CHINA 2010 FRIDAY 27th AUGUST

This afternoon, along with Polly, we made another visit to Gulangyu Island, this time I managed to climb to the summit of Sunlight Rock, before taking a short cable car ride across to the Aviary. The weather was perfect for looking at the panoramic view across the straits and down onto the roof tops of the buildings below in a mass of greenness. I rode in a car with Polly whilst Keith was alone in the car in front as the rules only allow 2 passengers per car. As we crossed over the small valley, most of the area being taken over with neat rows of potted plants and a few buildings, one of which had large dark Chinese characters written on the flat roof Polly explained the writing meant ‘gift’. As we approached the roof I was so disappointed to see that this writing had been created using small square containers of plant material which had been allowed to die. Reaching the other side Keith and Polly weren’t keen on going into the tented area where apparently over 200 birds roam free, and I wasn’t too impressed with the smell, so we had a look around a small garden with a centre piece of a large rough shaped rock the pathway eventually leading to what we believe was a lighthouse (whatever it was was manned by a man in uniform and off limits to the public.) Also in this garden was a large sculpture of men at war some injured ones being comforted alongside a very large marble 'steele' (headstone) with many Chinese Characters written in gold. We left the park and made our way down stone steps leading to a small beach. At this point we could either turn right to go through a tunnel or left to follow the coastline. Polly made enquiries about how far we could walk by the sea and not being able to go further we took a narrow road leading off the back of the beach that I suddenly spotted.
A group of men were stood by the roadside leading to a hotel hidden in the landscape, one wanting to have his photo taken with me which amused Polly. I said we were used to it and was thinking about charging 10 yuan a time! Behind railings where I had posed was an orchard where the gardeners were pruning a few avocado trees. Alongside these trees was also a ‘hedge’ of trees with paper bags hanging over the leaves of some of the lower branches. At first I thought they were apple trees but looking higher up the tree saw the fruit was in the early stages of the very small red pear shaped fruit that currently the street sellers are offering not by the kilo but 3 on a kebab stick. We have not tried these yet. The shrubs are really showing their colours now as well as the variety of flowers and with the continuing blue skies everything looks so lovely. We were getting very thirsty but failed to find a beer stop. I would like to have taken Polly to the little ‘Art Cafe’ we discovered last visit but we couldn’t remember the location. We continued to follow Keith who had the map of the Island but believed it too was a work of fiction and came to rely on the cream oval sign posts attached to high walls. Walking by some of the houses we came across one small one in a very dilapidated state but occupied. Washing the likes of which I would have been horrified to display – they need to change their soap powder that is if they used any - was hanging on a rail by the small wall running alongside the road! (We discovered Polly had been across to the island the first weekend she was in Xiamen and was quite happy wandering around on her own taking photos. This we have in common so we both had a lovely afternoon with our cameras.) She was therefore able to tell me that this particular house had been owned by a lady doctor and has been neglected since she died many years ago. Only Gulangyu residents can buy property on the island. We were happy to see that one of the larger grand properties was having some trees, vines and other foliage obscuring a sea view drastically cut and hoped that the building was going to be renovated.
As it approached 6pm Keith and I were feeling a little jaded and as we had reached the commercial area of the island stopped outside what looked like a nice restaurant and suggested we ate, not to mention drink! Polly said we could go to a famous restaurant to which Keith’s response was “and pay famous prices”. So walking up a few steps where tanks and large plastic bowls of seafood were displayed we entered the large building. This was a big improvement on the last place we ate at. Keith and Polly went to choose the seafood whilst I drank 3 small cups of tea, the first time the teapot has been left on the table. The food I suspect had been chosen more by Keith than Polly as we had spicy clams, prawns more like small lobsters and displayed with their bodies cut along the under section from the head too almost the tip of the tail and ‘fanned’ in a line onto the round plate. I wished I had taken a photo before we set about eating them. They were the best yet! The fish which Polly caught with a large net was duly weighed before being taken into the kitchen. Again this was lovely and part of it had been made into a soup which came in a very large container containing tofu and cabbage in the liquid.
It was almost dark as we left the restaurant and before returning to the ferry did a bit of window shopping. We stopped at one cafe so Polly could go and stroke a very large white cat lounging on a table by the door. A notice inside the window above the cat stated ‘the cat’s name was Jacky and it liked being stroked’! I had learnt earlier that in Taiwan Polly has two cats and a dog, the dog looking like a fox but white in colour. She told me the breed name in Chinese and said the English translation was ‘fox’. This will explain the number of photos she has taken of cats although we haven’t seen that many roaming around in Xiamen. It’s rare to see a lone dog on the streets too.
The only thing we bought this visit was two loaves of salty bread!

CHINA 2010 THURSDAY 26th AUGUST

One of Keith’s students had purchased a book entitled ‘A Cultural Portrait of 20 Cities in China’ by Liz Carter so after our evening meal we took a 22 bus down to the University to visit the bookstore. As I had been there before I knew my way around and headed for the Travel and Tourism section, Keith trailing behind for a change. Whilst I was looking for ‘Liz Carter’ Keith was looking for the cover or spine that he felt sure he would recognise. We thought the Travel section would be the obvious place to look for this book but having no luck I approached a member of staff sitting at a computer. She didn’t quite understand, even though she had asked me to write it down for her, and in the end went in search of another colleague. She returned with two but the man decided he wasn’t brave enough to speak to us and turned around leaving the two girls to come to us. No they didn’t have this book. Okay it must be in the other bookshop almost next door. It wasn’t there either thanks to the help of a young man who I thought worked in the shop but saw he was only a customer as he made enquiries at the cash desk on our behalf. This shop did not have any books in English.
Not wanting to waste an evening we headed over to ‘Nanputou Temple’ hoping it would be floodlit. It wasn’t but it was nice to walk through the lower grounds around the ponds without the crowds. We had hoped to go out the eastern entrance but the heavy studded gates, with large metal lion head handles, were locked. Back in the main street we wandered round the smaller side streets frequented by the students. Coloured lights, bright red lanterns, and illuminated advertising signs everywhere gave a cosy friendly atmosphere. I thought I spotted a beer stop but before we opened the glass door I saw a few posters – it was an ice-cream parlour.
We came home just in time to watch the closing ceremony of the ‘Olympic Youth Games’ in Singapore. The next games, to be held in 2014, will be held in Nanjing in China.

CHINA 2010 WEDNESDAY 25th AUGUST

An afternoon of exercise and rescue as we hired a pedalo in ‘Zhongshan Park’ for an hour, we felt this was long enough. The waterways make it a pleasant adventure rather than going round and across a lake, however we found some of the bridges were too low for our canopied boat to go under so had to turn around. Sometimes we attracted the attention of people strolling along the waterside, but as expected from a Captain, we always did the perfect turn! It was on one of our return trips we encountered a trio of teenagers, two girls and a boy, in an electric submarine having already said “hello” and accused them of cheating by having the electric motor. Their response was “we don’t speak English”. They had got themselves aground and another pedalo had arrived to help. The man and his two young boys were trying to rock the submarine free without success. We moved to the front of the two boats and asked one of the girls sitting in the front with the imitation machine gun on the submarine to give us the rope, indicating what we meant with our rope. Once we had secured the rope to our boat Keith and I set about peddling like fury but going nowhere so Plan B was put into operation, getting one of the girls to climb aboard the other boat. This caused a lot of laughter especially when the heavier of the two girls, who had been manning the machine gun, got off and the submarine began to move. Surprisingly we did not attraction any attention during this escapade. We left them to it and continued our meandering around the canals taking more pictures of the ornate bridges and two lovely white ducks sitting under large leaves of lotus plants, not to mention the lovely reflections in the greenish water. In the shade on the longest canal the ‘cleaner’ was gently rowing his boat whilst standing, the front of the boat having a pole across with a net suspended under part of the boat and trailing in the water to collect fallen leaves – what a simple but effective idea. As our time was nearly up Keith began to say his ankles ached due to the short legroom whilst I was sitting almost vertical as I tried to reach my set of pedals. The shade had been wonderful but as we left the boat I found the back of my blouse and trousers very wet!
As we began to leave the park we were surprised how busy it seemed for the time of day. There were lots of old men sat around talking, whilst on our boat trip we had spotted the ladies doing a little upper body exercise before setting down for a serious game of cards. (We discovered where many senior citizens disappear to in the afternoons when walking down one of the narrow alleyways in the old part of the city – they go to the Mahjong Halls. Quickly looking through the open entrance to one of these halls we were surprised how far back they went and how many green baized tables they had managed to squeeze into the space and every table occupied.)
We walked home and came across a young Mum showing her very young son how to burn the imitation money for ‘Ghost Day’. In Dalian people used to burn the yellow paper squares on the streets or wasteland leaving piles of black ash everywhere whereas in Xiamen small, usually red coloured, ornate metal bins are used. It seems the practice of ‘sending money’ to the dearly departed to make life better for them in the afterlife now lasts the whole of August.I cooked again tonight – duck in beer and no there isn’t one less duck in ‘Zhongshan Park.’ I was fortunate to find packs of chopped duck in ‘Trust Mart’ which I thought was much better than buying half a duck and have to cut the foot and parson’s nose off before trying to get it my small microwave pot. I had not expected to find the head in each pack though! I was following the instructions in the cook book and it turned out okay but I think I over did the ground black pepper rather than the chillies tonight! The soup will come in useful tomorrow when I am going to use noodles. I spent a long time in the supermarket deciding which pack of noodles I should by. From top to bottom of the shelving and across 3 sections I had to decide did I want ‘For long life’ or ‘Seafood Flavoured’ – you name they came in every flavour and ones for babies too! For dessert I thought we would try a pomelo – a huge green citrus fruit, but on cutting it in half found it was all peel and pith and hardly any flesh and what little there was was hard and dry so into the bin it went and I won’t bother again. For the same money I could have bought a large bunch of grapes!

