thought were nuggets (no English menu) but instead received what I believe they call “chicken popcorn” instead. Bloody awful but I had to eat something.

Everyone else on the train seemed to be able to get the green code for Xining except me but I simply flashed the Lanzhou screen as I entered the city and got away with it.

Club Millesime is closed and has been forever I think, it's about four doors down from here on the top floor. Free drinks are available to me in the lobby bar between six and eight but I will not be going there tonight.

Last night I was very well-behaved watching TV on my laptop, I had three (yes just three) small bottles of beer and decided to forego dinner so I would be hungry for breakfast.

I got up to leave and yes, you guessed it, my legs packed in and I was flat on my back. It took four strapping lads to get me up but I did shit myself (not literally) because my legs simply would not respond. I seriously thought I was suffering from a stroke. The lads did however get me to my room, where by the state of my king sized bed this morning I spent a restless night.

I have been too embarrassed to leave the room today so breakfast was out. I ordered a cheeseburger and chips on room service not long ago which took an hour to arrive and was probably ready 50 minutes earlier because the sodding thing (and chips) was stone cold. Trip Advisor here I come.

So really I should have stayed home. I am going down for breakfast in the morning (I hope I can get a segment of baguette with which I can fill with bangers for the train) but I shan't be going down to the bar this evening.