Tuesday 30th July, 2013 2030
Well the odyssey ended just as shittily as it had been right from the off.
This morning I left the Hilton at about ten, fully expecting to be home by two. It was flipping roasting and the taxi dropped me off at the bus station. I struggled in with my baggage, queued sweating for a ticket and was then told there were no buses to here. Nobody spoke English so I went to the information desk (where they weren’t much better) and elicited the little nugget that I needed a different station. They did at least give me the address in Chinese to show to the second taxi driver.
Eventually I took my seat on a bus which when it left was promptly halted by hideous traffic. I was really, really regretting ever deciding to travel. Half way into the journey my friend phoned me with the wonderful revelation that I had left all my trousers bar the pair I had on, in his wardrobe! The laundry had brought his and my clothes mixed up and in separating them I had hung mine in the wardrobe and forgotten all about them. Joanna will email him her temporary work address in Chinese later so his secretary can send them tomorrow. We arrived in Chizhou at three and there I encountered the only piece of good luck since I said goodbye to the cats. I walked straight out to a taxi driven by a woman and instead of demanding 30y off the meter as all the men do, she put the meter on. The price was 13y but for her honesty I gave her twenty.
As I was parched I polished off a cold can, fended off Pooh who seemed genuinely to have missed me and then went off on the bike. I had an “urgent” meeting with the kids school owner over a “big” contract he was trying to get. I predicted it would be teaching adults at a company on the outskirts and I was correct. Half an hour there and I was off to get an early dinner and food for the animals tonight. Then it was time to go and liberate Pepsi, who in contrast to Pooh affected not to recognise me and instead went into a scared sulk.
After her inoculation and my putting her on the bike it obviously dawned on her that I was taking her home so she perked up a bit. Halfway through the journey I thought she needed to evacuate her bowels and so I stopped but nothing doing. A mile further on and it was a different story. She crapped on the bike while we were moving and just to round off my thoroughly dismal fortnight’s travelling, wiped her backside on the only pair of trousers I currently have that fit - which are white. Now I have to wash those before I go to bed and hope they are dry in the morning. Things cannot possibly get any worse.
Wednesday 31st 2030
The body clock is still out of kilter, from being dog tired at ten last night I ultimately hit the hay at three this morning. I had every intention of going shopping for food today but by 1130 that was abandoned in favour of a couple of further hours shuteye.
I have managed to leave one heat wave warning behind only to fly into another. We hit the ton today and it looks as if it will climb higher. It wouldn’t be so bad if my aircon - which was “fixed” and pronounced working perfectly before I left - was man enough but it isn’t. Kevin’s room is a lot cooler than mine but I have no chance of getting anything done about it until September now. It does work, just doesn’t have a high enough output but to be fair it’s still cooler than the Wycombe Travelodge was.
I met Joanna off the bus from work to go for dinner at the sweet pork place which to my utter disgust was closed. I don’t recall them ever shutting in the summer holidays - I used to go there just for a couple of cold bottles when I was off. She was starving so we explored the options. There’s a hotel nearby but on only one of three occasions I have eaten there was the food decent, and that was when the school treated me after the infamous “ditch the dogs and pay the excess on the hospital bill” meeting. There’s the little place near the fish shop where I have drunk but never eaten. Instead we went to see if any of the new restaurants were still open and three were so we plumped for one that had the doors closed because that meant they had aircon. The food was passable but the bill was outrageous at 200y for 3 dishes and two each of beers and Fantas. I don’t think I will go there again in a hurry. In fact I wish I’d gone to the spit and sawdust place by the fish shop seeing as it is popular with students.
I am back in harness at the kid’s school tomorrow but at my request it is late afternoon, with Friday I hope being morning classes. It suits me because every second night Joanna doesn’t get back until 2130 and as such eats after work in the school she teaches at. I will eat downtown tomorrow and then on Friday make us and Balance a cottage pie. If I have time on Friday I also want to make a couple of loaves of bread to take to the mountain school on Saturday. Holiday? What holiday??
Wednesday, 31 July 2013
Monday, 29 July 2013
Monday 29th July, 2013 1400
I am currently typing this with a view through a panoramic window on the 7th floor of the Hefei Hilton.
The UK holiday is over and whilst I enjoyed it (western food - although I never ate half the things I had planned - meeting family and friends again) I experienced something I never did when returning on leave from ships. I felt that I simply no longer belong there.
The journey home to China merely served to reinforce my aversion to flying. Of course, I know the days of me not setting a scanner off disappeared two years ago but you are required to remove belts, shoes - everything. This results in me having to hold on to my trousers because a) I wear them under the gut and b) Chinese trousers don’t have any waistband grippers. However we departed on time and touched down on time in Paris, where I had an hour before the Guangzhou flight departed.
Having been through stringent security at Heathrow and now being in transit I would have thought it should be a simple matter of presenting a boarding pass and embarking the plane. Oh no! We had to do it all again, meaning that the queues ahead of us now made the hour between flights seem highly inadequate. Even worse, I received marginally less attention to my person than that accorded me by the lovely lady who entertained me and who worked in the Key Club in Inchon thirty years ago. Three times I had to go through the scanner and twice I had the handheld gizmo plus pat down. The second one was, shall I say, extremely personal, prompting me to comment that I would much prefer a female to be carrying it out.
Of course this “VIP” treatment had not gone unnoticed by fellow travellers who - not unnaturally - were intrigued as to whether I would be carted off and eventually tried for crimes against humanity. Most of the audience were women. Matters were further compounded when the security chap instructed me to hold my hands away from my body. Remember - no grippers in the trousers. The inevitable happened as soon as he checked the waistband because they ended up below my knees. Thanking my foresight in donning a brand new pair of boxer shorts that morning, I simply cast a jaundiced eye over my female “admirers” (most of whom now had a hand raised to cover their mouths, either to hide a grin or in shock, I know not which) and said “Oh, the indignity of it!” Following this I was permitted to actually hang on to my trousers. Perhaps those imbecilic onesies aren’t so idiotic after all.
All this unnecessary rigmarole now meant that boarding had now closed for my flight. I don’t run any more and I was getting déjà vu. As I neared the boarding gate, bereft of any passengers, I was beckoned to hurry by an attendant. The flight despite being China Southern was Air France as part of Skyteam. My luck had changed for once and I was let in as the last one aboard. Annoyingly I hadn’t been allotted an aisle seat as requested but a window one, admittedly at the rear where the seats are two apiece. As it happens it wasn’t so bad, the other passenger in the aisle seat was Chinese and when the drinks trolley came out every time the attendants looked away he was pilfering whisky miniatures and the like. I nudged him and pointed to myself and, dashed decent chap he turned out to be, he filched enough bottles of wine that I never needed to ask for any more the rest of the flight.
Some hours later after managing a bit of sleep, I needed the loo. Both were occupied so I waited outside the port one. I waited so long a queue formed behind me with people indicating I should knock on the door. I suggested perhaps they should do it but there were no takers. After another five minutes and by now with a bladder that was calling for attention and absolutely no sound from the toilet, I did knock on the door. In three seconds flat the door flung open, a bespectacled female face glared daggers at me and promptly locked the door again.
The brief glimpse I got was enough to tell me she was wearing Air France cabin crew uniform and a minute later she emerged with her best angry schoolmistress face on. She looked at me and stated with venom that I had no right to knock on the door. Any thoughts I may have harboured to apologise and make out I was concerned she was ok evaporated and she was in turn informed I have the right to knock on any door on the planet, especially when someone is hogging the toilet and there is a queue. Off she flounced, thankfully she wasn’t catering in my section or I may have had to refuse the in-flight meals henceforth.
By the time we landed in Guangzhou we were only twenty minutes late but of course I had to claim my bag because this was the first point of entry into China. There was also immigration which took an hour - more reason not to travel. Once free and complete with baggage trolley, I wanted a smoke. The snuff had worked wonders on all flights despite some strange looks, but I really wanted a cigar so I went outside. Upon lighting up I noticed bus stops with information as to which hotels they served so decided to have a look to see if I could find mine.
Shortly I was approached by a most helpful chap asking where I wanted to go. I showed him my booking and he became even more helpful, showing me a printed card with taxi prices. It showed 300y to mine, but this fellow very kindly offered to do it for 250y. Then 200, then 150y. I told him the hotel ran a free shuttle bus and this was where it became quite fun because he loftily advised me that it was a holiday that day (Saturday). Oh really? Which holiday was it because there aren’t any this month? No no no - today is Saturday and none of the free buses work! Really. I will take my chance. How much WILL you pay? Bleep all. I travelled for free on the bus which didn’t work Saturdays.
My cheap 180y hotel was fine for an overnight layover and a blessed relief as, despite higher temperatures than those in High Wycombe, my room was the coolest I had been in since leaving China. The only problem was that I turned in at eleven and woke up at 0230! My final flight to Hefei could not be expected to pass without incident and so it didn’t. The plane pushed back and then proceeded to wait on the tarmac for forty minutes. I must say my friend at the Hilton always does me proud, for as I entered the arrivals hall I spotted someone holding up my name and I was duly transported here in time for a Happy Panda buffet lunch at which I consumed all the oysters available among other fine foods.
I had wanted a nap but we chatted for so long it wasn’t worth it, instead we went for dinner as I faded slowly in the west. By ten I was done, showered and in bed. My night was fitful but every time I woke up I was determined to drop off again. I must have been successful because I finally rose at 1130!!!!
I am staying here tonight - the animals wouldn’t allow me to sleep that long - and will leave in the morning, getting back home in the early afternoon. Joanna has charged my bike so my first job will be to ride to town and liberate Pepsi, who probably thinks I have abandoned her.
Finally, here is a photo of my niece’s boyfriend’s dog I nicknamed Hooch. And yes, I did have to move a bit sharpish at one point to avoid the slobber from the violent jowl shaking.
I am currently typing this with a view through a panoramic window on the 7th floor of the Hefei Hilton.
The UK holiday is over and whilst I enjoyed it (western food - although I never ate half the things I had planned - meeting family and friends again) I experienced something I never did when returning on leave from ships. I felt that I simply no longer belong there.
The journey home to China merely served to reinforce my aversion to flying. Of course, I know the days of me not setting a scanner off disappeared two years ago but you are required to remove belts, shoes - everything. This results in me having to hold on to my trousers because a) I wear them under the gut and b) Chinese trousers don’t have any waistband grippers. However we departed on time and touched down on time in Paris, where I had an hour before the Guangzhou flight departed.
Having been through stringent security at Heathrow and now being in transit I would have thought it should be a simple matter of presenting a boarding pass and embarking the plane. Oh no! We had to do it all again, meaning that the queues ahead of us now made the hour between flights seem highly inadequate. Even worse, I received marginally less attention to my person than that accorded me by the lovely lady who entertained me and who worked in the Key Club in Inchon thirty years ago. Three times I had to go through the scanner and twice I had the handheld gizmo plus pat down. The second one was, shall I say, extremely personal, prompting me to comment that I would much prefer a female to be carrying it out.