CHINA 2010 TUESDAY 24th AUGUST

‘Tesco’ opened last week in the ‘Robinson Galleria’ opposite the Railway Station and Walmart! My last resort for finding cornflakes which I have to say was successful although I could only get small packets of Kelloggs from the ‘Imported Goods’ selection and at a price but we have so much milk at home, not to mention nearly a full jar of honey, and Keith is getting bored with a cooked breakfast every morning so it’s a healthy alternative for both of us. The layout in ‘Tesco’ is spread in all directions but at least it is on one floor and aisle signs are in English which makes life easy. Also it was not very busy but overall it was just another supermarket. I was impressed with the greenery section where a ‘mister’ continuously sprayed water over the whole display keeping everything nice and fresh looking if a little damp. Down one of the aisles I hesitated to move forward as a young man came down pulling a pallet of unsecured ceramic hobs stacked very high on his trolley. I did right to stop as suddenly most of the large boxes went everywhere – oops! An older lady member of staff ran forward and must have heard me as she too said “oops” and then seemed to give the young man a severe telling off. I guess there will be a sale of damaged goods in the next day or two!
It was Keith’s long day so we didn’t venture out until going to eat at ‘The Soup Expert’ where a young waitress was doing well until we asked for ‘Beijing Duck’ at which point she had to call the young man over to deal with us. We still didn’t get the boneless slices of duck but it was very succulent accompanied by a sweet sauce or rather jam, and our usual fish in foil was really spicy so I thought the beef dish would cool my mouth only to discover that too had a hidden kick. Good job we had plenty of beer!
As we were finishing our meal a European man and woman came in accompanied by a Chinese girl, the woman wanting to sit right under the air conditioning unit in the ceiling above the table next to us. I said it felt quite cold but she wanted “the colder the better”. A rather large lady who spoke 14 languages, not all at once, took centre stage whilst the man received a phone call. He had managed to tell us he was going to be working at the University teaching religion and now gave his apologies and said he must leave. The group seemed to cause chaos and a couple sitting in the cubicle opposite began to enjoy the fun. Our large lady noticed them and then in Chinese and English had a go about laughing at the ‘laowai’ (foreigner) which I felt a little embarrassed about, as did Keith when I was discussing the situation on our way home. It turned out Danielle had only met Tony today! He was apparently trying to rent the apartment above hers. She insisted on having our phone number and we would ‘go walking’ and ‘we’ll go to Tony’s really good restaurant in another part of the city’, Tony being the Hong Kong owner of ‘The Soup Expert’ which now explains why we see don’t see him very often. Another phone call and her friend ‘Louise’ arrived. A small quiet lady starting her own web company and who I think for a quiet life decided to have the same dish as Danielle – duck with rice. It arrived at their table just as we were about to leave, the duck in slices as we would have liked! Perhaps next time we should order this duck dish from the separate duck menu but no rice! This menu is all in Chinese with just a picture of a cooked duck on the cover. It doesn’t really matter what we order it all tastes good and after all we find it a bit of fun not knowing what we are going to get or rather how we are going to get it!

CHINA 2010 MONDAY 22nd AUGUST

We spent a couple of hours walking round the old part of the city discovering more alley-ways and old buildings hidden behind new build. We came across some very old houses down one narrow way that brought us to a street corner Temple. As we approached the end of the alley we could hear lots of women chanting so we were very surprised that sitting in the shade of the small shrine were just 2 women who were just as surprised to see us! A recording must have been playing to attract attention – it certainly caught ours. Our little adventure brought us to a main road but the street sign was in green which we have decided indicates an ‘old street’ but no-one in the office that Keith has asked seems to know the difference between blue and green.
At the next junction we recognised our surroundings as being the end of Zhongshan Lu and the beginning of Siming Lu that will eventually take us to the University. Across the road was the ‘Millennium Harbourview Hotel’ with the road leading down to the sea. As we have not been down this road before we decided to take that route and passing the hotel saw their electronic temperature gauge said 32 degrees. The very large building next to the hotel, which we believe will block out any view of the harbour, was a Children’s Hospital not that we could read the signs but saw people entering the various doors with young children and in a small garden in front of the main entrance was a beautiful statue of Dr. Lin Qiaozhi whose face I recognised from the statue of her on Gulangyu. Also there were helium balloon sellers outside one of the entrances, and we had recently passed another who we thought was in danger of being blown away in the strong breeze blowing in that particular area.
The next building on the corner leading onto the coastal road was empty. It was a large grey impressive looking place, with a delightful water feature by the parking area where two large stone lions guarded the few steps leading up from the pavement. In the pool two light grey seahorses spouted water from their mouth whilst on the back wall flat rocks had been designed in simple shapes to allow water to cascade over them. There were signs of fountains but these were silent, unlike the busy traffic on the coastal road, and a small purple flowering water lily was about to show its glory.
Walking along towards the ‘Wyndham Hotel’ we were amazed to see so many tour buses lined up outside the ferry terminal on a weekday. Today the waterfall at the side of the car parking area of the hotel was running so I had to go and get a photo of the statue of the grand lady standing by the top of the fall in the gardens of the high ‘Terrace Cafe’. My argument was ‘we may not be staying here but we do have the hotel’s tourist map.”
As soon as we could we returned to the narrow streets ending up in the fish market whilst looking for this season’s small green seedless grapes. The taste of these grapes has taken me back to the mid 60s when in the summer I would buy them from the market to eat in the office. The flavour and sweetness was wonderful then as it is here almost 50 years on. Unfortunately the only grapes we saw were mainly large black ones so I had to do a stop at ‘Rainbow’ supermarket on our way home. We did not appreciate the icy blast from the store’s air conditioning system so quickly gathered the few items I wanted.
We went to eat at the ‘Sheng Kang’ again tonight which was very busy and the only table available was by the beer fridges. We had quite a wait for our food but that was no problem, we were not going anywhere. We had ordered the same dishes as our previous visit only changing the vegetable dish for what we were not sure and when the food arrived it was so delicious I think we could have eaten it again. Their version of spicy prawns are so succulent but then we have watched the chef come and take a generous helping of live prawns out of one of the several fish tanks and within 5 minutes they are on our table. How fresh can you get? Some of the local people are still surprised to see the foreigner in these small restaurants and we have noticed them passing comments to their waitress but they are always smiling so I don’t think they are saying anything too bad about us!

CHINA 2010 SUNDAY 21st AUGUST

I had a morning of shopping, washing, then frying small fish for lunch before setting out in the afternoon. Nothing strenuous for us – a walk along the front from ‘Huli Fortress’ to ‘Music Square’ which I was convinced wasn’t far from the end of the musical note sculpture. New bicycles, especially tandems had been delivered to the several hire stands in the area but it was still too hot for cycling. It had felt very pleasant at home but getting off the 22 bus we found ourselves once again in the heat and clear blue skies – no wonder so many people were on the beach and in the sea.
We walked along the roadside occasionally wandering through the paths of green areas or walking along the wooden walkway by the sea. On one stretch of the walkway we saw a few homemade boats, if boats is the right word. We watched one man walk out of a boat compound with a polystyrene platform in a metal frame on his back, the front being slightly curled. Surely he wasn’t going out in that! We stood and watched as a friend helped him load the boat with a fishing road, buckets, and other bags whilst the boatman set about erecting a makeshift mast on which he hung a basket. Fitting a small outboard motor with a ‘kill cord’ impressed Keith for a minute until he saw he had fitted it to the boat and not his wrist! As we watched a flotilla of fishing boats went by sailing very close to each other which made me think of the catchphrase “we want to be together”.
A little further along by a line of large pipes leading to the water’s edge a woman was busy knocking very small mussels off the pipe closest to the water. We have had these but they are so small it’s only the sauce that really ‘makes’ the dish. In this area was a large seafood restaurant and a new ‘pub’ in the final stages of construction which should be good for listening to music with a lovely view across the straits to the several small islands close by.
This ‘short’ walk took around 35 minutes and then when we reached the ‘Music Square’ wondered if our journey had been really necessary. Our guide book had said we would see sculptures of famous musicians and could listen to the musicians. The sculptures laid around the lawned area were cleverly done using large pieces of rock with a face, a few lines of music and inscription about the person. Unfortunately most were not arranged in a photographic position and there were no musicians just lots of couples sitting under the trees. The large toilet block even had musical notes painted on the walls.
Across the road in the hillside was a Temple and by the side of a small road leading up towards the hillside was a painted sign of Ying and Yang, people and two other symbols we couldn’t identify. Up a few steps we saw plastic chairs amongst coloured bunting hanging from the trees – a beer stop! Waking up some of the staff we asked for 2 cold beers but asking the price, before removing the top, said “no” not 25 yuan and we left. A bus stop was not far away so we caught the first bus back to the Fort and then a 22 home where we both drank rather large amounts of the amber nectar!
After I had cooked we went up to ‘Haiwan Park’ to drink more beer and watch the group play in JJs. They were very good tonight and played a wide range of music including hill billy rock, the keyboard player singing several Lionel Ritchie numbers and as we were about to leave Sex Bomb so we had to stay for that number! Once again as we got up to leave they waved and thanked us for staying.

