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.