Of course this “VIP” treatment had not gone unnoticed by fellow travellers who - not unnaturally - were intrigued as to whether I would be carted off and eventually tried for crimes against humanity. Most of the audience were women. Matters were further compounded when the security chap instructed me to hold my hands away from my body. Remember - no grippers in the trousers. The inevitable happened as soon as he checked the waistband because they ended up below my knees. Thanking my foresight in donning a brand new pair of boxer shorts that morning, I simply cast a jaundiced eye over my female “admirers” (most of whom now had a hand raised to cover their mouths, either to hide a grin or in shock, I know not which) and said “Oh, the indignity of it!” Following this I was permitted to actually hang on to my trousers. Perhaps those imbecilic onesies aren’t so idiotic after all.
All this unnecessary rigmarole now meant that boarding had now closed for my flight. I don’t run any more and I was getting déjà vu. As I neared the boarding gate, bereft of any passengers, I was beckoned to hurry by an attendant. The flight despite being China Southern was Air France as part of Skyteam. My luck had changed for once and I was let in as the last one aboard. Annoyingly I hadn’t been allotted an aisle seat as requested but a window one, admittedly at the rear where the seats are two apiece. As it happens it wasn’t so bad, the other passenger in the aisle seat was Chinese and when the drinks trolley came out every time the attendants looked away he was pilfering whisky miniatures and the like. I nudged him and pointed to myself and, dashed decent chap he turned out to be, he filched enough bottles of wine that I never needed to ask for any more the rest of the flight.
Some hours later after managing a bit of sleep, I needed the loo. Both were occupied so I waited outside the port one. I waited so long a queue formed behind me with people indicating I should knock on the door. I suggested perhaps they should do it but there were no takers. After another five minutes and by now with a bladder that was calling for attention and absolutely no sound from the toilet, I did knock on the door. In three seconds flat the door flung open, a bespectacled female face glared daggers at me and promptly locked the door again.
The brief glimpse I got was enough to tell me she was wearing Air France cabin crew uniform and a minute later she emerged with her best angry schoolmistress face on. She looked at me and stated with venom that I had no right to knock on the door. Any thoughts I may have harboured to apologise and make out I was concerned she was ok evaporated and she was in turn informed I have the right to knock on any door on the planet, especially when someone is hogging the toilet and there is a queue. Off she flounced, thankfully she wasn’t catering in my section or I may have had to refuse the in-flight meals henceforth.
By the time we landed in Guangzhou we were only twenty minutes late but of course I had to claim my bag because this was the first point of entry into China. There was also immigration which took an hour - more reason not to travel. Once free and complete with baggage trolley, I wanted a smoke. The snuff had worked wonders on all flights despite some strange looks, but I really wanted a cigar so I went outside. Upon lighting up I noticed bus stops with information as to which hotels they served so decided to have a look to see if I could find mine.
Shortly I was approached by a most helpful chap asking where I wanted to go. I showed him my booking and he became even more helpful, showing me a printed card with taxi prices. It showed 300y to mine, but this fellow very kindly offered to do it for 250y. Then 200, then 150y. I told him the hotel ran a free shuttle bus and this was where it became quite fun because he loftily advised me that it was a holiday that day (Saturday). Oh really? Which holiday was it because there aren’t any this month? No no no - today is Saturday and none of the free buses work! Really. I will take my chance. How much WILL you pay? Bleep all. I travelled for free on the bus which didn’t work Saturdays.
My cheap 180y hotel was fine for an overnight layover and a blessed relief as, despite higher temperatures than those in High Wycombe, my room was the coolest I had been in since leaving China. The only problem was that I turned in at eleven and woke up at 0230! My final flight to Hefei could not be expected to pass without incident and so it didn’t. The plane pushed back and then proceeded to wait on the tarmac for forty minutes. I must say my friend at the Hilton always does me proud, for as I entered the arrivals hall I spotted someone holding up my name and I was duly transported here in time for a Happy Panda buffet lunch at which I consumed all the oysters available among other fine foods.
I had wanted a nap but we chatted for so long it wasn’t worth it, instead we went for dinner as I faded slowly in the west. By ten I was done, showered and in bed. My night was fitful but every time I woke up I was determined to drop off again. I must have been successful because I finally rose at 1130!!!!
I am staying here tonight - the animals wouldn’t allow me to sleep that long - and will leave in the morning, getting back home in the early afternoon. Joanna has charged my bike so my first job will be to ride to town and liberate Pepsi, who probably thinks I have abandoned her.
Finally, here is a photo of my niece’s boyfriend’s dog I nicknamed Hooch. And yes, I did have to move a bit sharpish at one point to avoid the slobber from the violent jowl shaking.
Wednesday, 24 July 2013
Monday 22nd July, 2013 0010
Really struggling to get a night’s sleep. It’s bad enough that the hotel has only got aircon in reception and the bar but even when it is cool outside the room is like an oven. I will certainly not be coming here again.
On Saturday I visited my Mother. That was fun. She had got out of bed in the middle of the night and (don’t ask me what they were doing there) trodden on and squashed her spectacles. This had placed her in the position of being unable to read or watch the television. On a tip-off from a sister who was away for the weekend I searched for her spare ones.
In this I was successful in locating two pairs - circa 1920 - which the production team at Granada would probably pay a small fortune for as they would be perfect for Deirdre Barlow. Needless to say, the earliest she will be able to get the visiting optician to call will be later today.
This holiday is costing me a small fortune in taxis - whenever I go anywhere I try to take the bus there but need a cab back. The silly thing on Saturday was that I took a taxi to my brother’s pub only to be taken back from whence I had come for a tasting session at Rebellion brewery. In fact it was a most pleasant couple of hours and the free beer and cider were adequate compensation. Saturday night I wimped out early (I did stay late Friday when the band were playing though) and, not having eaten anything bar a packet of pork scratchings all day, bought a curry meal to eat in my room. I should have had a burger for a fifth of the price because most of it was flushed down the toilet. In mitigation I should say that in my attempt to procure proper “chippie” fish and chips I walk far and wide. My observation was that I was in the heart of a respectably sized English town and I could have burgers, kebabs, pizzas, McDonalds, KFC, curry - everything besides fish and chips!!
Sunday was a special day. An old friend I hadn’t seen for 14 years agreed to drive down and have lunch with me. I had fallen in love with Sharon at first sight many years ago, sadly it was and remains unrequited but we are still firm friends. She arrived a little early just before two and after a catch up we had a traditional Sunday roast. I had mistakenly thought she might stay for two, maybe three, hours before driving back but she stayed for 7 hours and we both never stopped arguing (or debating as she terms it). It was great. With luck and a following wind re rotas (she sets them but there is a sick worker at present) she is coming on my last night (Thursday) and will get a room so we can have a proper party.
Wednesday 24th 2145
Patchy blog I know and perhaps I should have simply said service was suspended. But I didn’t.
Monday I can’t recall but yesterday was eventful. An ex work colleague drove down from Luton for a meet and afterwards my brother and his lady “forced” me to go to The Bounty pub. This place I knew as Captain Hook’s years ago. Then it was a pub situated on a tiny island in mid-Thames and the landlord - yes, really - had no hands, instead he had two hooks. The only access in those days was via a loud shout to summon a rowing boat, now it is reached via a route march and bridge. However they do have a motor launch which; for a donation to a charity bottle; can hasten your way back. We had a few drinks on a lovely summer evening by the river (see photos) and then went for a late Indian meal. a lovely, lovely evening and one which I shall always remember. And yes, we took the boat - see photos.
I will not mention the fact that this morning, the first I was even close to getting a half decent night’s sleep, my mum managed to ruin it by calling me early.
Today once I had been to the Wetherspoons pub and made myself feel slightly human again, I went to visit mater. I could really do with my e-bike here because taxis are costing an average of £25 a day, nothing to people here but a lot to me. I did though manage to get the gifts I wanted - criterion, must be made in the UK and not China. I hope the recipients like them and Joanna in particular has really had the boat pushed out for her.
Just a few days left (still no chip shop fish & chips, pork pie etc) but if I am honest I am getting ever so slightly homesick. I never thought for a minute I would say that……..
Really struggling to get a night’s sleep. It’s bad enough that the hotel has only got aircon in reception and the bar but even when it is cool outside the room is like an oven. I will certainly not be coming here again.
On Saturday I visited my Mother. That was fun. She had got out of bed in the middle of the night and (don’t ask me what they were doing there) trodden on and squashed her spectacles. This had placed her in the position of being unable to read or watch the television. On a tip-off from a sister who was away for the weekend I searched for her spare ones.
In this I was successful in locating two pairs - circa 1920 - which the production team at Granada would probably pay a small fortune for as they would be perfect for Deirdre Barlow. Needless to say, the earliest she will be able to get the visiting optician to call will be later today.
This holiday is costing me a small fortune in taxis - whenever I go anywhere I try to take the bus there but need a cab back. The silly thing on Saturday was that I took a taxi to my brother’s pub only to be taken back from whence I had come for a tasting session at Rebellion brewery. In fact it was a most pleasant couple of hours and the free beer and cider were adequate compensation. Saturday night I wimped out early (I did stay late Friday when the band were playing though) and, not having eaten anything bar a packet of pork scratchings all day, bought a curry meal to eat in my room. I should have had a burger for a fifth of the price because most of it was flushed down the toilet. In mitigation I should say that in my attempt to procure proper “chippie” fish and chips I walk far and wide. My observation was that I was in the heart of a respectably sized English town and I could have burgers, kebabs, pizzas, McDonalds, KFC, curry - everything besides fish and chips!!
Sunday was a special day. An old friend I hadn’t seen for 14 years agreed to drive down and have lunch with me. I had fallen in love with Sharon at first sight many years ago, sadly it was and remains unrequited but we are still firm friends. She arrived a little early just before two and after a catch up we had a traditional Sunday roast. I had mistakenly thought she might stay for two, maybe three, hours before driving back but she stayed for 7 hours and we both never stopped arguing (or debating as she terms it). It was great. With luck and a following wind re rotas (she sets them but there is a sick worker at present) she is coming on my last night (Thursday) and will get a room so we can have a proper party.
Wednesday 24th 2145
Patchy blog I know and perhaps I should have simply said service was suspended. But I didn’t.