CHINA 2010 SATURDAY 21st AUGUST

TONG’AN
I had this bright idea of returning to Tong’an today. Despite the weeks we have been here I still have no sense of direction when leaving our apartment block and headed towards the main road passing the entrance to ‘Trust Mart’ with Keith following. Fate intervened as we headed towards the BRT in that the newsstand close to ‘Trust Mart’ had 2 newspapers in English, not that we’ve missed our daily. Arriving at the BRT platform we had just missed a number 2 bus but didn’t have long to wait for another. The bus was quite full so we had to sit at the back on a slightly raised area. At least we had a seat for our long journey.
Our plan was to get off at a stop near the two rivers that run through Tong’an but not sitting within sight of the stop illuminator we failed to realise that the next stop was the end of the line! Not a problem we will just get back on and get off at the first stop.
The streets were in need of a good wash, many of the tiled pavements needing tiles replaced where heavy lorries had driven over them to deliver goods. The worst area we walked over was along a row of shops selling doors and sanitary ware, which made me remember I could do with finding a loo. (There are nice toilets everywhere in Xiamen so I was hoping it would be the same in Tong’an.) We had taken our map with us and were trying to navigate the streets using the small insert of the city centre and with Keith in charge we did quite well. We came to a quiet stretch of the river with several pavilioned towers with a spiral staircase leading down to the water’s edge where a few fishermen were trying their luck standing on rough ground about a metre wide. Out in the middle of the river was a fisherman on a manmade boat that I would swear had grass growing along one side. Using a long piece of bamboo he punted up river before casting his net and then drifted downwards before hauling the net in. I noticed he took out one or two small fish before he repeated his journey. Along the walkway were colourful rectangle stone planters filled with one variety of a purple plant and in between the planters stood round pots of topiary purple bougainvillea. On the other side of the road were a few restaurants and a very large ‘Coffee Language’ (which I presume meant coffee lounge) with the upstairs room having a good view of the river.
Reaching another bridge with heavy traffic passing over it, and cattle by the water’s edge under it along with more fishermen and a couple of women doing the washing, we had a choice – we could either go over the bridge and walk back up the other side or turn right and go and take a look at a couple of Temples. As we were about to move to take the route to the Temples I spotted an alley with a low stone fence at the far end. Could that be beside a canal? “Let’s go and see”. Walking past locals sat outside some very poor accommodation we continued to the end only to discover a very stagnant pond! However to our left was another Temple so we pretended this was what we were looking for! It was no lie but its position bore no resemblance to the point on our map. It was yet another Temple with a very ornate roof where along the ridge ancient characters rode the animals, and a frog, of the Chinese calendar. As this year is the year of the Ox I zoomed in with my camera as close as I could to capture the image. In the Temple building were three large figures all looking like pictures I have seen of Confucius, complete with false facial hair. As we looked around I noticed the old man who had been sweeping the steps was keeping a close eye on us whilst the music coming from a radio close by was playing someone singing a pop song in English – not the sort of music we expected to hear in a Temple! Round the side of the building Keith found an exit leading to the main road which took us through the back of someone’s shop. I said “hello” and “thank you” to the somewhat surprised shopkeeper and kept on walking.
Across the other side of the road was a bus terminus and I knew a number 67 would take us back to Xiamen. Inside the yard were several buses but no sign of a board with the relative bus numbers. A man dressed in a uniform appeared from round the side of a bus closest to the building and I asked 67 using my hands to count in the Chinese way. He pointed to a couple of buses in the yard and as I said “Xiamen” a young girl intervened with “79 or 59” and took us outside to point us in the right direction for the bus stop. Unfortunately it was the way we had just walked and we didn’t want to upset or confuse her by walking the other way so went ‘with the flow’.
We didn’t have far to walk and as a number 79 pulled away a 59 rolled up. It was a nice new bus with the remains of plastic covering round the base of the seats. We had to swipe our travel card 4 times before taking a seat again at the back of the bus which was a shame as we missed a lot of the view. We could see that for a long time we followed the same route as the BRT as we could see the pale blue support columns in the greenery of the central reservation. Eventually we kept the mountains on our right whilst we saw the curve of the BRT out towards the sea. Our journey took us through Jimeii and then we began to wonder where we would go once we reached Xiamen. As Keith followed the route on the map discovered it terminated at the University - no surprise there really as our guide book lists most buses as ‘from XmUni’ or ‘from the Railway Station’!
We stayed on the bus until after the Railway Station although I had suggested we stay on until the University and then take a 22 back to our apartment. However someone was fed up with being thrown around and said it would be quicker to walk. It wasn’t as we discovered new streets and new shops and once again fate took us down through a parking area that brought us to a covered square of nothing but material shops along with all the trimmings. I had been searching everywhere for some fine cord to attach a plastic pointer to Keith’s camera but meantime he had improvised with the strap from one of the USB sticks.
We arrived home just before 4pm, ready for a long cold drink and a snack.

CHINA 2010 FRIDAY 20th AUGUST

This morning’ challenge was to find some cornflakes! I had hoped ‘Carrefour’ the French supermarket chain would be the obvious place but a visit to this store turned into a nightmare. It was all well and good telling me in perfect written English that if within the next 7 days I found any item I had purchased cheaper within a 3km radius I would get money back up to the value of 100 yuan, only to find that there was not one English sign inside the store. So I had to go up and down most aisles with no sign of any cereals other than porridge oats. My next stop was the DVD shop we had previously visited. Could I find it? Even asking a young security guard, who hadn’t a clue what I was saying, and it was only “DVD/CD” which I thought was an international abbreviation, couldn’t help and shrugged his shoulders. Next I stopped two young girls on a shopping spree – “yes – no sorry”. I knew it was around the circle of shops and eventually I found it. If only I had exited ‘Carrefour’ by a different route the escalator would have taken me down to end opposite the shop. I was in there over half an hour browsing through all the non Chinese music DVDs and ended up buying 5. I asked if I could have discount seeing as I wanted many but again the staff hadn’t a clue what I was saying and if they did I could see I was not going to get them any cheaper. I arrived back home just a few minutes before Keith.
After lunch we took a number 11 bus to Huli Park located in the north of the island. Again we had studied the map so had a rough idea which stop we needed. The only problem was the bus turned a corner earlier than expected and we were not travelling on the road where the stop was. Not to worry all we had to do was watch out for a lot of greenery! The bus eventually returned to the road we needed and when we did get off Keith thought we would have to walk back down the road to enter the park. Luckily I spotted 4 stone columns a little further up on the opposite side of the road which turned out to be the main entrance into this lovely little park. The rectangle shaped columns had been carved with large ornate birds, their bodies and tail feathers stretching around the narrow sides. Also set in this semi circle was two large pictures, similar to the ones we had watched the girl create in the ‘Stone Sculpture Park’ on Wednesday, showing a scene of the area in around 1994 and the other in 2006. We followed the paths through the park seeing more topiary designs in the shape of a school of leaping dolphins and a little further along several arches. Some of the trees were in blossom especially the orange/red ones that are really showing their colour now against the small lime green leaves similar to the ‘Sensitive Plant’, and again we were to smell the scent. There was plenty of entertainment for the young children, a water shute which on closer inspection looked as though it had not been in use for some time although the paint work looked bright and fairly new in blue and white, a small roundabout in brightly coloured ‘bird cars’ and of course on the large lake pedal boats. As we walked up and down, not so many steps thank goodness, we discovered a sledge ride. Again it didn’t look as though it was in use as we saw lots of fallen leaves and puddles on the track but that could be from yesterday afternoon’s thunderstorm. As we reached the lake again we came to the start of this ride and saw two young men working on the sledges. No walking up to the top of the hill to take this ride as we saw the pulling gear and the wires laid in the bottom of the track to pull the cars up. I think it could have been quite good fun coming down the long winding route! We continued to walk around the lakeside which wasn’t easy in places as tree trunks had grown at an angle leaning over the fence around the lake. Whilst I ducked under these tree trunks Keith found an alternative route. We came to an area of a wooden walk way and stepping stones over the shallowest park of the lake taking care to avoid the children trying to catch small fish in their plastic bottles. We could find only one fault with this park – no beer stop! As it was getting on for 4pm we decided to head for home.
In the evening we went out to eat and walked in the direction of ‘the barn’ having said we wouldn’t eat there again but saw it was almost empty and so went in. Unfortunately we were guided to the table opposite the cashier again and although she doesn’t speak English or seem to understand the language she will take over and try and force us to have dishes of her choice from the pictures having taken control of the menu. But under pressure we coped and had two of our choices of the usual three dishes. When we had finished eating and sat talking over the last of our beer a little girl of about 3 came over from another table to say hello and so began our evening of entertainment. She produced 3 chopstick rests from her table and we began to ‘play guess which hand’. We were all playing quietly, no shouting and screaming, but the cashier took her back to her parents probably because during our last visit we made it obvious we were not happy with children running around screaming with excitement at one another. We paid our bill and returned home to watch one of our new DVDs.

