Sunday 19th August, 2012 2030
What a tiring weekend. What a fabulous one too!
We got up early yesterday morning, K wanted to take the bus (she would, because after Hefei she was going to Anqing to see her mother) but I insisted we bike it so I could leave mine at the station for my return - it’s only a fifteen minute ride and I had no idea what time I would get back today.
The buses leave every 45 minutes and we must have missed one by one minute! However, three hours after boarding we arrived in Hefei. The original plan had been for us to get lunch and then go to the hotel but I received a text telling us to go straight there so we could all eat together. The only bugbear was that the normally very busy main road running past the hotel frontage closed on Friday - for TWO YEARS! It’s absolute chaos and of course is a nightmare for guests trying to get a taxi. It does make the rooms nice and quiet though……
Lunch (as indeed were this morning’s breakfast and today’s lunch) was a buffet affair. Now buffets normally remind me of motorway service station food, but not at the Hilton. It made me wish I had an unlimited appetite because the things on offer were simply gastronomic delights. Something for everyone - Chinese, Western and they even have an Indian chef. And authentic French sticks.
We spent most of the afternoon drinking and all weekend I paid for just one beer in the hotel - just as well at 38y for 300ml - as my host’s largesse was exceptional. I don’t know how much (if any) of an entertainment allowance he gets but if he has one it took a large hit this weekend. Kiki was going to stay with a friend last night and my friend had an engagement from six to eight which turned out to be a staff leaving party. So, just after five I was taken to his quarters to dump my stuff, say goodbye to K and do my own thing for three hours.
I know of course that the lower ranks (cleaners, receptionists etc) have dormitory accommodation included in the package but I assumed the General Manager of a Hilton might have a half decent pad. I guessed I would be staying in his apartment on the 7th floor (it has 26) and assumed wrongly it would be functional but nothing special. My first clue was the fact his place is at the end of a corridor and has double doors. You will see from the photos that the entire place is Hilton standard but with two ensuite bedrooms, three large TVs, a spare loo, kitchen/diner and living room. It is enormous. And there was me worrying if they had the little toothbrush and toothpaste packs because I never bothered to take mine. My bathroom had all the trimmings including two shaving kits. Boy was I regretting not having made arrangements to stay two nights!
I went out for a walk and ended up at WalMart. There was nothing special in there that I can’t get at home except for Italian herbs, so I bought some to save having to use the internet. Seeing as it was about 36C even at that time I went in search of cold sustenance and a cooler atmosphere. Having been told even outside I would pay at least 30y for a beer (I pay 3y here) I was determined to “go native”. I chanced upon a square where there must have been a hundred plastic tables alfresco covered with pastel yellow tablecloths and accompanied by pastel blue chairs. I later discovered people eat food in the open from little stalls that set up selling everything from dumplings to noodles to smoked fish. I became aware of someone shouting at me and looked to note a woman who had to be a septuagenarian sporting a blind eye that looked permanently 45 degrees to one side independent of what the good eye did. It was obvious she wanted my custom, I wanted a cold beer, so I shouted to her “bin pijou??” (cold beer) and was given an enthusiastic response.
I entered and sat under the ceiling fan, slight relief from the oppressive day, and was presented with an ice-cold from Alex bottle. Result at 6y for 600ml so I knew where I would be staying until at least 1930! In my honour the aircon was switched on and the doors closed, together with someone placed on fly swatting duty. In fact it was quite fun playing spotter and pointing out suitable victims - not quite so much fun when one was whacked and landed on my arm still kicking though. I stayed for four drinks and inwardly smiled when I heard the old woman outside entreating people to come inside and shamelessly using “laowei laoshi” (foreign teacher) to entice them.
Eventually I took my leave and strolled back to the hotel, leaving myself enough time to order and pay for the only ale I did there during the stay. The piano was going flawlessly and I found out why when I got past the raised lid - it was automatic. I had been instructed to go to the concierge at eight, when they would arrange for a hotel car to take me to where the other Steve was, collect him and we would then go for dinner. I could get used to that.
So we went to where the party was, he joined us and off we went to Bitburger. Having eaten lunch I didn’t have an appetite, but knew later I would be hungry if I didn’t eat so I ordered garlic bread and battered squid. The menu showed escargot but “mayo” was the answer to that - just as well as it happens because I couldn’t finish the other anyway. There was a live duo performing/singing and a little sweetie with the English name of Belinda befriended me (see photos). And yes, the beer was 35y for half a litre but it was “proper” beer. I had insisted I pick up the tab, my friend wouldn’t eat because he just had at the party, so I made sure we had a few. Normal German lager, Weissbier and then Kostryker black beer. Flipping expensive at 363y but given the hospitality my mate showered on us, the least I could do.
He called the car, we went back for a nightcap and then to his place. Non-smoking by his choice and of course I understand, he smokes cigars but probably averages one a day and he goes out to a “roof garden” on the 4th floor to do so. He also only drinks at weekends so by midnight he was done and turned in. We couldn’t figure out the TV in my room so he left me with the BBC news in the living room, which I watched until I finished a can and then I too called it a day.