Monday I can’t recall but yesterday was eventful. An ex work colleague drove down from Luton for a meet and afterwards my brother and his lady “forced” me to go to The Bounty pub. This place I knew as Captain Hook’s years ago. Then it was a pub situated on a tiny island in mid-Thames and the landlord - yes, really - had no hands, instead he had two hooks. The only access in those days was via a loud shout to summon a rowing boat, now it is reached via a route march and bridge. However they do have a motor launch which; for a donation to a charity bottle; can hasten your way back. We had a few drinks on a lovely summer evening by the river (see photos) and then went for a late Indian meal. a lovely, lovely evening and one which I shall always remember. And yes, we took the boat - see photos.
I will not mention the fact that this morning, the first I was even close to getting a half decent night’s sleep, my mum managed to ruin it by calling me early.
Today once I had been to the Wetherspoons pub and made myself feel slightly human again, I went to visit mater. I could really do with my e-bike here because taxis are costing an average of £25 a day, nothing to people here but a lot to me. I did though manage to get the gifts I wanted - criterion, must be made in the UK and not China. I hope the recipients like them and Joanna in particular has really had the boat pushed out for her.
Just a few days left (still no chip shop fish & chips, pork pie etc) but if I am honest I am getting ever so slightly homesick. I never thought for a minute I would say that……..
Saturday, 20 July 2013
Friday 19th July, 2013 1620
Yes, despite my brother’s fiance threatening to cook steaks ultimately it was Dominos pizzas at nearly midnight outside in the cooler night air on Wednesday.
I had managed to procure a fan from the hotel which, whilst it merely moved warm air around, did help a little.
Yesterday I went shopping for more clothes and had my dirty laundry cleaned courtesy of the pub, which was where I spent most of the day until I hit “the wall”. Mid-evening a customer very kindly offered me a lift to my hotel to save me getting a bus and despite my original intention of going out to get some food down myself I plumped for using the hotel café and ordered a burger and a cider. It filled a hole but halfway through the drink I nodded off briefly and so retired to bed.
I still managed to sleep until merely 0545 today and waited until the shops would be open before going out. I took my Nokia to a shop and left it there to have it unlocked and thus render it usable on China Mobile and will collect it tomorrow. Next it was Tesco to buy most of my shopping list of stupid things I can’t get in China. The original plan had been to go to Flitwick today to see an old friend but that was postponed due to her infant being ill. Instead I decided to dump the shopping in my room, go to a cheap pub nearby for a couple and then head to my brother’s pub.
Upon opening the room door my initial thought was that I had been burgled. I knew the cleaners hadn’t been yet because some rubbish I had left outside was still there and the room looked different. It took me a second to realise the red thing in the middle of the floor was my missing suitcase! Not a phone call received from start to finish and if that is what normally happens when peoples’ luggage is delayed then the airlines/baggage handling companies really ought to take a long hard look at their methods. It IS an upsetting thing when it happens, it’s damned inconvenient and causes a lot of worry so the least they should do is keep people informed.
After checking everything was still there (briefly, and it appears to be) I went to reception to ask what had happened. Apparently it had been delivered late yesterday afternoon but when the hotel staff looked at the origin (Hefei) they not unnaturally assumed it belonged to one of the Chinese guests staying there. It took the manageress this morning to marry the name on the paperwork with the hotel guest list to have it sent to my room. Needless to say it is a huge relief nonetheless, not least because I now have my mother’s gifts to give her.
She is currently in the holding tank of Wexham Park hospital awaiting release on parole, which should be within the next hour. The trouble is, nobody is available to collect her for another two hours and my suggestion that we paid for a taxi to get her was dismissed because she wouldn’t like it. Ergo it has fallen yet again to one of my sisters to whom it apparently always falls.
Such is life.
Yes, despite my brother’s fiance threatening to cook steaks ultimately it was Dominos pizzas at nearly midnight outside in the cooler night air on Wednesday.
I had managed to procure a fan from the hotel which, whilst it merely moved warm air around, did help a little.
Yesterday I went shopping for more clothes and had my dirty laundry cleaned courtesy of the pub, which was where I spent most of the day until I hit “the wall”. Mid-evening a customer very kindly offered me a lift to my hotel to save me getting a bus and despite my original intention of going out to get some food down myself I plumped for using the hotel café and ordered a burger and a cider. It filled a hole but halfway through the drink I nodded off briefly and so retired to bed.
I still managed to sleep until merely 0545 today and waited until the shops would be open before going out. I took my Nokia to a shop and left it there to have it unlocked and thus render it usable on China Mobile and will collect it tomorrow. Next it was Tesco to buy most of my shopping list of stupid things I can’t get in China. The original plan had been to go to Flitwick today to see an old friend but that was postponed due to her infant being ill. Instead I decided to dump the shopping in my room, go to a cheap pub nearby for a couple and then head to my brother’s pub.
Upon opening the room door my initial thought was that I had been burgled. I knew the cleaners hadn’t been yet because some rubbish I had left outside was still there and the room looked different. It took me a second to realise the red thing in the middle of the floor was my missing suitcase! Not a phone call received from start to finish and if that is what normally happens when peoples’ luggage is delayed then the airlines/baggage handling companies really ought to take a long hard look at their methods. It IS an upsetting thing when it happens, it’s damned inconvenient and causes a lot of worry so the least they should do is keep people informed.
After checking everything was still there (briefly, and it appears to be) I went to reception to ask what had happened. Apparently it had been delivered late yesterday afternoon but when the hotel staff looked at the origin (Hefei) they not unnaturally assumed it belonged to one of the Chinese guests staying there. It took the manageress this morning to marry the name on the paperwork with the hotel guest list to have it sent to my room. Needless to say it is a huge relief nonetheless, not least because I now have my mother’s gifts to give her.
She is currently in the holding tank of Wexham Park hospital awaiting release on parole, which should be within the next hour. The trouble is, nobody is available to collect her for another two hours and my suggestion that we paid for a taxi to get her was dismissed because she wouldn’t like it. Ergo it has fallen yet again to one of my sisters to whom it apparently always falls.
Such is life.
Thursday, 18 July 2013
Wednesday 17th July, 2013 0530
Sometimes you question just what it is you have done to incur the wrath of Him up there.
On arrival at Hefei airport (to where my friend accompanied me in a hotel car) I was told by my companion my flight was delayed. Initially I thought he was pulling my leg but looking at the board it was apparent EVERY flight was delayed. I was unperturbed, for an hour late taking off simply meant the three hour wait for my Paris connection would be shorter.
It wasn’t an hour late, it was three - the period of time I was scheduled to cool my heels in Guangzhou. A simple mental calculation stated that I would land at the same time as I was supposed to take off for France. As I was airside there was nowhere to go for information as to whether Guangzhou was also experiencing delays so I just had to sit and wait and listen to non-stop delay announcements referring to “flight congestion infection”. This was the fallout from typhoon Soulik.
Needless to say I missed my flight and spent an hour at the transit desk before they finally gave me a fresh boarding card for the 0900 direct to London. I was beginning to think things weren’t so bad because the new ETA was only five hours later than originally planned. I was directed to go to the shuttle bus to take me to an hotel and I don’t exaggerate when I say it involved a hike of over a mile to get there. By now it was really getting late and by the time I arrived at the hotel - probably costing 100y a night - it was 0300, if I wanted a shower before I left I needed be up two and a half hours later so there was no question of me using complimentary room food service.
Before I dropped off to sleep I realised the airport hadn’t given me a new barcode for my suitcase so when I returned I asked about it. I was told as long as I had a boarding pass I didn’t need one. Well that may be so but what happens if said luggage goes missing? And of course that’s precisely what happened.
I am not in the best of humour at present, I have had just four hours sleep, have dirty clothes I will need to put on after I shower and I need to go and buy some new ones. I am down to my last 10 cigars (there are 400 in my case) and despite having activated the sim and put credit on it I can’t get my dongle to work. Life doesn’t get much better - especially in view of the fact I gave the lost luggage team my Mother’s phone number to contact if they locate my gear, only to discover when my brother met me that she was in hospital.
2115
Well no wonder why the dongle wouldn’t work - I eventually got customer support and was brightly informed the sim I had got was only good for phones. Terrific. Feeling restless I left the hotel too early for any shops to open so on the spur had an English breakfast in a café. There was no guilt involved and it was bliss while I read the Telegraph and waited for the Vodafone shop to open to get a special sim. But of course this visit has been going wrong from the outset and so it continued - PAYG dongle sims aren’t sold separately so I had to buy a new dongle. Then of course I had to go and buy socks, underwear and a shirt - and indeed will have to do likewise tomorrow morning as there is still no sign of my luggage.
But I am trying not to let everything spoil my enjoyment, this evening I even went to visit my Mother in hospital. My brother’s fiance has threatened to cook sirloin steaks “later” but as it is now thirty minutes off closing time I suspect it may be a case of getting a delivery as happened last night when I had Chinese for a change!
Sometimes you question just what it is you have done to incur the wrath of Him up there.
On arrival at Hefei airport (to where my friend accompanied me in a hotel car) I was told by my companion my flight was delayed. Initially I thought he was pulling my leg but looking at the board it was apparent EVERY flight was delayed. I was unperturbed, for an hour late taking off simply meant the three hour wait for my Paris connection would be shorter.
It wasn’t an hour late, it was three - the period of time I was scheduled to cool my heels in Guangzhou. A simple mental calculation stated that I would land at the same time as I was supposed to take off for France. As I was airside there was nowhere to go for information as to whether Guangzhou was also experiencing delays so I just had to sit and wait and listen to non-stop delay announcements referring to “flight congestion infection”. This was the fallout from typhoon Soulik.
Needless to say I missed my flight and spent an hour at the transit desk before they finally gave me a fresh boarding card for the 0900 direct to London. I was beginning to think things weren’t so bad because the new ETA was only five hours later than originally planned. I was directed to go to the shuttle bus to take me to an hotel and I don’t exaggerate when I say it involved a hike of over a mile to get there. By now it was really getting late and by the time I arrived at the hotel - probably costing 100y a night - it was 0300, if I wanted a shower before I left I needed be up two and a half hours later so there was no question of me using complimentary room food service.
Before I dropped off to sleep I realised the airport hadn’t given me a new barcode for my suitcase so when I returned I asked about it. I was told as long as I had a boarding pass I didn’t need one. Well that may be so but what happens if said luggage goes missing? And of course that’s precisely what happened.
I am not in the best of humour at present, I have had just four hours sleep, have dirty clothes I will need to put on after I shower and I need to go and buy some new ones. I am down to my last 10 cigars (there are 400 in my case) and despite having activated the sim and put credit on it I can’t get my dongle to work. Life doesn’t get much better - especially in view of the fact I gave the lost luggage team my Mother’s phone number to contact if they locate my gear, only to discover when my brother met me that she was in hospital.