CHINA 2010 WEDNESDAY 18th AUGUST

This afternoon we took Polly, or rather Polly took us to the ‘Huihe Cultural Stone Park’ which we found on Saturday. As Polly bought the tickets she told us the staff had remember us! Having got our ticket, which came in the form similar to an airline ticket folder, containing a bookmark and an information leaflet found it was too large for my camera bag so asked Polly if she would put them in her big bag for us.
We were accompanied by a young guide dressed in a ‘Minority dress’ but I forgot to ask which tribe she belonged to. The tour began with a wall of carved pictures protected by glass screens. I asked how they were made and discovered everyone was carved so my theory about being sculptured was wrong. Even though there were so many depths to the picture it was all made out of one large piece of concrete and would take the artist approximately 8 months to complete. Moving on we entered a building with a large display of Gods and our attention was drawn to the ‘middle age spread’ of some of the women goddess’ considered very beautiful at one time. Not all the statues were new as ancient ones had been brought here from other parts of China. As everything looked fairly new I asked how long the site had been open – only last year which explains why it is not on the maps or in our guide book. In one hall the room was lined with red and gold Chinese cabinets. Our guide explained that a cabinet similar to these on display was given to the daughter by the family on her wedding day. We could see from the standard of workmanship the level of wealth of the families. However these cabinets held a secret and on opening the top doors a stone picture was revealed hanging on the inside of the cabinet. Each cabinet held a pornographic view which we were forbidden to photograph. There was a lot of giggling going on in this room! I said to Keith that it was like a ‘Hamburg Peep Show!’ In other rooms we viewed natural pieces of rock – large ones depicting the mountains whilst smaller pieces were of animals such as a horse if you had a vivid imagination! A snake was easy to identify as was the turtle. Other stones had facial features which again were easy to see. Set on large wooden blocks were pieces of crystal rock, cream on the underside and orange/brown on top but curved so as to look like large ribbed pieces of meat ready to be butchered.
As with most tourist attractions one eventually ends up in the shop but this one was very nice and where we watched a young girl working on a grey glass picture of ‘Sunlight Rock’ with a full moon. Using a large heavy metal rod with a very fine point she tapped away at the surface creating a dark sky, the picture being formed of different shades of grey. This picture would take her about 20 days to complete. We looked at all the works of art on display but resisted the temptation to buy. I loved a portrait of an old man with a long beard and his hair blowing everywhere - he even had a mole on his wrinkled face. Keith on the other hand liked the coloured picture of a panda looking at a leaf with a cricket on it – the colour being added after the picture was created. With shelves of carved rock and marble and cases of jade jewellery it was so nice not to see cheap souvenirs. We had asked Polly which pieces she liked but said she could not afford to buy anything! Looking at the jade ornaments I learnt she was not a jewellery person either and was afraid to wear a jade bangle in case she broke it.
Outside the shop in the open air was a long stage area with a backdrop of a trickling waterfall. Small stools with coloured marble tops were arranged in lines beyond the jewellery stand and in the shade of the building. As a tour group began to occupy the seats our guide said we should sit and watch a show. Keith preferred to stand so he could film the event whilst Polly and I thought we had found good seats only to discover and large square column obscured our view so moved. All three of us eventually stood up at the back. The show was short and was a dance routine by several girls dressed in similar costumes to our guide but wearing large golden brown straw hats with a red and green design around the top. At times the dancers went into pairs and walked to the front of the stage leaning against each other from the shoulders as though they were drunk, but I am sure that is not what the interpretation was supposed to be. We didn’t find out what the story was and never thought to ask but enjoyed it all the same.
Outside we walked around the gardens still with our guide who was chatting to Polly whilst Keith and I were taking photos of some of the statues. Mickey Mouse featured quite a lot and another humorous piece was of a fat golfer on his hands and knees looking down a hole. The area had been nicely landscaped with large pieces of sculpture amongst the greenery along with a large pool behind the buildings and seating on decking. We wondered how we got to it as there was no walkway across the water and we couldn’t see an obvious door in the building leading out to this area, not that we wanted to sit down.
We left the Park entrance and took a path at the side that lead around the back revealing more lovely gardens and another pond where a man was fishing. Polly spoke to him to ask if we could go inside the buildings but he said no. He had not caught a fish yet as he was visiting this pond for the first time and had only just arrived. He said he would wait until the fish came! I said to Polly if there is no fish in the pond he will have a long wait.
We went for another stroll across the road, after we had walked through the petrol station and climbed through a gap in the railings. Polly asked some people sitting on seats what was the name of the park – ‘Zhonglun Park’. Our map is once again a work of fiction as it shows the park being connected to the Biology Gardens with no sign of a major road or junction we had to cross to reach it. We didn’t take long to walk through it passing a small lake, lots of trees and plenty of seating where the local people were already congregating with their young children.
Returning home on the BRT we had a comfortable ride for the time of day and invited Polly to our home for a cup of tea. On route I called in at Andersens to purchase more custard tarts! We had talked about drinking tea earlier and so I offered her my ginger and lemon which she enjoyed and in exchange she gave me some of her ‘red tea’ that is only available in Taiwan and if I like it she will get her father to bring some for me on his next visit. She also sampled a flat peach, again something new to her, not to mention the custard tart!
All in all we had a very successful afternoon and made so much better at having a translator with us!

CHINA 2010 TUESDAY 17th AUGUST

A very quiet day until 6.30pm when we met up with Mander and Polly, Capt. Chern’s daughter who is over here from Taiwan after graduating with a Master’s Degree. She is hoping to find a job in banking but it seems there are very few positions available at the moment.
We took a drive in Mr. Zhang’s car, one of Mander’s colleagues who unfortunately does not speak English, along the coastal road just after sunset. What a contrast this area was from the daytime and when we passed the long line of concrete musical notes which were all lit in yellow lights, the longest piece of musical sculpture recorded in the Guinness Book of Records Mander told us this is the song of the island of Gulangyu.
We arrived at our destination - an open air restaurant by the sea. Set in narrow tiers the seating arrangements stretched not only by the sea but by the coastal walkway except it wasn’t the wooden walkway along here it was a very grand white pillared extended bridge over the sea and as it became dark we could look along and see the continuous yellow lights zigzagging into the blackness. Looking up into the clear sky we were able to see Mars currently glowing very brightly along with several stars and a half moon. Out on the water several large ships were at anchor and small boats were going back and forth, but overall it was a very peaceful place and I hope we return again but Mander said there was so many other restaurants he wished to take us to, and that he hoped we would invite him to some that we have been eating in which will be our pleasure. We stayed eating wonderful seafood including the sandworm in jelly which Polly wasn’t too sure about but tried it all the same. We suggested she close her eyes but she laughingly said she couldn’t do that she would still know what she is eating. That is the problem I replied it is sometimes better not to know what you are eating. We stayed eating more plates of food, drinking and chatting until just after 9pm.
After dropping Polly off by the complex she is living in and where several of the other single ladies who work for Xiamen Hailong Manning live Mr. Zhang drove us home through the old part of the city which is the fastest route. It was very lively and we now realise we have not been visiting the area late enough, but we had once again had another very enjoyable evening.

CHINA 2010 MONDAY 16th AUGUST

Today is Valentine’s Day in China. We thought it was close as our florist had taken delivery of several bundles of red roses on Saturday.
This afternoon we decided to return to the ‘Botanical Gardens’ trying out our new route through ‘Zhongshan Park’. Great - we reached our destination in no time and got in for half price too, once Keith had shown a photo copy of our passports. However the young girl at the gateway queried our reduced ticket. Nice some of the locals think we don’t look over 60.
Our aim was to visit the ‘Herbaceous Garden’ with no detours. It was a long walk and we hadn’t left home until 2.30pm when it was a little cooler and the gardens close at 6pm. We followed the signposts and the wooden information boards after enquiring about taking the electric car but they said it didn’t go to this particular garden. So we trailed up more steps, along paths we recognised from previous visits, past a Temple where dried food was being delivered in readiness for next weekend as according to the dates on a large poster something will take place between the 22-24th in the Temple. We walked through the newish Temple grounds and up the steep ancient road meeting a family coming down whose young daughter had had enough by her reactions! I knew the feeling but on we plodded. It was easier walking on the outside of the road where long smooth stones ran alongside the drainage ditch rather than walk in the middle of the road on the uneven shaped stone. We were glad of the shade and again we occasionally got the perfume from the trees. At last we arrived at the garden which was in process of being replanted around the entrance. A nice valley setting for such a small undulating garden with lots of red and yellow from plants we are more familiar with in our homes in the UK. With so much new planting taking place the sprinklers were on everywhere so we had to time our access to certain pathways. Set in the hillside was a large building still in the course of finishing off, presumably it will be a restaurant. Out of the garden ground work was in progress across the road not far from the Northgate ticket office, which was now closed as it was getting on for 5pm. We wondered if the area was to be a toilet block and car park as a toilet would be very handy. We began our descent down a bougainvillea lined roadway the most colourful and prettiest part of today’s visit I thought. It was a long steep drag down to civilisation and reaching a taxi just as the drivers were changing shift we were so pleased he would take us home. As with most taxies he pulled up outside ‘Rainbow’ and as I got out saw a couple of street cleaners examining a cream and peach bouquet that someone had discarded by the bus stop. What a shame.
Whilst Keith went home I went into the supermarket to get bread and cornflakes and came out with a small cabbage and a few potatoes. Heaven knows what we shall have for breakfast in the morning!
We returned to eat in the ‘Sheng Kang’ tonight, the one we nearly burnt down before it was officially opened. It’s all finished now and was very busy especially after we were seated, so many coming in and very few leaving. The food was good especially the chilli fried prawns with roasted peanuts. We also tried a different fish tonight which again was perfect and served in a super sauce. With a dish of greens and garlic plus a complimentary dish of cold sliced seaweed in a spicy sauce and 3 cold 620ml bottles of Sedrin Ice beer all for less than 100 yuan.