I woke up twice in the night and hadn’t the foggiest where I was. There was no traffic noise and there were no animals. What a lovely sleep. Having been asked if I was getting up for breakfast earlier (I wouldn’t have if he hadn’t mentioned I could get an English one!) I set my alarm. Previously in conversation I had mentioned my dislike of hotels that only offer shower gel and no soap - if I know I go and buy a bar because I just can’t get on with the gel stuff. Not a word did he say. When I went to shower I found moisturiser, shampoo, gel, conditioner etc - in fact enough to start a beauty salon - but soap? Aha! One of those small circular bars was lurking on the side of the bath! I opened it feeling pleased and then thought it was rather powdery for soap. I checked the packaging and saw it was in fact bath salts! Arggh! Gel it had to be.
Breakfast was on the 24th floor and if the atmosphere was as it is here it would have been a terrific view, as it was it was just ok through the haze and smog. But I had sausages (not much cop but in China I would have fainted if they were proper bangers) bacon, French toast and proper sunny side up fried eggs AND!! HP sauce! Incredibly, despite the presence of a fish/egg slice, the chap who fried the eggs for me not only did it with chopsticks but also put them on my plate using them! I could have done breakfast twice and finished off with toast and marmalade but knowing we would have lunch before departing I refrained.
I had arranged that Kiki would return at about ten so we could go to Metro but received a text asking if her friend “Jay” could come. Of course she could. My mate had a couple of hours work to do so this was ideal. Getting a cab is now very hit and miss because the road is closed but we succeeded. Mr Taxi was most helpful in advising we would have a problem getting a cab back from Metro, but only told us as we were arriving which I felt warranted exclusion from my Christmas card list. In the event I may as well not have bothered going. It was most disappointing because not having Kevin’s car plus our cool bags and Eskys I couldn’t buy anything frozen and the two things I wanted I couldn’t. Bisto was nowhere to be seen and the only kidney beans I saw were in enormous industrial cans. I did though get some tongs (handy for turning bacon instead of burning my fingers or using a fork and dropping it into the bottom of the oven) and a set of “cupcake” type containers for me to have a shot at making K Chinese egg tarts. With the shopping looking set to cost less than the cab fares I simply had to indulge myself by buying a bottle of port which I will crack open later to have with some cheese.
We had a bit of a hike in the midday heat to get near civilisation, I dragged us into a restaurant for a swift one and then we took a taxi. we should have been back in good time but we hit traffic. I thought it was due to the road closure but it turned out not to be. There was an enormous jam caused by a car which had rear-ended a taxi. Minor damage, no injuries but both cars skewed to block two of three lanes, causing mayhem. Incredibly there was a policeman on scene and instead of taking a photo or two and getting the eminently driveable and roadworthy cars to pull to the side of the road and free up another lane, he was much more interested in taking particulars! Breathtaking.
Jay came for lunch as well which was again in the hotel, different restaurant but a buffet again. It broke my heart. All the things I wanted to eat but had to make a choice. There was roast beef, chicken and pineapple, there must have been a hundred different foods I can only dream of here. I grabbed some oysters and what I thought was smoked salmon but turned out to be sushimi. I met the Indian chef and Steve suggested nan bread. I haven’t had that in two years. Or curry. Heaven. I even had pudding - a ridiculously chocolatey thick mousse. The girls (being Chinese) mixed east and west with noodles, beef medallions and suchlike. By now I was really regretting not staying another night!
But of course we had to leave (I think we pinched a taxi another guest ordered) and according to Kiki the “very kind taxi driver” agreed to take Jay home before we went to the bus station. Something wrong there - I was more than happy to take her home but surely I was the “very kind person who was paying the taxi driver”?? No matter.
This time my luck was in. we bought the bus tickets and no sooner had I sat down than the bus reversed out. K was equally lucky as hers left a few minutes later. The bugger never stopped for a loo/fag break though (seems to only happen outbound) and unbeknown to me I was sat next to the son of a work colleague. During the trip she came back to talk to me, we teach in the same building but for the life of me I didn’t know her. One of the other female Chinese teachers from our department was taking her to dinner tonight and on hearing I was on the bus, invited me too. As politely as I could I declined. Not only was I too full to have yet another meal but I had to get back for the dogs. I did ask that they invite me another day and as long as I am free I will make a point of going.
Unlike the outbound journey where aside from the pee break the bus only stops at Hefei, the return journey (apart from not stopping for my purposes) halts to let people off all the way into Chizhou. This was no exception. What I found odd though was that it diverted from the route and stopped in a back street within spitting distance of Helen’s school. Not only that, but everyone left aboard decamped and he turned off his engine! Hang on a minute! My bike’s at the station and I am not paying for yet another taxi! The driver and his female helper were the only ones still on the bus bar me and the driver had lit up. I got it across that I wanted to go to the station but of course if he wanted to smoke, not to hurry as I would get off and puff on a cigar until we left. Nope. Stay on and smoke your cigar, and off we set. I can only guess that perhaps this particular bus is only ever populated by workers returning and the unauthorised stop gives the driver a breather before he goes back to base - on this occasion the laowei was a fly in the ointment.
As I said at the start, it was a superb weekend and one I am keen to repeat, however my friend has threatened to come and spend some time here first. We have an hotel which will provide equal accommodation for him (don’t know about the food but Kevin and I will sort out restaurants anyway - we can‘t do great western food but we certainly can Chinese) and I really hope he comes good and visits our turf.
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