2115
Well no wonder why the dongle wouldn’t work - I eventually got customer support and was brightly informed the sim I had got was only good for phones. Terrific. Feeling restless I left the hotel too early for any shops to open so on the spur had an English breakfast in a café. There was no guilt involved and it was bliss while I read the Telegraph and waited for the Vodafone shop to open to get a special sim. But of course this visit has been going wrong from the outset and so it continued - PAYG dongle sims aren’t sold separately so I had to buy a new dongle. Then of course I had to go and buy socks, underwear and a shirt - and indeed will have to do likewise tomorrow morning as there is still no sign of my luggage.
But I am trying not to let everything spoil my enjoyment, this evening I even went to visit my Mother in hospital. My brother’s fiance has threatened to cook sirloin steaks “later” but as it is now thirty minutes off closing time I suspect it may be a case of getting a delivery as happened last night when I had Chinese for a change!
Sunday, 14 July 2013
Junior Junk Mail
Sunday 14th July, 2013 1100
You know the single most thing I hate about travelling? The travelling! The only way is by ship.
By the time I had completed packing my suitcase and picked it up, it weighed a ton! In fairness I must point out that I had an extra bottle of baijiu which my friend forgot to take when he visited us in May and also my computer was in there. I think with some rearrangement I should be within limits.
I ended up waiting in the heat for the number 7 for ages but eventually I was on my way to the station. I handed over 68y for my ticket to Hefei and had a bit of a wait. Previously the buses I have taken to Hefei have been more like overgrown rickety minibuses with aircon that struggled just to keep the temperature just below heatstroke level but yesterday I was lucky. A twin deck modern coach with leather reclining seats which I tried and failed to drop off to sleep in - that is, at least until we must have just been approaching the south station for I don’t remember it, I awoke when everyone still aboard started getting off at the north station.
On exiting to get a taxi to the Hilton I was approached by a gloogloo driver (for those who don’t know a gloogloo is half motorbike, half rickshaw). He had a look about him I can’t describe but I thought what the hell, I bet not many people arrive at the Hilton in such a ramshackle canvas covered vehicle, so I did it for the crack. Sadly, the chap took me very close to the hotel but wouldn’t go the final ten yards all the way up to where the concierges were!
After a cigar and some welcome cold ones we had an enjoyable buffet dinner in Sens restaurant followed by beers in the apartment before mein host retired for the night, he was getting up early for a 60km cycle ride with the local expat riding club. I did offer to join them if they could provide an e-bike but strangely I wasn’t required.
1630
Lunch in the Happy Panda restaurant was keenly anticipated and today we were meeting a South African couple. Barrie and Lizel were extremely good company, the food as always was excellent and the chef - unbeknown and unbidden - made four special dinner plates for us, consisting of roast beef on mash and king prawns with salad. And yes, this time I did the touristy thing and took my camera.
The plan tonight is to go to the executive bar for a quick drink at six and to let them know I will be going in for breakfast tomorrow - Steve will have his a lot earlier and be working by the time I rise! After that we are going across the road for a Korean barbecue.
Currently we are awaiting the arrival of typhoon Soulik which I assume this far inland will simply bring a strong breeze and some rain.
You know the single most thing I hate about travelling? The travelling! The only way is by ship.
By the time I had completed packing my suitcase and picked it up, it weighed a ton! In fairness I must point out that I had an extra bottle of baijiu which my friend forgot to take when he visited us in May and also my computer was in there. I think with some rearrangement I should be within limits.
I ended up waiting in the heat for the number 7 for ages but eventually I was on my way to the station. I handed over 68y for my ticket to Hefei and had a bit of a wait. Previously the buses I have taken to Hefei have been more like overgrown rickety minibuses with aircon that struggled just to keep the temperature just below heatstroke level but yesterday I was lucky. A twin deck modern coach with leather reclining seats which I tried and failed to drop off to sleep in - that is, at least until we must have just been approaching the south station for I don’t remember it, I awoke when everyone still aboard started getting off at the north station.
On exiting to get a taxi to the Hilton I was approached by a gloogloo driver (for those who don’t know a gloogloo is half motorbike, half rickshaw). He had a look about him I can’t describe but I thought what the hell, I bet not many people arrive at the Hilton in such a ramshackle canvas covered vehicle, so I did it for the crack. Sadly, the chap took me very close to the hotel but wouldn’t go the final ten yards all the way up to where the concierges were!
After a cigar and some welcome cold ones we had an enjoyable buffet dinner in Sens restaurant followed by beers in the apartment before mein host retired for the night, he was getting up early for a 60km cycle ride with the local expat riding club. I did offer to join them if they could provide an e-bike but strangely I wasn’t required.
1630
Lunch in the Happy Panda restaurant was keenly anticipated and today we were meeting a South African couple. Barrie and Lizel were extremely good company, the food as always was excellent and the chef - unbeknown and unbidden - made four special dinner plates for us, consisting of roast beef on mash and king prawns with salad. And yes, this time I did the touristy thing and took my camera.
The plan tonight is to go to the executive bar for a quick drink at six and to let them know I will be going in for breakfast tomorrow - Steve will have his a lot earlier and be working by the time I rise! After that we are going across the road for a Korean barbecue.
Currently we are awaiting the arrival of typhoon Soulik which I assume this far inland will simply bring a strong breeze and some rain.
Friday, 12 July 2013
Friday 12th July, 2013 2020
Just a quick one before the entries become patchy or simply disappear for a while.
Pepsi is now “in prison” at the vets for the duration, I handed over 500y as they charge 25y (£2.50) a night but about a tenner of that will go on a bath and her annual injection. I feel bad about putting her there but as she is such an odd little thing it wasn’t fair to expect Joanna to look after her. Not to mention Joanna is out for eleven or so hours each day working.
My freezer now has 16 nights of cat meals (chicken breast, liver, duck gizzards) which should just last, if not I am leaving 1,000y in case of emergency for Joanna. I am almost packed and completely uncertain as to whether my bags will be within the weight limit - hopefully the Hefei Hilton will have scales I can use to check.
I have just come back from the sweet pork place having had a farewell meal with Joanna and her 18 year old student Lily so am going to relax now and watch something. The plan is to leave here at lunchtime tomorrow to be in the hotel early tomorrow evening and just relax, drink, eat and be merry until Monday evening when I embark on the chore that is flying back to the UK. No smoking, all those security checks - I hate flying and have done for years now.
Seeing my family again and tucking into good old English grub is keeping me going though!
Just a quick one before the entries become patchy or simply disappear for a while.
Pepsi is now “in prison” at the vets for the duration, I handed over 500y as they charge 25y (£2.50) a night but about a tenner of that will go on a bath and her annual injection. I feel bad about putting her there but as she is such an odd little thing it wasn’t fair to expect Joanna to look after her. Not to mention Joanna is out for eleven or so hours each day working.
My freezer now has 16 nights of cat meals (chicken breast, liver, duck gizzards) which should just last, if not I am leaving 1,000y in case of emergency for Joanna. I am almost packed and completely uncertain as to whether my bags will be within the weight limit - hopefully the Hefei Hilton will have scales I can use to check.
I have just come back from the sweet pork place having had a farewell meal with Joanna and her 18 year old student Lily so am going to relax now and watch something. The plan is to leave here at lunchtime tomorrow to be in the hotel early tomorrow evening and just relax, drink, eat and be merry until Monday evening when I embark on the chore that is flying back to the UK. No smoking, all those security checks - I hate flying and have done for years now.
Seeing my family again and tucking into good old English grub is keeping me going though!
Wednesday, 10 July 2013
Junior Junk Mail
Wednesday 10th July, 2013 2000
Last night as I said, we went for a Japanese meal. Arm and a leg at 350y but very enjoyable. This time it was planned so there are a few photos. I really must order something with either rice or noodles to fill me up next time but the problem is there are so many things to choose from and you can’t (as far as I can tell) just order rice as an accompaniment. Actually, thinking about it as I typed there, I am sure that as a (now) regular laowei patron it would be possible. We even drank sake. I still never tried the oysters although I did see two being cooked so I may not bother - I like them raw with lemon juice. I will definitely sample the huge tiger prawns though, they made my mouth water! I could easily eat there twice or thrice a week but for two people the bill would take a days wages each time.
I went to bed early last night but not early enough bearing in mind I needed to be up for six. I duly set my alarm for EIGHT! Damned good job I awoke just before six and realised the idiotic thing I had done otherwise what with my phone being turned off there could have been one extremely disappointed school.
However they were none the wiser as I turned up at the west gate at precisely 0740 as arranged and was met not by a taxi but one of the teachers driving a reasonably rare car here - a Ford Focus, and his aircon was great which was a blessing as today must have hovered around the ton.
The format for the day was the same as both occasions last year; everyone in the “boardroom” for an introduction session, teachers and students included (I even got Prof Wu to reintroduce himself!) and then me giving a brief history of my life followed by a Q&A session. That lasted about an hour and then we all went out, complete with school baseball caps and two large flags on standards. I confess to being concerned they were going to drag me up the mountains again (bad enough if it was cold but in the heat……) but it was just a short walk to the vegetable patch so the fitter ones could pick lunch. Actually I think it was their dinner because whatever it was - unidentified and nobody could tell me the name in English - it was green and the only green thing I saw at lunch was celery.
From then until lunchtime it was my show and of course games were expected. I had been a little disappointed to see one chap from last year because he had seen two of the three games I had prepared. He must be deliberately naughty so as to get sent there more than one summer, as indeed were I a kid I would do likewise because it is so idyllic. The picture game went well but Countdown not so much so we cut to Family Fortunes which was extremely well received. So much so that Prof Wu came in and tapped his watch - lunch was ready!
Now I have to say I don’t particularly enjoy the food they offer although of course everyone else does. I confined myself to rice, potatoes, cabbage and aubergines. It is always nice though to sit gambaying bin pijiu (cold beer) with Prof Wu who today declared me his “werry good friend”. and wouldn’t you know it, my Mother woke up early and telephoned me right in the middle of it!
Before we finished Prof Wu was at pains - through one of his uni students as he has a little English but not enough - to ascertain when I will return from the UK. They want me to go twice more next month and to be honest I will be disappointed if I don’t receive the call. It’s always a good few hours. By the way, Prof Wu is in the hooped shirt giving the victory sign in one shot. I noticed today that unlike last year where the only shop in the village was China Mobile, that has also closed. On enquiring how on earth anyone living there could buy food other than what they grow or rear unless they had a motorbike or car (I don’t think an e-bike would cope with the gradients) the answer was that they have to ask someone else to get it for them. It is ten minutes even by car to the nearest shops in the town of Maya (pronounced My-er) so you can imagine how isolated and quiet it is. But oh, so utterly beautiful!
When lunch was over I was given my pay. I always do it for free even though last year they offered, because they don’t charge the students or their parents, all the teachers are volunteers and the premises are given free because it is the village school normally but of course is empty now. My “salary”? Another school shirt but a slightly different design. For the first time since they gave me one last year, I wore it today as promised. I will in fact take it on holiday with me just to see how many people ask me what the Chinese characters mean.
