Saturday
6th June, 2020 1330
Yesterday
Alice asked me if I could smuggle her and another monitor out of
school. When I had finished for the day we set off for the gate and I
duly used my bulk to mask them from the camera and they went through.
Unfortunately on this occasion the guards were quite alert and
pounced. I called Brenda and asked her to speak with the guards but
it was to no avail, they weren't budging. Damned good job I never
needed a translator to accompany me to hospital.
I
was both annoyed and slightly embarrassed at failing to get them to
freedom. However, this shows the inanity of it all: I apologised to
the girls and they replied, “Don't worry, we'll just climb over the
wall!” And that's exactly what they did. They went downtown and at
about ten last night they climbed back in over the wall! Well, if
they are doing it how many others are?
On
the happy side – there haven't been a lot of sunny news tales of
late – Joanna knows we can't go abroad in summer and is happy to
take a vacation in China. Given various options, she chose my
preferred holiday, which is a Yichang to Chongqing Yangtse cruise
followed by possibly five nights in Nanning. So now I am back to
doing something I quite like, planning the logistics of flights and
hotels (and whether I can afford it all) and we all know that
whatever plans I lay, at some point things will go catastrophically
wrong!
It
ain't going to be cheap either. OK, you know I fly up front so that's
my fault. I like decent hotels and of course I want the best for both
of us so it's going to be Crowne Plaza and suchlike. I also need to
get to Shanghai to collect her and no way am I jetting there only to
leave in a couple of hours for the ship in Yichang. I will stay a
night at an airport hotel and she can join me so we are both there
ready for the adventure.
Now,
anyone thinking of a Yangtse cruise (which I think will be terrific
watching the stunning scenery passing by from the comfort of a bar
stool) that is almost a busman's holiday for an old salt, be aware of
the price. In US dollars the 4 night, 5 day upstream cruise is $445
per head in steerage. That's actually quite good value I think.
However, start going upscale and executive class and you are talking
double the fare. I did daydream of the Shangri-La/Presidential suite
experience but at $5,500 for two naturally I balked! For one, I have
that much but then nothing left for hotels and flights – or having
my Shanghai Sojourn as usual. A thousand quid a night on, let's face
it, a river steamer?
To
be honest, I am happy to shell out for executive class but apart from
an ever so slightly larger cabin, I don't see any difference to
cattle class. If it included all you can drink then fine but it seems
to me you still have to purchase drinks packages or pay at the bar –
which is where I shall be most of the time anyway.
I
sent them an enquiry yesterday evening about prices and offers etc
which they are pledged to respond to within 24 hours. If executive
status confers nothing more than an extra few square feet of cabin
area then I am minded to go down to “superior” (meaning steerage)
which will leave me (as Harry whatsisface was famous for saying)
Loadsamoney! Four nights of paying for wi-fi and drinks can't cost
$900 surely? Even in Shanghai I am looking at $100 a day including
taking girls for dinner.
But
of course, this is me planning so I wouldn't blame you for privately
thinking haha! there will be a second wave and another lockdown to
foil him!
And
just to leave you with something different, I saw the following story
in the Mirror today. Why am I posting it? I know Zuzana. She was one
of my truck-driving colleague's girlfriend before I came to China.
They are both Slovakian and she is absolutely stunning. We used to go
out for meals together and they came to mine in Luton for dinner –
bizarrely I believe I made it a Chinese dinner that I cooked myself.
Happy days but I never knew then that the writing was truly on the
wall.
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