SUNDAY 15th AUGUST MOURNING DAY

The Government has declared today a day of mourning in respect of the lives lost in the Gansu landslide last weekend. Over 1200 people have died and hundreds are still missing whilst the rain continues in that region. There was to be no entertainment and no light hearted TV and every station was showing the same programme including a service from Gansu where today the sun shone for the people. It was amazing that this special remembrance service was being held amid the chaos as people came together to pay their respects. There was a vast amount of floral tributes on display and yet the area has no electricity and no water supply. Every time we turned on the TV we saw scenes of destruction and faces of grieving people, not to mention mud. So as not to cause more destruction and loss of life a nearby lake was dynamited presumably to flow in another direction. I never quite understood the reasoning for this but it must have been necessary. I felt so sorry for a newly married policeman who had lost his wife and her family. She had been trying to contact him on his mobile phone but he was busy saving other lives and had not received the call. He was continuing to work endlessly – he said he needed to do that for his wife and would ‘write to her later’. Flags throughout China and all its embassies and consulates abroad would be flying their National Flag at half mast today. Just before 8am an official ceremony took place in Beijing where crowds had gathered for the ‘flag raising ceremony’ a daily sight only today that flag would only fly at half mast.
Keith was feeling off colour, the effects of sitting under an icy air conditioning unit on Friday afternoon. By 2pm he was feeling a little better and suggested we take a bus up to the ‘Mooncake Park’ to visit the ‘Bridge Museum’ this time. A number 11 bus as far as Haicang Bridge would be ideal.
Arriving at the entrance the waterfall was running – but for how long? We got our tickets and took the lower path down to a building under the bridge passing several small holiday chalets and a couple of restaurants on the way. No-one else was in the building other than a cleaner. The first floor was taken up with lots of models of the bridge, some of them should have been working but weren’t apart from one showing how the bridge would react in a ‘slow wind’. Lots of technical data which could have been interesting was it not in Chinese. On the second floor was a vast display of photos of bridges – ancient and modern. The photography was excellent in all the pictures but some really caught my eye such as one capturing a man herding his goats across a bridge that you would have second thoughts about stepping onto. Another was of two mountain peaks close together with a bridge swinging between the peaks. “No way” exclaimed Keith, “and that includes climbing up the mountain!” I would like to have known where all these bridges were and I suspect the small notice in each right hand corner would tell us along with the name of the photographer. As we left a large group of tourists were walking down the road, some of the young girls stopping outside the little homes to have their photos taken sitting on the steps. The waterfall was still in full flow and whilst Keith went to get the beers I went to take more photos. We sat in the shade under the trees round a small marble table as we had done on our previous visit. The kiosk owner was sitting nearby with a friend and brought over a branch of fruit. It was round, yellowy green and very thin skinned and about the size of a large marble. Once we had taken off the skin we revealed a white fleshy fruit with a very hard round brown stone not unlike a very small conker inside. A guess they are a variety of lychee. Seeing how much we were enjoying them he returned with several branches. I saw this fruit growing in the gardens yesterday and the supermarkets, street markets and street vendors are currently selling them. Since we have been here we have seen this year’s oranges, peaches, these fruits and yesterday saw walnuts in their shells, but many of the villagers selling large sweet melon have disappeared from the streets in our area anyway.

CHINA 2010 SATURDAY 14th AUGUST

Today’s adventure was a visit to ‘Beijing University Biology Gardens’, not in Beijing of course, but in an area close to Qianpu district where we had gone kite hunting. Studying the map we found we could take the BRT and get off at a stop before ‘Pugang Temple’ which we have observed every time we have used this form of transport.
Our first stop was a brief visit to the Temple situated by a main road, with the BRT above and a variety of housing from the humblest of buildings to fine apartment blocks. The Temple has several buildings running parallel to the main road and yet stepping through the gateway it sounds so quiet. Some people were knelt at prayer whilst one old lady seemed to have fallen asleep her head resting sideways on a cushion. It was still early afternoon and again very hot. The golden art work around the roof eaves was spectacular and the small courtyards between the gardens filled with pots of topiary shrubs and incense burners. As people were at prayer and Keith was wearing shorts we didn’t venture inside the buildings but admired some of the Buddhas from a distance so as not to intrude.
We continued our journey along the footpaths in search of an entrance into the gardens which according to our map should also lead us into ‘Zhonglun Park’. As I said it was very hot and even the breeze didn’t cool us down so we tried to walk along the pathways in the gardens that had some shade. We came across a children’s area with small rides and a roughly constructed pond using a blue heavy duty plastic sheet in a shallow dug out square filled with water on which a few paddle boats could be hired. As we made our way the smell from the trees and shrubs was wonderful – if only I could capture the perfume along with the image. The only smell I recognised was from the tall eucalyptus trees. Following the paths eastwards we found we could not get as far as we thought and so once again found we had to retrace our steps. Taking a higher route before we left the gardens I saw a large building and in the doorway a fridge. Fancy a cold beer as if I need ask? Joining a group of young men drinking tea under the shade of a large veranda we enjoyed our beer whilst watching a father with his toddler daughter relaxing on a nearby bench. The gardeners began to arrive to water the area carrying large hose pipes on their bicycles. The perfume of the eucalyptus was very strong here and seemed to attract the birds. I watched a small tree creeper run up the trunk of one tree until it reached a cut off branch but as I got my camera out it flew away.
We left the park and continued to walk down the road until we came to a junction. Up the road we could see people coming and going and at the top of the slight incline a tanker filling up with water so we headed in that direction. By the time we reached the tanker it began to reverse and wondered where the water came from to fill it as all we could see was a very large puddle and water running across the road. Another of life’s little mysteries! Continuing round the bend on this road we passed row upon row of coloured bougainvillea in pots behind hire wire fences on one side whilst on the other side of the road was ‘housing’. The children playing in the street called “hello” as we walked by. Say anything else to them and they just stand and giggle. At last we came to a main road by a large stone masons yard. Peering through the bars as the gates were locked we could see a vast amount of rocks, some already carved. One was in white in the shape of a skeleton – who would want that in their garden? We also saw a few stone pictures, one laid flat which gave us an opportunity to see at close range how some of these pictures are created. The sculpture on this picture appeared to have been created by hand as it was very thick and rough whereas one design waiting to be moved on a fork lift truck of lotus flowers and a large swan could have been created by grinding away the concrete to leave the shapes. If we are lucky we may get to see one of these craftsmen at work as long as we choose a weekday to return.
A little further down the main road we arrived at ‘Huhe Stone Cultural Park’ a fairly new looking site and wondered just how big an area it covered. The young girl at the ticket desk tried to be helpful but it was almost 4pm and we were feeling weary so said we could come back another day as glancing through the entrance it did look very inviting.
Back on track we found an entrance into the gardens or was it ‘Zonglun Park’ we were not to find out today as across the road was a BRT station. The pedestrian lights were green and counting down so we didn’t linger and headed for home. The first bus to arrive was so full we were unable to get on. The next one was nearly as bad but we managed to squeeze in by the back doors where a young boy said “hello” to me and then began to talk in Chinese before offering me his seat. I thanked him but mimed for him to stay where he was as we were pulling into a station and two seats became vacant.
As we approached our apartment block we saw the florist who told us his wife had given birth to a baby girl. We congratulated him and he dashed into the shop. We thought he was going to show us a photo of the baby but came back with a handful of wrapped sweets tipping them into my bag.
I was in no mood to cook tonight so we paid another visit to the ‘Soup Expert’. Our young man was missing and the restaurant was busy so we went upstairs. Having got settled our waitress came and asked if we would like to go downstairs but we remained at our table looking out over the paved area watching motorists park their cars. There is no proper driving test in China so after sitting and passing a written test you go to a ‘yard’ prove you can manoeuvre the car and that’s about it. It seems reversing and parking doesn’t come into the test. As we returned home today a man with a small machine was marking out parking bays in our immediate area whilst another man was painting the appropriate bay number in yellow paint. Cars already parked seemed to make no difference as we watched him spray a broad white stripe down the side leaving some of the paint on the car wheels!
Back home we switched the TV on to catch most of the opening ceremony of the ‘First Olympic Youth Games’ being held in Singapore with 204 Nations taking part. I expect there will be plenty of sport to watch in the next 12 days.

CHINA 2010 FRIDAY 13th AUGUST

Today is Graduation Day and the official ceremony will take place this afternoon. With a free morning we went for a walk ending up in the market buying a different variety of apple that those sold in the supermarket, its taste very much like our Cox’s Orange Pippin. We had already stopped to buy grapefruit from a street fruit stall which at the time was dearer than the supermarket, but then I would have bought items I didn’t really need so I guess we made a saving after all!
Wandering down the narrow stretch between the stalls the market seems to grow with every visit and today we found we could walk up some stone steps to another level where a few women were sat at very old sewing machines but not doing very much by the look of things. How I wished I had my camera today. I do wonder how all these stallholders manage to make a living though. This particular part seemed to sell everything and on a couple of occasions we had to stand aside to let people with barrows through that were loaded with household items on one and brightly patterned men’s shorts on another, the likes of which Keith would not be seen dead in! In the fish market my shopping bag and a man riding an old bicycle became entangled in his front wheel but thankfully I was able to retrieve it before it went under the mudguard and caused an accident. On a very dirty wet path my bag ended up with muddy tyre marks but always armed with a pack of paper tissues I was able to clean most of the dirt off. People think nothing of riding their scooters, electric and other bicycles through the narrow market streets some of them travelling quite fast and tooting all the time. Keith wanted to be at the Training room before 1.30pm so we headed back home for a light lunch.
This afternoon was the climax of 6 weeks training officers to improve their spoken English and build up their confidence at meeting Westerners. I, along with Mander, Mr. Lai and Capt. Chern from Formosa Plastic Marine Co. were to assess them. As we walked into the room Mr. Mai and Mr. Cheng, the two Taiwanese officers, were already there, Mr. Cheng pacing up and down, when not stood in front of a large floral arrangement, practising his presentation. He was still practising when the rest of the students arrived. Keith noticed he was still reading his notices and making gestures when the proceedings began! There was no paperwork and in the end I played no part but to listen to them talk about some aspect of their work at sea. Capt. Chern took the odd photo and made notes and as I was sitting next to Mander noticed that he too was writing, but as it was all in Chinese characters I had no idea what it said. Everything went well, even though I could sense they were all nervous, and finished in good time giving us well over an hour before the official closing ceremony so we returned home to freshen up. Despite the efficient air conditioning it still feels very warm in the room.
The proceedings were due to begin at 4.30pm when several dignitaries from Formosa Plastic Marine Corporation, Xiamen Hailong Manning Co. and Xiamen Maritime Bureau would be present along with the media. At least we had some idea what was going to happen this time and Keith had bought a smart shirt so he could wear the tie he was given after the opening ceremony. Just after 4pm we arrived on the 27th floor to be greeted by the girls, again dressed in their traditional bright red dresses. Receiving our buttonholes and it being quiet I brought out my camera and had them line up – please by the floral arrangements not in front of the restroom! The official photographer must have thought this was a good idea as he got Keith and I to pose with them and then helped me take a better photo using flash, the instructions causing a lot of hilarity between us all. Helen escorted me to my place at the end of a row to sit next to Mr. Mai and the other students, whilst Keith went into an ante-room to talk to Tina, the translator and collect his speech that he previously submitted for translation and an agenda. The room had undergone a massive transformation in our absence with rows of plants and the large floral arrangement now placed in the centre of the top table. Whilst we were waiting I thanked Mr. Huang, a Chief Officer, for the Anxi tea he had given us and received instructions on how to brew it, plus to drink it out of clay cups. (Anxi is Fujian’s best tea growing area and Mr. Huang’s home town. This tea was the cause of one of America’s historical events commonly known as ‘The Boston Tea Party’.) Sat across the aisle were rows of the new students who we would meet informally later. Dignitaries introduced, speeches said, the presentation of certificates to Keith’s students by Keith and the dignitaries (at which point no-one seemed to know what was happening) and finally the handing over of a small ships wheel to a Captain from the next class. This should have taken place in a shower of confetti but of the 4 tubes only 2 worked much to the embarrassment of the operators. It would appear these ceremonies will continue under the title of the closing and opening ceremony and no doubt the media will be invited again.
We all adjourned to the restaurant not far from the office where once again we had a banquet. For over two hours we ate and drank and when the dignitaries at our table departed some of Keith’s ex students came over to sit and talk with us and to thank Keith once again for his help with their English. Mr. Liu talked about the car he is contemplating buying and the subject had been discussed in class as he could not decide on a VW Polo or a Mazda 4X4. Keith and the other students suggested the Polo would be the better buy unless he wanted to take his family up the mountains! Some of the new students and a couple of ladies were at another table, one of the ladies being from Shanghai’s branch of China Shipping and had been sitting at our table. A captain, currently involved in overseeing the building of new ships, came to introduce himself to Keith and said he wished to attend the classes but time would not allow it. However before we left he said he was going to make an effort to attend some of them. His English was excellent!

