The second shopping trip also singularly failed to yield all the remaining items on my list, although I did manage to get “shaky” parmesan. I also bought a bottle of malt vinegar for fish and chips plus a couple of packets of strong English cheddar, the latter to go with Steve’s brother’s homemade pickled onions which so far I have valiantly resisted the urge to plunder. It would be a waste not to have them with good cheddar and some crusty bread. I may try to find RT Mart in Lanzhou using buses to get French baguettes (not a short journey), failing which I shall make my own, maybe crusty rolls for a change.
At six we went to Big Bamboo (I may be travelling but I am still a creature of considerable habit, and anyway the lovely Jill was there as my main attraction) where I met up with Rabbit (don’t ask) for the first time since she graduated four years ago. She is now working here in Shanghai for a Chinese IT company specialising in producing APPs for phones and computers. It is good to see someone who was immensely timid during her university days blossom into someone who, whilst not bursting with confidence, is at least standing on her own two feet in the real world.
Roland had brought his son TK and he seems to have grown at the same rate as bamboo since last year. I was staggered to learn he is still merely 13 years of age. The plan was to milk happy hour and then go to an English style eatery (King William I think) and indeed Roland and I enjoyed a gallon of Guinness between ourselves. Before we left I settled the bill and afterwards regretted not taking the receipt, for unless we were diddled a fruit juice, ginger ale and two cans of coke cost more than eight pints of Liffey water! Rest assured the bill will be scrutinised henceforth!
At the King William I had a steak and ale pie with mash and peas, far too much for me but very nice indeed, although the pie did have a slight taste of something I wasn’t expecting and couldn’t identify.
Then it was back to Big Bamboo and more drinking. Rabbit took a Didicar from the other place and we dropped off TJ near home. The Premier League has just restarted the season so we ended up watching one of the big screens (even as someone who doesn’t follow football it’s difficult not to watch) and switching to Magners. It was well after 0100 when we decided to call it a day but the waitresses wouldn’t let us leave! Three of them (Jill included) insisted we join them for “shots” - of course one of us would be doing the paying. I had no idea what the shots were to be but they turned out to be Jaegerbombs. I am none the wiser but they weren’t unpleasant and they never tasted remotely alcoholic but they must have been. Each had two shots before we were released so 10 shots and I was 550y the poorer.
It did though mean that it was 0300 before my head hit the pillow. Mercifully, the first bawling kid never manifested itself until 0915 so I was granted six hours sleep. Even the cleaners started late, it being a Sunday.
As for the laundry, I have worked out that if I go to the laundry on Tuesday morning and (fingers crossed) they can do it in a couple of hours, I shan’t have to get any more done and will last until I travel home to Lanzhou next Monday.
Tonight should be less expensive, TJ has school and Roland work tomorrow. That means we should be able to escape the rottweilers early on as they will still have plenty of other customers to serve. Monday and Tuesday should equally not be so wallet-destroying, hopefully I can flee Shanghai with enough cash to pay for my next two hotels, train/taxi fares and actually have money to play with in Wuhu and Hefei if I‘m careful.
It seems odd that I am now already just past the halfway mark of my 19 day holiday.
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