On my return I was dead on my feet, Joanna told me last night that she was bringing a student of hers to stay the night before she rents her own room in town. As the only food I had at home was sausage rolls, spuds and peas and only enough for two she said don’t worry, they would sort themselves out. I in turn said I would think of something but as I desperately needed a nap I decided we could all go to the sweet pork place for dinner and accordingly sent her a text to say so. She never replied at the time but I knew she was teaching. At six however I was at the restaurant outside having an ale with Pepsi and still no reply so I sent another message. Nothing. I called her. She had just had her dinner at school! Great. I can only order two dishes where I was (because I always have them so to do it I simply hold up two fingers and they know) but they are expensive and far too much for one person. Dinner tonight has been cheese and biscuits. Women……..
Last night as I said, we went for a Japanese meal. Arm and a leg at 350y but very enjoyable. This time it was planned so there are a few photos. I really must order something with either rice or noodles to fill me up next time but the problem is there are so many things to choose from and you can’t (as far as I can tell) just order rice as an accompaniment. Actually, thinking about it as I typed there, I am sure that as a (now) regular laowei patron it would be possible. We even drank sake. I still never tried the oysters although I did see two being cooked so I may not bother - I like them raw with lemon juice. I will definitely sample the huge tiger prawns though, they made my mouth water! I could easily eat there twice or thrice a week but for two people the bill would take a days wages each time.
I went to bed early last night but not early enough bearing in mind I needed to be up for six. I duly set my alarm for EIGHT! Damned good job I awoke just before six and realised the idiotic thing I had done otherwise what with my phone being turned off there could have been one extremely disappointed school.
However they were none the wiser as I turned up at the west gate at precisely 0740 as arranged and was met not by a taxi but one of the teachers driving a reasonably rare car here - a Ford Focus, and his aircon was great which was a blessing as today must have hovered around the ton.
The format for the day was the same as both occasions last year; everyone in the “boardroom” for an introduction session, teachers and students included (I even got Prof Wu to reintroduce himself!) and then me giving a brief history of my life followed by a Q&A session. That lasted about an hour and then we all went out, complete with school baseball caps and two large flags on standards. I confess to being concerned they were going to drag me up the mountains again (bad enough if it was cold but in the heat……) but it was just a short walk to the vegetable patch so the fitter ones could pick lunch. Actually I think it was their dinner because whatever it was - unidentified and nobody could tell me the name in English - it was green and the only green thing I saw at lunch was celery.
From then until lunchtime it was my show and of course games were expected. I had been a little disappointed to see one chap from last year because he had seen two of the three games I had prepared. He must be deliberately naughty so as to get sent there more than one summer, as indeed were I a kid I would do likewise because it is so idyllic. The picture game went well but Countdown not so much so we cut to Family Fortunes which was extremely well received. So much so that Prof Wu came in and tapped his watch - lunch was ready!
Now I have to say I don’t particularly enjoy the food they offer although of course everyone else does. I confined myself to rice, potatoes, cabbage and aubergines. It is always nice though to sit gambaying bin pijiu (cold beer) with Prof Wu who today declared me his “werry good friend”. and wouldn’t you know it, my Mother woke up early and telephoned me right in the middle of it!
Before we finished Prof Wu was at pains - through one of his uni students as he has a little English but not enough - to ascertain when I will return from the UK. They want me to go twice more next month and to be honest I will be disappointed if I don’t receive the call. It’s always a good few hours. By the way, Prof Wu is in the hooped shirt giving the victory sign in one shot. I noticed today that unlike last year where the only shop in the village was China Mobile, that has also closed. On enquiring how on earth anyone living there could buy food other than what they grow or rear unless they had a motorbike or car (I don’t think an e-bike would cope with the gradients) the answer was that they have to ask someone else to get it for them. It is ten minutes even by car to the nearest shops in the town of Maya (pronounced My-er) so you can imagine how isolated and quiet it is. But oh, so utterly beautiful!
When lunch was over I was given my pay. I always do it for free even though last year they offered, because they don’t charge the students or their parents, all the teachers are volunteers and the premises are given free because it is the village school normally but of course is empty now. My “salary”? Another school shirt but a slightly different design. For the first time since they gave me one last year, I wore it today as promised. I will in fact take it on holiday with me just to see how many people ask me what the Chinese characters mean.
On my return I was dead on my feet, Joanna told me last night that she was bringing a student of hers to stay the night before she rents her own room in town. As the only food I had at home was sausage rolls, spuds and peas and only enough for two she said don’t worry, they would sort themselves out. I in turn said I would think of something but as I desperately needed a nap I decided we could all go to the sweet pork place for dinner and accordingly sent her a text to say so. She never replied at the time but I knew she was teaching. At six however I was at the restaurant outside having an ale with Pepsi and still no reply so I sent another message. Nothing. I called her. She had just had her dinner at school! Great. I can only order two dishes where I was (because I always have them so to do it I simply hold up two fingers and they know) but they are expensive and far too much for one person. Dinner tonight has been cheese and biscuits. Women……..
Monday, 8 July 2013
Junior Junk Mail
Monday 8th July, 2013 2100
I can see myself doing all my packing at the last minute on Saturday. Like a fool I stayed up to watch Wimbledon in the wee hours and as a result it was four before I went to bed and eleven before I got up. At four I showed Joanna how to use the bike but she is not exactly a natural!
She appears incapable of getting on or off it without twisting the throttle, resulting at one point in it departing, her attempting to hold on to it and then dropping it (good job I have the chrome surround bars) and injuring a big toe in the process. Somehow I don’t think she will use it much while I’m away, although as the plan is for me to use it to go to the west gate with my bags when I leave and dump it there, I do hope she will at least retrieve it for me when she finishes work.
I was going to take her downtown for her to meet her colleagues for a meal but she insisted on taking the bus as like all Chinese girls, she is terrified of getting a tan. I took her to the bus and carried on alone, first stop was the ATM. I put my card into the slot, thinking the screen looked unusual but being in Chinese I never knew what it said. I waited for it to ask for my PIN. And I waited. And still I waited. As the bank was closed I got an awful feeling this was one of those scams but took comfort in the fact I hadn’t entered my number so the card was useless to a fraudster. Eventually I pressed the intercom and to my relief someone answered, albeit they didn’t speak English. I grabbed a chap who was outside the booth waiting his turn, mimed what had happened and he relayed it to the woman. Shortly thereafter a security guard came in and started berating the poor man, presumably calling him a plonker for not reading the screen first. Then he noticed me! I looked through the slot and could only see fresh air, so I assume by coincidence I had put my card in immediately before someone inside removed the gubbins in order to replenish the money, for the manager came next and beckoned me into the bank where they put my card into an internal machine and asked me to key in the number. This I assume was to prove I was the rightful owner. After a couple of minutes I was then taken outside to the cash point, the innards were put back and to my relief I got my money.
I took the opportunity to do a fast shop for some potatoes and have my own Korean dinner before making my way back. While I was eating I had a call from the mountain summer school for naughty kids - could I go there this weekend? Er, no, I leave on Saturday for Hefei but I can do August. Oh, are you free Wednesday or Thursday? They are sending a car to collect me at the unearthly hour of 0740 Wednesday so I can write off that day until mid afternoon. But I do enjoy going there even though I do it for free.
Kevin, Vivi, Joanna and I are all going to the Japanese place tomorrow so I will ride in to meet Joanna when she finishes work. In view of my early wake-up the following morning we won’t be carousing late but at least we can start at six.
I can see myself doing all my packing at the last minute on Saturday. Like a fool I stayed up to watch Wimbledon in the wee hours and as a result it was four before I went to bed and eleven before I got up. At four I showed Joanna how to use the bike but she is not exactly a natural!
She appears incapable of getting on or off it without twisting the throttle, resulting at one point in it departing, her attempting to hold on to it and then dropping it (good job I have the chrome surround bars) and injuring a big toe in the process. Somehow I don’t think she will use it much while I’m away, although as the plan is for me to use it to go to the west gate with my bags when I leave and dump it there, I do hope she will at least retrieve it for me when she finishes work.
I was going to take her downtown for her to meet her colleagues for a meal but she insisted on taking the bus as like all Chinese girls, she is terrified of getting a tan. I took her to the bus and carried on alone, first stop was the ATM. I put my card into the slot, thinking the screen looked unusual but being in Chinese I never knew what it said. I waited for it to ask for my PIN. And I waited. And still I waited. As the bank was closed I got an awful feeling this was one of those scams but took comfort in the fact I hadn’t entered my number so the card was useless to a fraudster. Eventually I pressed the intercom and to my relief someone answered, albeit they didn’t speak English. I grabbed a chap who was outside the booth waiting his turn, mimed what had happened and he relayed it to the woman. Shortly thereafter a security guard came in and started berating the poor man, presumably calling him a plonker for not reading the screen first. Then he noticed me! I looked through the slot and could only see fresh air, so I assume by coincidence I had put my card in immediately before someone inside removed the gubbins in order to replenish the money, for the manager came next and beckoned me into the bank where they put my card into an internal machine and asked me to key in the number. This I assume was to prove I was the rightful owner. After a couple of minutes I was then taken outside to the cash point, the innards were put back and to my relief I got my money.
I took the opportunity to do a fast shop for some potatoes and have my own Korean dinner before making my way back. While I was eating I had a call from the mountain summer school for naughty kids - could I go there this weekend? Er, no, I leave on Saturday for Hefei but I can do August. Oh, are you free Wednesday or Thursday? They are sending a car to collect me at the unearthly hour of 0740 Wednesday so I can write off that day until mid afternoon. But I do enjoy going there even though I do it for free.
Kevin, Vivi, Joanna and I are all going to the Japanese place tomorrow so I will ride in to meet Joanna when she finishes work. In view of my early wake-up the following morning we won’t be carousing late but at least we can start at six.
Sunday, 7 July 2013
Junior Junk Mail
Saturday 6th July, 2013 1530
Well the aircon repair man cried off last evening due to the rain. Another warm night as my unit gets progressively worse. It was rearranged for ten this morning and accordingly I was ready. However at five past Cinny told me he was cancelling again due to the rain. It wasn’t raining! No, he was worried he would get here and then it would rain. Now I assumed he was a school employee but apparently not, so I am trying to take consolation from the fact the chap should be a proper engineer rather than a DIY bodger. As it happened he could have come and spent four hours working on I because the rain came just after two. Now it has been put back to ten tomorrow and I’m not particularly happy - I can’t exactly open the windows and doors due to the cats.
So, I went to town for food instead of tomorrow. I had lunch in KBW then as my horn has recently only been working intermittently I went to the bike repair shop. Sod’s law had it that it was working when I got there and the chap misunderstood what I was trying to tell him. He opened the bike up and proceeded to try to make it louder! All I really wanted was for him to clean and tighten the connections but he decided to charge me 10y for a completely new one. Actually I am glad he did because the new one is louder than some car horns I hear here!