CHINA 2010 9th-13th AUGUST

Since our busy weekend we have done very little.

MONDAY we went on a trouser hunt as I told Keith his pale blue pair had seen better days. Having previously bought several pairs of ‘Apple’ make trousers our first stop was at their shop in the old part of Xiamen but with only one pair in his size we looked elsewhere and finally found a suitable pair in the ‘Playboy’ store. I have told him there is no need to act like one when wearing them! As with all the trousers we have bought in China they needed shortening but that wasn’t a problem and after measuring the length, 31 spot on, we sat down to have a cup of hot water whilst a lady disappeared upstairs. The two remaining members of staff did their best to try and get Keith to buy a casual shirt to go with the trousers and again the only one that we liked was not available in his size.
We have been eating at home since Sunday as I am now getting the hang of this cooking lark. I bought a large packet of fresh red chillies and so we have been eating a lot of spicy food. It doesn’t matter what we have you can only taste the chillies! I have even cooked half a duck in the combi oven and made a fairly decent soup out of the duck remains. In the supermarket I took my time choosing the bird as it is only a very small oven and in the end I still had to cut the gizzard off and the feet. I chose one that didn’t have a head and already dead!
TUESDAY being Keith’s long day and so much noise still coming from 2110 I went out for most of the morning walking round the outskirts of the old part trying to find the little book shop we had visited where Keith bought a small English/Chinese dictionary. It must be one of the places that still had the steel shutters down as I couldn’t find it. Went I left our apartment a young man working in 2110 was right outside our door cutting down long lengths of white painted steel so no wonder it was noisy and the smell of burning metal wasn’t very pleasant either. With all the dust I am finding it difficult to keep our lovely highly polished wooden floor clean. That apartment door is open most of the time and looks like a bomb site. I have seen part of a newly erected wall knocked down, but perhaps progress is taking place as now they are laying large marble floor tiles so we still have thumping all day long. I have commented to Keith that work starts as soon as he is either up or ready to leave for the office and then stops as soon as he comes home for lunch beginning again around 2pm until after 7pm when it is dark and they have to stop then as there is no electricity in there at the moment. As Keith returned to work I took a 22 bus to the University to visit an International Book Shop in the area where I hoped I would find some children’s books in English. I was successful and even found a map only getting home discovered it was printed in 2005, but at least we can read the bus numbers!
We went out to eat for a change tonight and chose to return to the fish restaurant not too far away. We went out to eat at a little fish restaurant we like, but as on our previous visit noisy children spoilt our meal. I have begun to feel we are eating in ‘a barn’ as the diners’ voices echo loudly around the room. Once the children have had sufficient food they run around the ground floor whilst their parents take little notice of what they are up to. At least tonight the lady cashier said something to them and they returned to their table where one of the mother’s glared in our direction. Getting up from their seats again the two girls and a boy went to stand on the stairs but weren’t there long before the cashier spoke to them again and they returned to their seats to play with mobile phones. I think it is about time we tried other restaurants, there is certainly plenty to choose from.
WEDNESDAY afternoon we went to Qianpu, the Conference Centre district, as this is where kites are manufactured. We had an address but walking in very hot sunshine and no shade most of the time we failed to find it. Most of the places have no numbers and we wonder how the postman manages to deliver mail. New apartment blocks have been built or are in construction that I felt perhaps the firm had relocated but Keith was adamant that all the web sites he had looked at gave the same address. It was an uneventful afternoon and just when I said to Keith we hadn’t even found a little ‘gem’ today we came across a huge poster with a picture of a cooked duck in a large pot with the wording in English ‘Millenium Heritage Duck in Need’. Then walking past a row of shops we spotted 4 bouquets of small teddy bears as an alternative to flowers. What would you want with so many teddies on sticks? After almost 2 hours we gave up and went for a drink in the coffee bar where today two very large bouquets of roses were standing on the floor either side of the bar.
THURSDAY Keith finished early in the afternoon as management wanted to prepare the room ready for tomorrow’s final presentation afternoon. As I hadn’t been out suggested we had a walk and headed towards Yundang Lake and the ‘hides’. We arrived just in time to catch a glimpse of a large kingfisher before a family frightened it away with their loud voices. Another photographer with a very impressive camera was, like me, trying to get a good picture. At this point we decided to cross under the overhead roads and walk back along the waterfront of Haiwan Park. It was lovely with hardly anyone in sight. The sun was really hot today even when we went out to eat early evening it was so warm. The weather forecast has given 37 again for the next few days at least. We walked in a different direction tonight and hadn’t gone far when we came across a small place that was almost full. Sitting down we were handed a menu with a few coloured pictures along the bottom of the page but it was mostly lines of Chinese characters. Pointing to the fish dish, and a bowl of seafood, we would have those two and nuirow (beef) I understood our waitress, who was doing her best trying to help us in English, was saying satay and I said that would be good. Whilst waiting for our food to be delivered we watched a young chef behind a glass screen prepare bowls of noodles which he pulled out of a large pan using a small wicker basket attached to a pole and with a flick of the wrist tipped them into the bowl. A sprinkling of black pepper, followed by a fine chopped green vegetable, then three small spoonfuls of a brown mixture out of a very thick black bowl sitting on the gas burner. From small bowls in front of the pans a large prawn, and a little more liquid were added with the final touch being either a large fish or pork ball that were bobbing about in the boiling water of the two other pans each on a burner. By the number of bowls he produced it seems every customer, apart from us, had ordered this dish. We were sitting by the automatic door which was forever opening and closing as people came and went causing warm air to enter the building which was already quite warm. Our food arrived, a large plaice in a sweet and sour sauce, beautiful beef slices with a green vegetable and lots of sautéed onion and no peppers to give Keith indigestion. Finally a large bowl, similar to many we have seen on the street stalls, arrived and with the lid removed revealed a bubbling carrot type soup containing many kinds of seafood, including the sea cucumber, and small pieces of bean curd. It was absolutely gorgeous and by the time we had finished we felt quite full. The only downside to ‘Fu Lou’ was the beer came in small cans and there was no air conditioning. Before returning home we took another stroll round the block but due to the heat it wasn’t very far and we were glad to get back to our air conditioning.

