Thursday 25^th June, 2020 Dragon Boat Day 2015

As I only had a handful of students from the last class to examine on Wednesday afternoon, I was done by 1515 and was surprised to emerge from the building into blazing heat, probably around 33ºC. Nothing that would have phased me in Chizhou but after four years here, it was hot.

I took the bus, went to the jing jo shop and then made to go home. When I got to the facial recognition dooberry it wouldn't let me in! I hadn't paid attention and so presented my ugly mug again for a scan and watched. Instead of a green square around my head it flashed intermittently red and my skin temperature kept flashing as 38ºC – and it simply refused to open the gates.

I thought “this is going to be fun in the warm weather” and kept trying. Thankfully the entry gate is under a tent so after a few minutes my skin cooled low enough (37.2ºC) to be deemed no longer a health risk and I was allowed through. Again the lack of logic sprang to mind. On foot the machine will bar entry. Arrive in a car or taxi and you could be at death's door and get through!

And if I arrive on foot again and know I will appear “hot” I suppose I could always buy some bottled water, soak my head and probably sail through.

And then this afternoon Alice (Wuhu/Guangzhou – not Lanzhou) informed me she will be arriving to visit a week on Monday for two nights en route to Tibet. Now of course I am looking forward to seeing her (although it will be a full house, that's for sure! God knows what the neighbours will think!) but then I remembered the entry gate recognition whatnot.

She's not on the system so unless someone looks very similar who is actually a student here, she can't get in or out.

Well I think everyone here knows my opinion of idiotic systems and rules and I will always do my best to circumvent same.

I shall meet her at the airport (she's flying from Hefei, not Guangzhou surprisingly) and we can get a train or coach to the city and a taxi the final mile. Highly unlikely they will inspect another passenger with me so that will be fine. In and out on foot? Well the other Alice showed me that ruse! She just keeps really close to me and dodges out when I get the barrier open! If that doesn't work then I'll open it so she can nip through and then do it again for me. Simples.

Now, to the holiday. There is hope.

I was reading online that all Yangtse cruise companies had cancelled sailings for June and July and yesterday I checked the schedule of our vessel. I pulled up June and no sailings, ditto with July. When I pulled up August however, the sailing dates are showing so fingers crossed. I still have a couple of flights to book, one I would be happy to pay for now (both of us NNG-PVG) as it is a reasonable cost for business class and I doubt it will go lower but the one I am having to hold off on is ME getting to and from Shanghai. Even the unpopular early morning and late night flights are too much so that will be a case of about two weeks before I reckon. I budget £150 each way from here to Shanghai business class and a civilised afternoon flight needs to reduce a fair bit. I love the way they say “in high demand!” and >5 seats left all the time, then when you finally fly you find maybe three others up front with you. Only once has it really been full.

And there's my UK readers champing at the bit to be able to go down the pub again!

So glad I decided to weather the storm here, full pay, payrise, another year in work guaranteed and absolutely NO Greta Thunberg nonsense or BLM riots. Funny all these things go on in “free” countries isn't it? I think I'll stick to being “oppressed by communists”, all you have to do is keep your nose clean and as a foreigner you are as free as a bird apart from document renewal periodically. And I don't walk down the street wondering if I will be attacked.

No I'm not the Chinese Lord Haw Haw at all. I rant enough about this place as well you know, it just happens to have more going for it than against. But it does take a special kind of person to go the distance. Not that I'm special.