Joanna will become my neighbour tomorrow night and as she really likes my chilli I bought the makings, enough probably for three meals each although we can freeze a couple for her to have while I am away. Unbelievably, in three years she has never had my chicken wings so that will be rectified before long. Kevin is now leaving on Friday instead of Saturday as planned because he secured a great deal on a flight and a night at the Guangzhou Hilton. I hope it’s not raining on Friday because his car was the back up for taking Pepsi to the vets.
It’s very quiet on campus now and the last of the students who are in fact going home will leave tomorrow, although some will be staying in dedicated dormitories, the rest will be locked for the duration. The supermarket is looking rather bare, as they have to empty all the stock and put it in storage they aren’t too keen on replacing things in case they don’t sell. Not a big problem as the one outside stays open anyway and sells identical stuff.
Sunday 7th 1540
Finally my aircon was attended to. It is still not as cold as I believe it should be but at least the airflow is greater and tonight should be a lot more comfortable. The main problems were a blocked overflow (causing the rain), the fact the wall unit wasn’t mounted on the level and a build up of dust and dirt. None of these I could have fixed myself and the cleaning involved taking the whole shooting match to pieces. The repair man (through Cinny) was at pains to point out the culprit for the dirt was my cigars, this was said whilst he merrily puffed away on a cheap Chinese cigarette. I in turn suggested that were the machines given an annual service this would never have occurred.
1700
I just went and helped Joanna move her things from her dormitory to here. Assorted carrier bags plus a suitcase which couldn’t have weighed more had she stuffed a dead body inside. As a result, when I picked it up to put it on the bike the handle snapped. Her comment? Ohhhh…..you should be more careful! What???? I think I may be able to effect a repair using my superglue but it wasn’t meant to hold what must have been 30 kgs.
For now though, the mince is browning and I’m off to chop things for the chilli con carne.
Well the aircon repair man cried off last evening due to the rain. Another warm night as my unit gets progressively worse. It was rearranged for ten this morning and accordingly I was ready. However at five past Cinny told me he was cancelling again due to the rain. It wasn’t raining! No, he was worried he would get here and then it would rain. Now I assumed he was a school employee but apparently not, so I am trying to take consolation from the fact the chap should be a proper engineer rather than a DIY bodger. As it happened he could have come and spent four hours working on I because the rain came just after two. Now it has been put back to ten tomorrow and I’m not particularly happy - I can’t exactly open the windows and doors due to the cats.
So, I went to town for food instead of tomorrow. I had lunch in KBW then as my horn has recently only been working intermittently I went to the bike repair shop. Sod’s law had it that it was working when I got there and the chap misunderstood what I was trying to tell him. He opened the bike up and proceeded to try to make it louder! All I really wanted was for him to clean and tighten the connections but he decided to charge me 10y for a completely new one. Actually I am glad he did because the new one is louder than some car horns I hear here!
Joanna will become my neighbour tomorrow night and as she really likes my chilli I bought the makings, enough probably for three meals each although we can freeze a couple for her to have while I am away. Unbelievably, in three years she has never had my chicken wings so that will be rectified before long. Kevin is now leaving on Friday instead of Saturday as planned because he secured a great deal on a flight and a night at the Guangzhou Hilton. I hope it’s not raining on Friday because his car was the back up for taking Pepsi to the vets.
It’s very quiet on campus now and the last of the students who are in fact going home will leave tomorrow, although some will be staying in dedicated dormitories, the rest will be locked for the duration. The supermarket is looking rather bare, as they have to empty all the stock and put it in storage they aren’t too keen on replacing things in case they don’t sell. Not a big problem as the one outside stays open anyway and sells identical stuff.
Sunday 7th 1540
Finally my aircon was attended to. It is still not as cold as I believe it should be but at least the airflow is greater and tonight should be a lot more comfortable. The main problems were a blocked overflow (causing the rain), the fact the wall unit wasn’t mounted on the level and a build up of dust and dirt. None of these I could have fixed myself and the cleaning involved taking the whole shooting match to pieces. The repair man (through Cinny) was at pains to point out the culprit for the dirt was my cigars, this was said whilst he merrily puffed away on a cheap Chinese cigarette. I in turn suggested that were the machines given an annual service this would never have occurred.
1700
I just went and helped Joanna move her things from her dormitory to here. Assorted carrier bags plus a suitcase which couldn’t have weighed more had she stuffed a dead body inside. As a result, when I picked it up to put it on the bike the handle snapped. Her comment? Ohhhh…..you should be more careful! What???? I think I may be able to effect a repair using my superglue but it wasn’t meant to hold what must have been 30 kgs.
For now though, the mince is browning and I’m off to chop things for the chilli con carne.
Thursday, 4 July 2013
Junior Junk Mail
Thursday 4th July, 2013 2130
Not a good day. My aircon unit has been raining inside my home for a couple of days but last night it simply wasn’t up to the task. I spent a restless night with nothing on atop the bed feeling uncomfortable and so have requested a technician (I use the word loosely) to call. He can’t make it until five or six tomorrow afternoon. Great, tomorrow afternoon I had arranged to take Joanna to the bank to get my sterling and take her for dinner afterwards.
Bless her, she agreed to bring it forward even though I know she was looking forward to just relaxing for the rest of the day after her last exam this morning. Going on the bike was out - fine for me but she would have got sunburnt - so I collected her at one-thirty to go and get the 29 bus. I was dubious because I knew the exodus of students with suitcases leaving for the summer holidays would have started already and indeed it had.
We were extremely fortunate because there were two buses at the south gate, one full and with people standing, the other empty with closed doors and the driver smoking a cigarette. I suggested we go to the one which would be later as there would be more of a chance of both of us getting a seat and as it turned out we were the first to think of it. We had to wait five minutes in the baking heat but I ensured we were the first to board by standing in close proximity to the doors to deter any eager beavers from even thinking about pushing in. We were the first two through the door.
With Kevin’s tale of languishing in the bank for two hours to get his cash I anticipated the same but in fact when the counters opened at two-thirty we only had to wait ten minutes before a teller called over to Joanna and asked in Chinese “how much does he want?” She told him and he beckoned us over without pressing the button which heralds the next ticket number. Result #1. It did though take half an hour for him to complete the paperwork marathon required to actually exchange currencies. I had checked online for the exchange rate before I left and so I had a rough idea of how much I would have to pay but I was extremely surprised to have to pay just a few yuan above the published rates, in fact near enough 300y than I had guessed. I have since seen on the news that the pound fell sharply so thanks Mr Cameron!
While we were waiting to be served Joanna became the victim of Chinese promises (so it’s not just foreigners it happens to!) because the summer job she had lined up fell through as we were sitting there. This caused me anxiety on two fronts: firstly I care about what happens to her and I know she wanted to be independent this summer and secondly I thought she may decide to go home after all and leave me with no cat sitter. Within minutes though she had arranged an interview for another job at a purposely set up summer school in town run by another student so I agreed to accompany her to the interview.
The big initiative test was actually locating the place in room 404 in a veritable rabbit warren of blocks. Eventually and after much walking we found it. The job is terrible in my opinion as it is 6 hours teaching a day, 7 days a week for four weeks and the pay quoted (after I did a quick calculation) is 15y or £1.50 per hour. The minimum for a student in my book should be 25y. Not only that but she can either start at 0730 each day and finish at 1630 - there’s a long lunch break - or start 0930 and finish at 1830. I honestly thought she would turn it down but she took it. Her justification was that they will provide lunch and dinner daily and her classes will have a maximum of six pupils.
I applaud her desire to earn some money of her own but question the sagacity of the decision. It’s her choice but I do feel for her as she is starting tomorrow morning. She really wanted to go home for a few days on Sunday but now she can’t. Still, it’s all experience.
When we left there I told her to choose where we went for dinner, somewhere she really wanted to go instead of me picking my favourite places. “You don’t eat what I like - hot and spicy”. I told her it didn’t matter, she had done me a big favour so I would eat hot and spicy, so what restaurant did she want to go to? She thought for a minute before finally saying she really wanted to go to the Japanese restaurant. What Japanese restaurant? Where? I had never heard of it. She didn’t know the name or location because she had only heard about it and as I was parched I said we should find somewhere we could get a drink and she could find out where it was.
She did and we duly went. Kevin and I have passed it dozens of times and had no idea it existed. But what a find! Really clean and modern and the service is as sharp as a razor - so much so that as we approached the doors I saw someone clap his hands twice loudly and two waitresses sprang up from their seats and instantly manned the doors. We were not allowed to sit at a more intimate table. Oh no, we had to be right beside the main chef at the huge island complete with enormous hotplate where he did his thing. The doors were instantly closed and the aircon switched on.
Most people reading this won’t appreciate what it’s like being somewhere that only pretty basic fare is on offer mostly and that anything special you see on a menu is invariably neither special nor remotely as it should be. I looked at the menu - printed with photographs and captions in Chinese, Japanese and English - and was surprised to see oysters, scallops, mackerel and such on it. In the end, between us we ordered salmon sashimi (smoked salmon without the smoke), pork strip curry, t-bone steak, mackerel and what was advertised as Japanese something or other but which turned out to be fried jowza. Yes the portions weren’t generous (the steak came from the world’s smallest cow) but it was really enjoyable. Pricey I have to say because with two bottles of ale the bill was 175y but I will certainly be going again. Next time though I have a fair idea of what to order to fill up with so as to save ordering so many dishes. But of course the oysters, scallops, huge tiger prawns and the rib-eye will at some point have to be tried!
Not a good day. My aircon unit has been raining inside my home for a couple of days but last night it simply wasn’t up to the task. I spent a restless night with nothing on atop the bed feeling uncomfortable and so have requested a technician (I use the word loosely) to call. He can’t make it until five or six tomorrow afternoon. Great, tomorrow afternoon I had arranged to take Joanna to the bank to get my sterling and take her for dinner afterwards.
Bless her, she agreed to bring it forward even though I know she was looking forward to just relaxing for the rest of the day after her last exam this morning. Going on the bike was out - fine for me but she would have got sunburnt - so I collected her at one-thirty to go and get the 29 bus. I was dubious because I knew the exodus of students with suitcases leaving for the summer holidays would have started already and indeed it had.
We were extremely fortunate because there were two buses at the south gate, one full and with people standing, the other empty with closed doors and the driver smoking a cigarette. I suggested we go to the one which would be later as there would be more of a chance of both of us getting a seat and as it turned out we were the first to think of it. We had to wait five minutes in the baking heat but I ensured we were the first to board by standing in close proximity to the doors to deter any eager beavers from even thinking about pushing in. We were the first two through the door.
