Many years ago, in fact it was 1983, I started my driving career with Western SMT bus company.  The bus garage was about a mile from the house so the commute was good.  John Boyce was a good friend of mine and he used to drive these double decker buses like a fuckin’ lunatic, especially in the winter when the roads were icy.  I wanted to try this and so I got a job along side John. And I achieved this after about 6 months after I started. This gave me a few months to get the hang of throwing this beastie around. Being able to drift a double decker and giving it a bit of opposite lock was great fun. And the good thing about the winter months was that you could blame the weather whilst having a bit of fun. But my Volvo double decker could get its groove on and I could get it to drift in the wet also and when I drove through Kilbarchan up to the Wheatlands I could get the back end to twitch a little just near the Weavers Cottage. The whine of the supercharger as I had my foot planted firmly on the floor was great  You could hear a Volvo decker coming long before you it came into view. I even managed to leave some rubber on the ground and the mechanics used to tell me that there were only two drivers in the depot that could wear out the sides of the tyres, the was me and John. 

My Volvo could get up to 70mph and in the early 80’s the police did not bother us if we exceeded the speed limit,  in fact they would get out our way as we flew through suburbia. On my midnight run from Anderson bus garage to Milliken Park, which is a distance of about 15 miles and remember I have to pick up and drop off passengers along the way. Well I did this run in under 20mins one night which was a garage record and I had about 10 passengers on board. I was flying.  The Volvo handled a treat.  It’s just like big car, the engine is up the front and so the steering was very positive,but it was a little tail happy. 

One night I flew back from Glasgow and I was heading to Kilbarchan. I dropped off my last passenger at the terminus and then I flew back to the depot.  It’s late at night and there’s no one on board so I’m giving it wellie and the supercharger is screaming and the bus is jumping and bucking as I fly back to the depot. I fly though the gates and into the yard and then full lock and hit the dead man and the bus does a wonderful pirouette, in fact 360 degrees.  The bus rocks from side to side as it settles. Then all of a sudden I hear this almighty thud! I go upstairs to find this young girl looking rather pale and with fear in her eyes. It takes me all my time to not laugh at this poor girl. What must have been going through her head as she had this thrill of a lifetime in a bus. Some people would pay money for this kind of experience.

I did offer to run her home but she declined my offer 😆

So now you may ask, why are you telling me all this?  Well after being on few Chinese buses this week I can see that you can still drive like an absolute lunatic here and so I thought it would be fun to drive these big beastie’s once more. I was home recently and there are so many rules and regulations and speed cameras and gps monitoring systems that it would be almost impossible to drive these buses anywhere near the speeds that we used to all these years ago. Now I’m not saying that we should always drive around like loonies, because not everyone can drive one of these like many of us did, but I think that life is just not as exciting as it once was. We have been given too many rules to protect those of us that can’t.But that is life in general. So many more rules have been made to protect us that we now sue the establishment when possible. We are no longer responsible for our own actions so that when something goes wrong we can blame someone else. So when tourists come to a country like China they are no longer prepared to think on their feet or adapt and many land in trouble.Mind you China is pretty safe, apart from the driving. The country you have to be careful in is Vietnam and expecially Saigon, be very aware of your surroundings there. But you might just feel alive again and I think it’s a risk worth taking. Go to Vietnam on your next holiday. 

And so I will end my tale hear and remind you all to get outside your comfort zone once and a while and make sure that those dormant life skills are brought back to life before they die for good.

My trusty steed 

The other day I went for a wee wander to Tongli, it’s one of the many water towns in Jiangsu Province and only about 40 minutes on the bus from Suzhou. I’ve been to couple of towns but this one is well set out and quite picturesque. Up until a short time ago it had a Sex Museum which I would have gone to but alas it has shifted to the south of China somewhere. It did seem a bit strange to have a sex museum in the heart of a tiny town.

When I got off the bus there was an old Jewish couple having trouble communicating with the locals, they were trying to get directions to the town from the bus station. Luckily I speak enough Chinese to make it a bit easier for me. So I help the old couple and we head off to the wee electric bus that will take us to the town. What I didn’t realise was that you had to pay to get into the town itself, it was 100 rmb, I was quite happy to just stroll around and soak up the atmosphere. Afterall the temples and the buildings that you visit of the course of your journey all seem to take on the same look and design, it’s only if it is a bit more outstanding now, that I will  pay to go and have a look. But I had come this far so I reluctantly paid and wandered in. The Jewish couple, I can not remember their names, wanted to get on one of the boats that would go around the canals. It was 90 rmb for the boat and so I cadged a ride and I did pay my fair. I mean what do you expect, a Scotsman and a couple of Jews on a boat, there was no escaping it really .
It was a pleasant way to see the town from the perspective of the boat. The woman pushing he boat through the water tried to make a few extra yuan from us but we should have told her that she really had no chance with these nationalities on her boat. First possible stop was to see the Cormorants diving for fish, I’ve seen this before but to be honest the poor birds were quite happy sunning themselves, I’m sure the water was frozen.

We punted a long so to speak and went round a few bends and then we were asked if we wanted to stop at one of the may restaurants along the canals edge, but once again she backed a loser. You could see she wasn’t very happy, but hey 90 rmb for about 20 mins was quite expensive and I’m not sure how much she got but we were giving her something.

When we returned to the wee jetty we had a few pleasantries and then went our separate ways. It was interesting to chat to them for 20 mins or so but our worlds are so far apart and I would only end up arguing with the woman’s primitive views of the world, oh I forgot to say she left America to live in Israel. Not a discussion I wanted to get into about the politics of that part of the world.

So off I wander and I just take in the atmosphere and enjoy the town and maybe spend about an hour and a half before I realise it’s time for food. So some dumplings it is before I head back to the bus for home.