CHINA 2010 SUNDAY 8th AUGUST

A cloudy day and after I had been to buy meat from the supermarket we set off to walk to the Cable Car Station by the Botanical Gardens.
We seemed to be the only ones on the ride sitting in an open car after the old man operating the system made us understand it was better than a closed in one where the old Perspex windows had become opaque. The whole ride looked dated so the first thing Keith wanted to do was look and see the last time it had had a safety check. The label said 2006, by which time we were riding over the lime green tops of the fir trees. Up here we could see the Temples we had visited in the gardens and over the summit a good view down to Xiamen University and the sea. As we reached the bottom station the operator asked if we wanted to stay on – yes we mimed. We wanted to return as we could see no reason to alight by Goose Mountain Park. A pleasant ride which Keith coped with despite his vertigo but the seats weren’t half hard!
We stopped for a drink under the shady trees by the ‘Memorial of the Revolutionary Martyrs’, a small area with many bronze soldiers in action on one side of steps leading to a tall thin monument whilst on the other side along a wall was a large frieze of people presumably important characters in the history of the Revolution.
On the move again we stopped in a little garden outside the ‘Peony Hotel’ where Keith’s knee gave way but after sitting whilst I did my photo shoot of the plants he felt able to continue our walk to ‘Zhongshan Park’. Rather than go into the park we walked along the wide footpath beside it. Passing a very ornate entrance to an underpass we entered the park to visit the Bonsai Gardens which had been closed on our last visit. A lovely area containing a building displaying root and wood carvings, as well as many pots of small colourful trees set by the large lake. We even came to a zigzag path across a small pond full of small bright yellow fish whilst under the shade of the trees on a mound of rocks partly covered by ferns and trailing strands of small pink leaved plants a group of ladies were enjoying a game of cards whilst drinking tea. Keith fancied taking a pedelo round the lake and waterways but I thought it wasn’t a good idea in view of his knee. It seems I was expected to do all the work!
Leaving the park we found ourselves walking down a street of florists with men and women working on the pavements. It looked as though the flowers had just been delivered to all the shops where already there were some lovely arrangements on show. I especially liked a red modern design of anthuriums and roses on a curvy glass pedestal that was to be delivered by car once the men carrying it had decided how he was going to get it in. We had seen one arrangement being carefully held by a girl riding pillion on an electric bike! I spotted two shops where I could buy all the sundries I wanted but I need to return without Keith!
As we came to an end of the flower shops we noticed a large bright orange sign at the end of an alley stating ‘Cafe in Central Park’. Venturing down past a brightly coloured abstract wall which had seen better days, and a water feature using a red fire hydrant and instead of plants and fish in the large trough there was an assortment of broken pots, we came to the entrance to a large building. Stepping inside we saw a wide range of seating and lighting and once we were seated, not in the posh velvet seats as they had been reserved by two ladies who followed us in, we looked at the menu. Keith wanted a beer as usual but I fancied something different and went for a fresh orange soda. Lots of people came in including a couple of Westerners with their little toddler who looked and acted as though she had just got new shoes. We also had the ‘model’ and her photographer who wanted her portrait taken everywhere. It was a nice relaxing atmosphere as most places seem to be but the service was a bit slow and the only prices on the menu were those by a couple of hot plates of food. Before we left we went out onto the patio by the lake and looking across saw we were opposite the fairground area and the small rollercoaster was operating today. When we were here before the ride looked in a state of neglect with lots of overgrown plants covering part of the rusty track but today a bright dragon created by using several ‘cars’ took the children for an exciting ride. Emerging back into the street we found another entrance into the Park and our journey home seemed so much quicker that we will use this route again as long as we can remember the way. I say it is by the BRT station where there is the lovely fish stall whereas Keith says we just have to look for the Clock Tower, cross the road and take the first road on our right.

CHINA 2010 SATURDAY 7th AUGUST

HULI FORTRESS
Catching the 22 bus to the terminus this morning’s plan is to visit Huli Fortress overlooking the sea and according to our guide book close to Xiamen University.
Alighting from the bus we had two choices follow the path along the side of the beach or begin to go uphill passing lots of bicycles for hire. My choice – up the hill which was lucky as once we had passed the bikes we arrived at the entrance to the site. Being on the official tourist trail we were not surprised to see tour buses in the car park. Going to what we thought was the ticket office we checked admission prices partly concealed by a large sun umbrella. This ticket office was no longer in use so perhaps we were to get into the Fortress for free. We should be so lucky as we climbed up more stone steps a new ticket office had been built half way up and instead of 10 yuan it was now 25 yuan for which we received a fancy ticket with a map of the site on the reverse which should be handy.
Through the gateway we encountered more people and briefly checked out the ancient canons laid on the lawn below an ornate flag pole flying a large embroidered dragon flag which was flapping in the strong breeze.
Behind this area was a mock up of an ancient sailing ships set on a small pond, the water only a few inches deep. A waterfall passing from a rock with a large sword set into it had been running but need I say it wasn’t by the time we had walked here. With the side of the larger boat cut away visitors could see the type of cannons and everything else connected with warfare in the late 1800’s. Engraved notice boards around the site gave a vast amount of information again both in Chinese and English. One large board gave a detailed account of the time when Japan tried to invade Xiamen and in a 4D small theatre we saw two screens each in turn giving an account of a time of war in the late 1800 early 1900 period and then a reproduction of using a ‘Krupp’ cannon in the 1937 attempted invasion, which was very good even though the conversations were all in Chinese.
We also visited a building showing a scene again set around 1900 with models in traditional dress for the period sitting around a room having a discussion in Chinese, the main character behind the desk moving his head as ‘his voice’ came over the loudspeaker. In an adjoining room we saw the officer’s bedroom – very grand with a carved screen hiding his single bed from his dining area, his sword hanging on the wall beside the bed. Accommodation for the soldiers was quite different – wide bunk beds.
We walked around the walls as this was the quietest area so we not only got a bird’s eye view out to sea, as the soldiers would have done years ago (except in some places the trees had been allowed to grow blocking out the view), but also down into the grounds of the fortress. Neat rows of barracks were now being used for storage but the ornate metal doors looked original. We eventually came to their prized possession – the giant Krupp gun facing out to sea. Mounted on rails hidden under the gun placement we could observe it closely from two levels. It really was big but the condition was so good we did begin to wonder if it was the original or a replica. Further along were a couple of smaller guns where visitors could have a go at using one. The targets were ships running along a conveyor belt and the ammunition was green tennis balls!
Having spent the morning here and seen everything we think we followed a path through the gardens instead of using the steps to arrive in the car park where even more coaches were arriving. Outside the fort we were to see more coaches parked by the bicycles.
We began to walk along the ‘wooden road’ by the sea and met up with a couple of young ladies from Germany. Actually they were twins spending the weekend here. One of them was studying in Beijing whilst the other was working in Shanghai. We discussed different places we had been to in China and learnt that Lijiang was awful. Full of tourists and the men with the pony taxi no longer used their animals for this purpose but sat on them to pose for the tourists’ photographs. Although they were staying in the old part of the city they still had to pay the 60 yuan entrance fee. By contrast they had also been to Dali, another ancient village between Kunming and Lijiang in the Yunnan Province, and had hired bicycles and seen the lovely villages and the people which they thoroughly enjoyed. We said our goodbyes and set off to find a beer.
We were going to eat but changed our mind and as the stallholder was unable to supply a cup we were not too enamoured at drinking out of the bottle. Sitting at one of the large round tables under a canvas shelter a young man came and sat at the next table which had been vacated before we arrived. The table had not been cleared and as the young man produced his own chopsticks he began to eat the leftovers. He was still eating as we got up to leave and what had been left on the plates was almost gone! Round the corner was a wonderful restaurant with lots of individual eating rooms set in a lovely landscaped garden but by now we had lost our appetite.
I was feeling very tired and after taking the bus home went to bed and slept for a couple of hours.
We returned to eat in the ‘Soup Expert’ ordering duck soup this time. Keith and our waiter were very impressed when I asked for duck in Chinese! As usual we had our spicy fish delivered in a foil parcel and a plate of mixed vegetables washed down with 3 beers which are brought to our table individually to keep them cold.
Then it was off to ‘Haiwan Park’ for our evening’s entertainment at JJs. We were lucky to get a table close to the ‘stage area’ as tonight there was a distinct lack of Westerners. Having said that one was sitting at the next table and Keith got quite jealous when the three girls from the quartet of singers came and sat with him after their first session. When the group began to play again another Westerner came along and began to dance alongside them. Behaving like a right prat he wanted to be noticed. We got the impression that like the man sat next to us he was a regular. Wanting to dance in front of the group he moved the chairs at two tables in front of the microphone stand but some local people decided they wanted to sit there and so he had to move. They didn’t stay long and so ‘Mr. Me’ returned tossing the chairs aside once again. Unfortunately one of the chairs cascaded down the levels landing by a table where a local family were enjoying their meal, the chair almost hitting their little girl. ‘Mr. Me’ went down and we could see him apologising profusely to the family, especially the little girl. He crept along to join the other Westerner for a drink before they both disappeared for the rest of the evening, thank goodness. With very few foreigners the locals and staff had a great time on the ‘bucking cow’ during the group’s break, several receiving encouragement and applause from the crowds for staying on until the operator became bored and stopped operating the machine.
By 11pm Keith decided he wanted to go home. I wonder why it is we take a scenic route to get into the Park yet coming home we seem to find ourselves walking in a built up area where some of the paths are uneven but the roads are very quiet and the only people we come across are those taking their large dogs for a walk.

CHINA 2010 FRIDAY 6th AUGUST

GULANGYU ISLAND
We couldn’t really decide what to do this afternoon. It was such a pleasant day with a strong wind, on our balcony anyway, but when Keith came home at lunchtime he said he hadn’t felt any wind at ground level.
We settled on a return to Gulangyu Island for a gentle stroll around the lower level by the sea and under the shade of the trees. Arriving on the island we turned to our left and walked along the promenade watching people on the beach as the tide came in. Eventually we came to the ticket office for ‘Haoyou Park’ where on paying 15 yuan we could see all sorts of things such as the giant statue of the explorer Cheng Zhonggong close up, a giant bronze wall sculpture, walk the zigzag path out to sea and explore the gardens. Lining up for our tickets I spoke to a young Western girl who wanted to take the cable car to Sunlight Summit so hopefully we pointed her in the right direction.
The first item on the list was the bronze statue but we didn’t linger as youngsters were climbing up it to have their photo taken. We took the path out to sea but by the pavilion the path had been roped off so we had to return and climb the stone steps leading to the giant statue. I think it looks better from a distance as close up you can see all the blocks of stone it took to create this sculpture looking out to sea whilst perched on a rock. The information stone quotes ‘....15.7 metres high, weighs 1400 tons and made of 625 pieces of Quanzho granite and has thunderproof equipment so can resist scale 12 violent typhoon and 8 on the earthquake scale. The sculpture attracts thousand and tens of thousands of visitors by its magnificient mould and profound intrinsic ideological level.’
Leaving the area we had to laugh at a young man having a cigarette whilst sitting on a rock by a step with a yellow line in a square jutting out to sea. The sign said smoking was only allowed behind the yellow line - he was in the open air for goodness sake!
Again we found ourselves climbing up more steps but didn’t have to contend with large boulders. Before long we were out of the park and back on the road wandering along looking at the deserted buildings and thinking how impressive they could be made. Shuttered windows were open and greenery had been allowed to grow out of control. There used to be so many Embassies on the island I wondered if this particular house had been occupied by Italian Ambassadors at one time because of the balconies and columns.
Another garden we visited was dedicated to a Professor Madame Lin Qiaozhi, mother of modern Chinese Gynaecology. In a building was saw a display of photos of her life and in cabinets observed some of the instruments she used in delivering over 50,000 babies in her working life. Other cases displayed several items given to her by foreign Heads of State. We read a copy of her will which stated she wished her ashes to be returned to Gulangyu Island, her hometown, and scattered in the waters around the island. The ashes are actually buried in the gardens. Along a hedgerow were carved stone books each with an inscription written by Dr. Lin and done in gold lettering both in Chinese and English – some were amusing others quite profound. It was the first of these quotations that amused me :-

"Life is the most precious thing to a person.
At the time a seriously ill patient asks the doctor to save his life.
What does the doctor say?
Are you cold? Are you hungry? Are you tired?”