With Kevin’s tale of languishing in the bank for two hours to get his cash I anticipated the same but in fact when the counters opened at two-thirty we only had to wait ten minutes before a teller called over to Joanna and asked in Chinese “how much does he want?” She told him and he beckoned us over without pressing the button which heralds the next ticket number. Result #1. It did though take half an hour for him to complete the paperwork marathon required to actually exchange currencies. I had checked online for the exchange rate before I left and so I had a rough idea of how much I would have to pay but I was extremely surprised to have to pay just a few yuan above the published rates, in fact near enough 300y than I had guessed. I have since seen on the news that the pound fell sharply so thanks Mr Cameron!
While we were waiting to be served Joanna became the victim of Chinese promises (so it’s not just foreigners it happens to!) because the summer job she had lined up fell through as we were sitting there. This caused me anxiety on two fronts: firstly I care about what happens to her and I know she wanted to be independent this summer and secondly I thought she may decide to go home after all and leave me with no cat sitter. Within minutes though she had arranged an interview for another job at a purposely set up summer school in town run by another student so I agreed to accompany her to the interview.
The big initiative test was actually locating the place in room 404 in a veritable rabbit warren of blocks. Eventually and after much walking we found it. The job is terrible in my opinion as it is 6 hours teaching a day, 7 days a week for four weeks and the pay quoted (after I did a quick calculation) is 15y or £1.50 per hour. The minimum for a student in my book should be 25y. Not only that but she can either start at 0730 each day and finish at 1630 - there’s a long lunch break - or start 0930 and finish at 1830. I honestly thought she would turn it down but she took it. Her justification was that they will provide lunch and dinner daily and her classes will have a maximum of six pupils.
I applaud her desire to earn some money of her own but question the sagacity of the decision. It’s her choice but I do feel for her as she is starting tomorrow morning. She really wanted to go home for a few days on Sunday but now she can’t. Still, it’s all experience.
When we left there I told her to choose where we went for dinner, somewhere she really wanted to go instead of me picking my favourite places. “You don’t eat what I like - hot and spicy”. I told her it didn’t matter, she had done me a big favour so I would eat hot and spicy, so what restaurant did she want to go to? She thought for a minute before finally saying she really wanted to go to the Japanese restaurant. What Japanese restaurant? Where? I had never heard of it. She didn’t know the name or location because she had only heard about it and as I was parched I said we should find somewhere we could get a drink and she could find out where it was.
She did and we duly went. Kevin and I have passed it dozens of times and had no idea it existed. But what a find! Really clean and modern and the service is as sharp as a razor - so much so that as we approached the doors I saw someone clap his hands twice loudly and two waitresses sprang up from their seats and instantly manned the doors. We were not allowed to sit at a more intimate table. Oh no, we had to be right beside the main chef at the huge island complete with enormous hotplate where he did his thing. The doors were instantly closed and the aircon switched on.
Most people reading this won’t appreciate what it’s like being somewhere that only pretty basic fare is on offer mostly and that anything special you see on a menu is invariably neither special nor remotely as it should be. I looked at the menu - printed with photographs and captions in Chinese, Japanese and English - and was surprised to see oysters, scallops, mackerel and such on it. In the end, between us we ordered salmon sashimi (smoked salmon without the smoke), pork strip curry, t-bone steak, mackerel and what was advertised as Japanese something or other but which turned out to be fried jowza. Yes the portions weren’t generous (the steak came from the world’s smallest cow) but it was really enjoyable. Pricey I have to say because with two bottles of ale the bill was 175y but I will certainly be going again. Next time though I have a fair idea of what to order to fill up with so as to save ordering so many dishes. But of course the oysters, scallops, huge tiger prawns and the rib-eye will at some point have to be tried!
Wednesday, 3 July 2013
Junior Junk Mail
Tuesday 2nd July, 2013 1600
I forgot to mention that I noticed a couple of days ago that after three years work has finally recommenced on the hotel ship in the lake. It caught my attention as there has suddenly appeared a pseudo-funnel, which I assume will be used to vent the galley. Previously I have been unable to get up close to it because the pier has always been locked but now it is open to allow delivery vehicles access. I couldn’t resist riding up there and having a peek.
Currently the interior is a bare shell but there is timber and ply everywhere and quite a few workmen, so with luck it won’t be too long before it opens for business. I would really like to eat aboard even just once for the novelty.
Earlier in the day when I was at home I could hear fireworks and the sound seemed to be coming from the main road so I looked out of my side window. There was what I can only assume to have been a funeral cortege passing, for it consisted of cars, motor and e-bikes and a pick-up loaded with a rather noisy jazz band. Sadly by the time I had grabbed my camera they had passed from view but I managed to take two pictures from the outside balcony. There are trees obscuring it a bit but from them you should be able to get an idea.
At lunchtime I hauled all my coins to the bank where Sonya counted them during the bank’s quiet period. I had containers of every coin and it took her 40 minutes even though I had kept all the values segregated. As I have said, I was hoping to have amassed 1,000y but I was disappointed. There was 928y. Still, as Tescos say, every little helps!
It’s a bit warm today at 36C (apparently feels like 41C) so I will wait at least another hour before taking the dog out.
Wednesday 3rd 1530
Before I went out after the heat had calmed a little I visited the school website. I access it every day as occasionally I find notices of scheduled power cuts and the like, and yesterday there was an entry relating to financial matters - which shouldn’t have related to me but it really is a good job I am nosy.
The site of course is all in Chinese but thanks to Chrome anything that I access in any language is automatically translated into English. Admittedly the translations are sometimes nonsense, at others amusing (for instance the school is always “hospital” and lesson schedules are always “bus timetables”) but I did get an idea of a possible problem from it. I gleaned that as of this month the school was switching from the Agricultural Bank of China to the China Construction Bank. In a developed country it would be unimportant but I had a sneaky feeling perhaps we had to move our own accounts there in order to be paid. Accordingly I sent Cinny a text regarding this and it was some time before she replied due to the fact she had to make many phone calls to get an answer. The answer was yes - we had to open accounts with CCB or we wouldn’t receive our salaries over the holidays! This is a shining example of where the FAO or the administration department ruin all the good things about this place.
By coincidence when I received the answer and sent it to Kevin (as he will be abroad for two months he is in the cart unless he can withdraw his entire July salary) he was with who he had been told by Prof Fang was the daughter of the president of the university but the girl had told him was the Dean of the history dept. He has lately spent a few hours with her advising on which UK universities to apply to and generally brushing up on her English. Well last night her father wanted to take Kevin to dinner by way of a thank you.
Now you may recall I did something similar with the niece of this chap recently? I was also told by Prof Fang he was the Chancellor but was told by the girl he was the history Dean. I never got dinner with the uncle but he did instruct the girl to take me for a few lunches and gave her the money. As people arrived at the restaurant, Kevin became increasingly confused because after being introduced to the girl’s father and some relatives, Prof Fang arrived plus some more brass from the school. Unable to contain his curiosity he asked exactly who Dad was. It transpires he is indeed the President as well as being the Dean of the history dept.
As they were eating the boss enquired as to Kevin’s opinion of the school, via interpreters. Kevin said the same things I would have, being sure first to express our happiness with the campus, students and faculty but then went on to highlight all the problems we are caused by admin and the FAO. This was apparently a bombshell to the top dog as he said he had no idea we were being treated in this manner and indeed absolutely nobody present knew of the latest screw up with the banking. Kevin is now under instructions to contact the daughter with any serious concerns for her to relate to him so just maybe we may see an improvement.
Cinny very kindly offered to accompany us this morning to help us open new accounts (all the forms are in Mandarin) and so we spent ninety minutes doing so. It became apparent to me why nobody knew about our hitch because Cinny bemoaned the fact she had left her wallet at home and she could have changed her PIN - that means the school opened accounts for all the Chinese teachers but left the foreigners out.
Of course Ollivier is in a different province and the new account can only be opened in the branch handling the school here. I sent him a text informing him and he’s not a happy teddy, particularly as his wife rather stupidly said they could wait until September for his expenses! I can only assume that unless he makes the long trip back just to do this he will be borrowing from her family.
It’s another roaster today nudging towards 100F so again I must wait for it to cool before going out. Mind you, changing the bed is easy these days - just sheet, pillowcases and the quilt cover with no quilt!
I forgot to mention that I noticed a couple of days ago that after three years work has finally recommenced on the hotel ship in the lake. It caught my attention as there has suddenly appeared a pseudo-funnel, which I assume will be used to vent the galley. Previously I have been unable to get up close to it because the pier has always been locked but now it is open to allow delivery vehicles access. I couldn’t resist riding up there and having a peek.
Currently the interior is a bare shell but there is timber and ply everywhere and quite a few workmen, so with luck it won’t be too long before it opens for business. I would really like to eat aboard even just once for the novelty.
Earlier in the day when I was at home I could hear fireworks and the sound seemed to be coming from the main road so I looked out of my side window. There was what I can only assume to have been a funeral cortege passing, for it consisted of cars, motor and e-bikes and a pick-up loaded with a rather noisy jazz band. Sadly by the time I had grabbed my camera they had passed from view but I managed to take two pictures from the outside balcony. There are trees obscuring it a bit but from them you should be able to get an idea.
At lunchtime I hauled all my coins to the bank where Sonya counted them during the bank’s quiet period. I had containers of every coin and it took her 40 minutes even though I had kept all the values segregated. As I have said, I was hoping to have amassed 1,000y but I was disappointed. There was 928y. Still, as Tescos say, every little helps!
It’s a bit warm today at 36C (apparently feels like 41C) so I will wait at least another hour before taking the dog out.
Wednesday 3rd 1530
Before I went out after the heat had calmed a little I visited the school website. I access it every day as occasionally I find notices of scheduled power cuts and the like, and yesterday there was an entry relating to financial matters - which shouldn’t have related to me but it really is a good job I am nosy.
The site of course is all in Chinese but thanks to Chrome anything that I access in any language is automatically translated into English. Admittedly the translations are sometimes nonsense, at others amusing (for instance the school is always “hospital” and lesson schedules are always “bus timetables”) but I did get an idea of a possible problem from it. I gleaned that as of this month the school was switching from the Agricultural Bank of China to the China Construction Bank. In a developed country it would be unimportant but I had a sneaky feeling perhaps we had to move our own accounts there in order to be paid. Accordingly I sent Cinny a text regarding this and it was some time before she replied due to the fact she had to make many phone calls to get an answer. The answer was yes - we had to open accounts with CCB or we wouldn’t receive our salaries over the holidays! This is a shining example of where the FAO or the administration department ruin all the good things about this place.