If you come here I would certainly recommend going to have a look and if you are over 60 years old you get in for free. One thing the old couple told me was that they had got into many places for free because of their age. So China seems to be old friendly which is good to know.

At the entrance to my palatial estate there is a small security hut. There are 5 guards that I see on regular basis, but you know they all look the same to me apart from one. And do you know why?  because he has a smile on his face and he says hello to you, even me the foreigner.

The rest of them are a miserable bunch of soor faced bastards. They look like your typical communist party members,  with their wee uniforms and fake looking badges that make them look very important indeed and maybe all they’re doing is playing the role of the uniform.  Maybe when they take the uniform off they just become the hen pecked little man of the house.  And when you see just how fired up some of these Chinese ladies become I’m not surprised that they make the most of the uniform. 

The weather is becoming colder by the day but the other night it really did get chilly.  In fact I went out today and bought some thermals. Anyway getting back to our wee guys.  The office door was closed but you could see the red glow coming from the Hut through the fog inside, no doubt the heater was on full.As  I got closer I noticed that there was 3 guys inside puffing on their  ciggies and sucking on them like their lives depended on each draw, but as a bonus they were also getting all that second hand smoke. I wanted to stop and just look in as if I was at the zoo so I could watch these animals in their wee cage. I find them fascinating and like any creatures or things that fascinate me, I like to watch ☺☺ Mind you I was glad that the happy wee security guard was not in with them as I’ve always thought he looked a bit smarter than the average bear. 

I’ve invested heavily in a pair of slippers for my feet and now they are very happy indeed.  The weather has turned cold and I fear that winter is just around the corner.  The beanie, scarf and North Face jacket are all being worn regularly and it’s not really cold yet.  I hear the figure of -10c being banded about and to be honest I find this quite terrifying. It’s been many years since I have experienced such cold and such misery 😣

Ah only kidding. …..I’m looking forward to complaining everyday about how fucking cold it is.😆

I also bought a new quilt as the summer one I had was not as effective anymore, plus the fact my fat reserves are getting used up rapidly. Which is OK but I’ll soon have to buy new breeks as well at this rate.  As me Ma would say ” they’re hangin’ half way doon ma arse”

So anyway ma new quilt is made from Camel hair, but not sure why is says sheep on the box.  Maybe they are one and the same here. 

But whatever it’s made of it kept me very warm last night, or it could have been the 3 glasses of Spanish red wine.  But I’m sure my sheepycamel was a good investment. 

Haven’t seen it in years but it’s still a great movie…..

Well the pollution levels in Suzhou are definitely better today than they were a few weeks ago, but then again the downside is that is pissing down with rain once more 😣😣 It’s rained so much in the last couple of weeks I’m not sure where it’s coming from.  Last week there was the typhoon in the south of China that brought the rain, but I’m not sure what the excuse is this time. 

I’m finding it a bit difficult to adjust to life without a car because since the age of 17 I’ve had my driving licence and a car.  I drove everywhere and enjoy my driving.  I like driving in the rain because I grew up in Scotland and got lots of practice.   It rained a lot in Scotland but I had my car so it was no problem. Now if I have to go to the shops I have to carry everything home and it gets wet,I get wet.Shoes, trousers and jacket.

 I remember my friend Christine telling me that she can be stuck in the house for days sometimes because of the weather.  At home I don’t have that problem because I go down to the garage and into the car. I buzz the door open and drive out and then I always enjoy pressing the button and watching the door close.  As far as I’m concerned it was the best $500 I spent on the house, well next to my day bed. I Can drive to the nearest shopping centre with an undercover carpark,park the car and still not get wet. I miss that.

So now I’m in China living on the fourth floor of an old building, with draughty windows.  It’s cold and damp and I’m really not looking forward to winter. I hear it gets down to -10c in winter so I think I’m going to need a wee bit more than ma wellies if that’s the case. 😣

I was out at public speaking event tonight and they had a guest speaker that was a bit of a character and very confident.  He was sat quite close to the front because he was assessing some of the speakers but I must admit I was very surprised when he lifted one cheek and then let a big wet one rip. And you know to my amazement no one batted an eye lid, not even the young girl that was sitting quite close to him. 😆😆😆

I bought a 29 rmb bottle of Chinese Merlot and I’m quite surprised that it’s not too bad, although in saying that I wouldn’t want to drink too much.  I had a couple of glasses and I can feel a bit of a wee niggle in the skull,  so I’d say that in moderation it’s OK. 

It’s a bit fruity, a bit light and a pleasant after taste. So along with a meal I think it’s acceptable but I would drink it on its own. 

I popped along to see what the Suzhou Toastmasters was like and I really enjoyed it.  As you may or may not know, I am part of a wonderful group called the Bremer Forum. I first joined this organisation to have the confidence to be able to stand up in front of a group of people and give a talk or a speech and I have been able to do that for the most part quite comfortably. So last night I went along to the Toastmasters which is very different to the Bremer Forum. In forum we learn about procedure,how to chair a meeting and of course how to develop yourself to become a confident speaker. From my short introduction to Toastmasters it seems that there are different levels that you need to achieve and you must meet a certain criteria before you progress. Thankfully this is an English-speaking meeting and I was the only native speaker there and I was very impressed with the level of English and also the quality of the speeches.

One segment I was able to take part in was Table Topics. This is impromptu speaking,  where you have 2 minutes to talk to a subject and you have to be coherent and have structure to your speech.  Guess what I won 😆 the native speaker won , mind you I think they were just being nice. 

But I’m looking forward to going along next week to get some more mental stimulus and of course to meet some new people which will make my stay in China so much better. 

I came across these wonderful delicacies while I was strolling through the market but just couldn’t decide which one to try. ….