We stopped for a drink in the ‘Gallery’ garden. A delightful place where we were surrounded by oil paintings of a vast range of subjects from fat people to sailing ships as we sat at a table in the shade rather than under a white sun umbrella. The small garden also had a pebbled water feature which unfortunately was not running but with a sense of humour large colourful ducks had been placed inside terracotta urns laid on their side and colourful planting added to the attraction.
Our further wanderings lead us to the garden of a Mr. Cheng, an old man with just one large front tooth in his upper jaw. He had beckoned us to come up to his home where he proudly showed us two volumes of visitors’ comments. We could only read the ones in English, most of them thanking him for allowing a visit to his garden, and at his request we made an entry in volume 3. We hadn’t a clue what he was telling us, even when showing us his library as every book and white paper was in Chinese. The only time we could communicate was looking at the plants. He showed us ones that helped insect bites and got us to try one leaf that smelt like fresh pea pods but tasted so bitter that he laughed at the face I pulled. (No matter how much water I drank I couldn’t get rid of the taste until we went to eat.) Before we left I asked if I may take a photo of him and his family by his plants but he wanted it taken in front of his door with a brass plaque over the opening. Unfortunately we have no idea what the plaque said only that it had musical notes on it so assume he had something to do with music.
We decided to stay on the island to eat and found a seafood cafe in the busy street but charging us more as foreigners! A family sat nearby with a toddler who was sitting on a case of coco colas so he could reach the table tucked into his dish of noodles. He wasn’t very old but he certainly liked his food.
It was dark when we left the cafe and everything looked different and for some reason the shops looked more appealing. We stopped to admire some wood carvings and ended up buying a stack of carved ‘liondogs’ in Sandalwood which according to the assistant mean a long life – let’s hope so! We hadn’t a clue which way we were going and it was only when we reached the gardens leading to the Piano Museum that we realised we were walking in the wrong direction for the ferry. So we turned around and this time took notice of the signs on the walls indicating which way we should go back to the ferry station.At last we found it and Keith went to buy the tickets only you pay your money and are given a token which is put in a box at the turnstile before descending down the ramp to the waiting area. We were in good time and didn’t have long to wait before the boat arrived. Once all the passengers had disembarked bells rang and the high metal gate moved back to allow us to board. Again we paid 1 yuan to sit upstairs but the choice of seat was a mistake as everyone wanted to be near the foreigner apparently and we kept having to move our legs to allow them to pass between us and the guard rail by the steps, one passenger being too impatient treading.on Keith’s foot as he pushed by. After a long afternoon need I tell you we took a taxi home!

CHINA 2010 THURSDAY 5th AUGUST

I joined Keith this morning to listen to his students presentations. I had just got seated when Helen came along with the Register for Keith to sign. We disappeared into the corridor to have a chat as she was keen to find out what we had been doing in our spare time, and had I been cooking at home. I told her of our visits with Capt. Mao, our adventures in the Botanical Gardens and finally confessing to eating out rather a lot. So by the time I returned Mr. Gu was finishing his presentation and I apologised for missing it. The men have done really well, one Chief Officer telling me in perfect English and without any hesitation how they tested the alarms on the cargo tanks before commencing loading after asking him the question.
The morning session over it was time for lunch. In the afternoon Keith took a CD I had prepared of photos and my blog for the Office, something I had mentioned to Helen.
As the afternoon wore on it become very dark and when Keith returned home around 4pm we had to put the lights on. Just before 6pm we thought we heard thunder and when I went onto the balcony saw many of the pedestrians using umbrellas but then that is not unusual. Not long after with more thunder we had our first heavy rain but it didn’t last very long. The good news is it feels much cooler.
Tonight I attempted to cook a fish in the same style as many of the restaurants we have visited namely with deep slits in the sides and in a sweet soya sauce. There is a recipe in the microwave book and as I had most of the ingredients gave it a try. Success!

CHINA 2010 WEDNESDAY 4th AUGUST

HONSHAN GONGYUAN (Goose Mountain Park)
After a morning wandering around calling at the Post Office to post a letter after receiving instructions from the counter clerk that I must add the name of the sender’s address on the same side as the person I want the letter delivered to, and then back to ‘Trust Mart’ for another teaspoon and a pillow for me. For the equivalent of £1.90 I purchased anatomically designed lavender smelling one. In the stationery section I have also found a good marker pen that comes with an eraser on the end that cost nearly as much as my pillow!
So when Keith came home I told him I had only just returned as the noise from all the work taking place in various apartments was deafening and that as soon as we had had lunch we should go out. I chose a trip to ‘Goose Mountain Park’ and according to our guide book bus routes l,2 or 21 would take us there the only problem was none of these buses pass our stop outside the apartment. However looking at the map Bus 22 would take us in the right direction and we should get off after the railway lines but before the Crown Plaza Hotel. This journey takes us through the old town as far as ‘Nanputou Temple’ so we knew where we needed to alight.
We had to walk a few yards back up the road where we came to a large derelict Temple the residents living in ‘shacks’ making good use of the stone slabs around it to dry food such as peanuts in their shells whilst someone had even put out lots of bread rolls with not a bird in sight to take advantage of an easy meal.
Crossing over the main road we followed the steep winding road as per our map getting some funny looks from people we passed. As we climbed the mountainside I commented on two bronze and black Mercedes people carriers parked on the footpath stating how nice they looked. Further along a group of men were gathered by some small buildings and with the doors of smaller units being open couldn’t resist a peep as we walked by. Each unit housed artificial funeral arrangements, some similar to those we have seen in Crete. Outside the larger building was a very ornate incense burner with bundles of thin incense sticks in the sand container. It was only then the penny dropped that we were passing a crematorium and the vehicles I had admired were in fact hearses!
We continued up this road looking out for signs of the Ferris Wheel and Carousel that Dr. Bill referred to in his guide book, but despite repeatedly looking up the hillside we saw nothing but greenery and lovely big butterflies. Eventually we came to some steps either side of a steep concrete slope. Should we stick to the road or take the steps? Stick to the road! At last we came to what looked like an entrance into the Park as the shrubs and hedges here were neatly trimmed. The view down to the coast road was good but with a heat haze visibility to Gulangyu and out to sea was not that great.
We began to explore the Park following steps and paths, the designs of which were forever changing just to stop us getting bored. Again we found ourselves climbing narrow steps between large rocks and at times having to retrace our steps as the paths came to an end. We came across a tea room which was occupied by ladies playing Mah-jong whilst a group of men were sat outside drinking their tea. Pretty routes lead us back to this area and I would swear I heard the men laugh as we reappeared through a gate way in the shape of a very large jar cut into the rock wall. More ornate paths, a couple zigzagging over lily ponds, eventually brought us to more landscaped garden with a view below but still the haze continued. Down more narrow weatherworn steps we came to the proper entrance into the Park and at pavement level observed the traditional Chinese stone gateway. How did we miss this as it was opposite the derelict Temple?
By now we were very thirsty not to mention hot even though we had taken plenty of water with us. A kiosk by the Temple sold beer but there was nowhere to drink it so we ventured on down towards the coast walking along the disused railway lines. Residents in the apartment blocks had parked their cars on the lines in the concreted area but we soon came to an overgrown part where we could just make out the wooden sleepers supporting the rails. Round the bend we thought we had reached the platform but knew it was impossible as this line is no longer in use. We did come to the end of the line and smiled at the sight of the ‘Rendezvous Cafe’ with the name ‘Train Way’ in large red letters on the glass door. We had several cold beers before we continued our journey home. Keith really wanted a taxi but those that stopped for us refused to take us, perhaps because we were so near home we shall never know but they would have made 9yuan. We passed a small garden with a very large bronze sculpture of military men, fastened to a steep wall close to the ‘Wyndham Hotel’ one of the more select hotels in Xiamen. (We have one of their street maps!)
We reached the ‘Walking Street’ where I said for the umpteenth time “we are nearly home now” but not wanting to walk through the market streets we seemed to take forever to find our way out of the old part of the city. We couldn’t recall ever having gone up a slight incline before but looked at the shops and eating places to take our mind off our tired legs until at last we came to the overhead BRT and our familiar surroundings.
Apart from our short stop for beer we had been walking for 4 hours. I was in no mood to cook tonight so we returned to ‘The Soup Expert’ and had the most wonderful grouper fish but still no soup – next time!