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.