By coincidence when I received the answer and sent it to Kevin (as he will be abroad for two months he is in the cart unless he can withdraw his entire July salary) he was with who he had been told by Prof Fang was the daughter of the president of the university but the girl had told him was the Dean of the history dept. He has lately spent a few hours with her advising on which UK universities to apply to and generally brushing up on her English. Well last night her father wanted to take Kevin to dinner by way of a thank you.
Now you may recall I did something similar with the niece of this chap recently? I was also told by Prof Fang he was the Chancellor but was told by the girl he was the history Dean. I never got dinner with the uncle but he did instruct the girl to take me for a few lunches and gave her the money. As people arrived at the restaurant, Kevin became increasingly confused because after being introduced to the girl’s father and some relatives, Prof Fang arrived plus some more brass from the school. Unable to contain his curiosity he asked exactly who Dad was. It transpires he is indeed the President as well as being the Dean of the history dept.
As they were eating the boss enquired as to Kevin’s opinion of the school, via interpreters. Kevin said the same things I would have, being sure first to express our happiness with the campus, students and faculty but then went on to highlight all the problems we are caused by admin and the FAO. This was apparently a bombshell to the top dog as he said he had no idea we were being treated in this manner and indeed absolutely nobody present knew of the latest screw up with the banking. Kevin is now under instructions to contact the daughter with any serious concerns for her to relate to him so just maybe we may see an improvement.
Cinny very kindly offered to accompany us this morning to help us open new accounts (all the forms are in Mandarin) and so we spent ninety minutes doing so. It became apparent to me why nobody knew about our hitch because Cinny bemoaned the fact she had left her wallet at home and she could have changed her PIN - that means the school opened accounts for all the Chinese teachers but left the foreigners out.
Of course Ollivier is in a different province and the new account can only be opened in the branch handling the school here. I sent him a text informing him and he’s not a happy teddy, particularly as his wife rather stupidly said they could wait until September for his expenses! I can only assume that unless he makes the long trip back just to do this he will be borrowing from her family.
It’s another roaster today nudging towards 100F so again I must wait for it to cool before going out. Mind you, changing the bed is easy these days - just sheet, pillowcases and the quilt cover with no quilt!
Monday, 1 July 2013
Sunday 30th June, 2013 1200
Yesterday was perfect for a run to town especially as the power was going to be off all day, during which I managed to find a suitable bag to use for hand luggage and also afterwards for my school bag. I really have to throw my expensive leather one away as due to the cats it now looks incredibly tatty. On enquiring as to the price of said bag I thought I was told 400y and immediately said too expensive. Although this was in east street where bartering is de rigeur, there was no way on earth I could chip the price down to 100y which was more the price I had imagined. I made as if to leave and the woman hastened to put me right - it wasn’t 400y but 40y (£4)!!! I was so pleased I simply handed over the money without even trying to haggle.
I should have stayed in town longer for when I came back and took Pepsi to the sweet pork place there wasn’t a breath of air and I just sat and melted. It was the same at the campus shops so because I was tired after getting up early to ensure I showered before the shutdown (although annoyingly I could have slept later because for the first time in history the water stayed on) I laid on my bed and managed to doze until there was light again. However whilst at the shops I discovered my pocket watch had stopped. Damned annoying and especially so seeing as the batteries in my four other watches have all run out. I may give it to Kevin to take to his watch repairer, it should be an easy enough job but I went and bought yet another watch. It set me back the princely sum of 27y and once Kevin removed three links it fitted perfectly.
I also bought some pork mince and potatoes. Maybe tomorrow I will have a crack at making my own burgers and chips. I found a recipe/method for producing home made oven chips, which if it works will be terrific.
I also discussed with Kevin when he would move downtown so that Joanna could move into his campus flat. Initially he said 12th July because two of his students will be staying in his town place, that caused mild panic because I know Joanna’s dormitory block will be sealed by then, so after discussions between him and his students it was agreed she could move in next weekend and he will sleep downtown on his camp bed. Great. Except when I told Joanna she said she will have gone home by then! More panic then because she must be here at the latest the 12th as I am leaving myself for Hefei on the 13th and the cats will need looking after. All is now resolved as she will return in time plus we will move her gear into Kevin’s in the coming week. Her exams conclude on Thursday so hopefully I will finally get to obtain some sterling from the bank. It is certainly a whole lot less stressful staying here! Packing will be the easy part - I need to freeze enough cat meals to last a fortnight (and in individual meal sizes as she has no idea how much to give them) and get Pepsi to the vets for her “holiday in a cage” among a myriad of other things, another of which is lugging all my coins to Sonya. I wonder if I have 1,000y yet?
Ok, shower time and then I am off for my summer haircut if my young friend YoYo is working today.
Monday 1st July, 2013 0200
Yes, I know it’s late!
I went for my haircut and my suspicions were confirmed. YoYo is not a hairdresser as far as I can tell. She washes hair and dries it. This became apparent when her bluff was called this afternoon and I walked in. I may not speak the lingo but I know when someone is trying to get someone to rescue them so I demanded she gave me my haircut. She didn’t make a complete pig’s ear of it but there were steps on the tumblehomes and she never even touched the top before she started to undo the gown. Whoa! This has got to last two months, I want it short! Really short. Now I am a believer in the fact everyone learning something has to have guinea pigs and certainly at sea on Scottish ships there was an expression that the only difference between a good and a bad haircut was two weeks so I wanted to give her every opportunity.
She wouldn’t attack my barnet further despite my exhortations and one of the lads came and tidied me up. Next time I will go to Barry Manilow!!
This evening I did in fact try my hand at burgers and chips for Kevin and me. First time for both so it was always a case of if it goes wrong we pop out for fried rice. Sadly every burger recipe I looked at either listed ingredients I can’t get unless I shop online (or not at all) or they conflicted, such as egg yolk v whole egg, breadcrumbs or not etc. in the end I guessed and we sucked it and saw. I now know next time to only use one egg and also include breadcrumbs but the result was pork chilli burgers which could never in a million years be described as round or beautiful but which to our deprived palates tasted - without blowing any trumpets - bloody good. The chips, surprisingly seeing as they were oven chips fashioned from spuds I bought yesterday, were…..well…… CHIPS! They only took two hours to cook in the little oven! An awful lot of faffing about for something in the UK you just take out of bags and whack in the oven but after three years it was a success. And of course unlike the UK these burgers were guaranteed to be free of any horsemeat! And before anyone makes comment about dog meat, not a chance as it’s more expensive than pork.
That’s me for now, I am hoping to go and see Sonya with my coins during the quiet lunch period if I wake up early enough - I just hope the forecasters are right for once.
Yesterday was perfect for a run to town especially as the power was going to be off all day, during which I managed to find a suitable bag to use for hand luggage and also afterwards for my school bag. I really have to throw my expensive leather one away as due to the cats it now looks incredibly tatty. On enquiring as to the price of said bag I thought I was told 400y and immediately said too expensive. Although this was in east street where bartering is de rigeur, there was no way on earth I could chip the price down to 100y which was more the price I had imagined. I made as if to leave and the woman hastened to put me right - it wasn’t 400y but 40y (£4)!!! I was so pleased I simply handed over the money without even trying to haggle.
I should have stayed in town longer for when I came back and took Pepsi to the sweet pork place there wasn’t a breath of air and I just sat and melted. It was the same at the campus shops so because I was tired after getting up early to ensure I showered before the shutdown (although annoyingly I could have slept later because for the first time in history the water stayed on) I laid on my bed and managed to doze until there was light again. However whilst at the shops I discovered my pocket watch had stopped. Damned annoying and especially so seeing as the batteries in my four other watches have all run out. I may give it to Kevin to take to his watch repairer, it should be an easy enough job but I went and bought yet another watch. It set me back the princely sum of 27y and once Kevin removed three links it fitted perfectly.
I also bought some pork mince and potatoes. Maybe tomorrow I will have a crack at making my own burgers and chips. I found a recipe/method for producing home made oven chips, which if it works will be terrific.
I also discussed with Kevin when he would move downtown so that Joanna could move into his campus flat. Initially he said 12th July because two of his students will be staying in his town place, that caused mild panic because I know Joanna’s dormitory block will be sealed by then, so after discussions between him and his students it was agreed she could move in next weekend and he will sleep downtown on his camp bed. Great. Except when I told Joanna she said she will have gone home by then! More panic then because she must be here at the latest the 12th as I am leaving myself for Hefei on the 13th and the cats will need looking after. All is now resolved as she will return in time plus we will move her gear into Kevin’s in the coming week. Her exams conclude on Thursday so hopefully I will finally get to obtain some sterling from the bank. It is certainly a whole lot less stressful staying here! Packing will be the easy part - I need to freeze enough cat meals to last a fortnight (and in individual meal sizes as she has no idea how much to give them) and get Pepsi to the vets for her “holiday in a cage” among a myriad of other things, another of which is lugging all my coins to Sonya. I wonder if I have 1,000y yet?
Ok, shower time and then I am off for my summer haircut if my young friend YoYo is working today.
Monday 1st July, 2013 0200
Yes, I know it’s late!
I went for my haircut and my suspicions were confirmed. YoYo is not a hairdresser as far as I can tell. She washes hair and dries it. This became apparent when her bluff was called this afternoon and I walked in. I may not speak the lingo but I know when someone is trying to get someone to rescue them so I demanded she gave me my haircut. She didn’t make a complete pig’s ear of it but there were steps on the tumblehomes and she never even touched the top before she started to undo the gown. Whoa! This has got to last two months, I want it short! Really short. Now I am a believer in the fact everyone learning something has to have guinea pigs and certainly at sea on Scottish ships there was an expression that the only difference between a good and a bad haircut was two weeks so I wanted to give her every opportunity.
She wouldn’t attack my barnet further despite my exhortations and one of the lads came and tidied me up. Next time I will go to Barry Manilow!!
This evening I did in fact try my hand at burgers and chips for Kevin and me. First time for both so it was always a case of if it goes wrong we pop out for fried rice. Sadly every burger recipe I looked at either listed ingredients I can’t get unless I shop online (or not at all) or they conflicted, such as egg yolk v whole egg, breadcrumbs or not etc. in the end I guessed and we sucked it and saw. I now know next time to only use one egg and also include breadcrumbs but the result was pork chilli burgers which could never in a million years be described as round or beautiful but which to our deprived palates tasted - without blowing any trumpets - bloody good. The chips, surprisingly seeing as they were oven chips fashioned from spuds I bought yesterday, were…..well…… CHIPS! They only took two hours to cook in the little oven! An awful lot of faffing about for something in the UK you just take out of bags and whack in the oven but after three years it was a success. And of course unlike the UK these burgers were guaranteed to be free of any horsemeat! And before anyone makes comment about dog meat, not a chance as it’s more expensive than pork.
That’s me for now, I am hoping to go and see Sonya with my coins during the quiet lunch period if I wake up early enough - I just hope the forecasters are right for once.
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