Every night they have a light show over the street at Times Square and I believe that this one is bigger than the one in Vegas. Last night “There Be Dragons”
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Category Archives: Travel Log
Tis a Driech Day
A day by the fire, well I would if I had a fire……..my small apartment is cold but modern. It has air conditioning but I don’t really want to spend the whole day with that rumbling in the back ground, although I might have to as my fingers are beginning to feel quite cold and you know there is a limit to how much tea you can drink. All you end up doing is running to the loo most of the time.
I haven’t gone for a shower yet and so I’m still sitting in me thermals which I may add are comfy, but my hands are cold. Once in the shower it is so difficult to get out, but of course the water will begin to run cold as it’s only a wee tank and I don’t think that is really environmentally friendly to do that either. Mind you I could plant some trees…….
I have to go out later this afternoon to meet Carol, she is looking for an English teacher and well I do speak English……..
I heard that the going rate is 300 rmb for a lesson and well I can live with that, mind you it depends of course on what or who you end up teaching. My first thoughts are, “why are they paying well above the average rate?” More money is not always a good thing, it can also bring with it too much stress and sometimes grief, or am I just being to pessimistic and looking at this from my usual negative, what’s the catch kinda thing. Carol even asked me for my TEFL qualification so she must be serious. Most folk here just say” well your English is better than mine, so that will do”
Today I will also try and do some Chinese study, although I am finding this to be more and more difficult to do, but tomorrow I am meeting a Chinese teacher and so I will be having at least one professional lesson a week. I think my Chinese is getting better and most days I learn a new phrase or character and I think I can understand more of what is being said to me. I promised Julie in Australia that I would have a conversation with her only in Chinese on my return and so I am definitely not up to that task yet and I only have 4 months before I return to Australia for a quick visa run. Shit time is running oot…………….
The reason for not being completely fluent, is that every one I meet wants to improve their English and so I end up correcting their speech and talking more in English. After all there are more of them than me, but I find that when in conversation I can begin to get the jist of what is being said but I could not translate word for word. Then again I could just be a lazy bastard that needs to pull his finger out and get on with it.
I think the latter is more accurate……. I have been a bit of a social butterfly the last few weeks and so you know when you actually have to do some work it does become quite difficult. But I have practiced how to ask for many different types of food. The first thing I did was to try and learn the menus because in many place there are no pictures and certainly no English. At least now I can order off the menu even although I am unable to speak the words. I just do it in the usual western fashion, grunt loudly and point…………no I’m way more sophisticated than that because I can say
我不知道怎么说，但我可以有这个
and then I grunt loudly and point………..
I go to one local Muslim restaurant, they come from the west of China and the food is really good. My favourite is the potato and beef but sometimes I mix it up. I’ll often walk in and they will say “Potato and beef?” and I go no! much to there amusement. I think they have bets on what I’m going to order before I walk in. I see many foreign students in their small restaurant, they are usually from Africa or India. I know that most of the Indian students are studying medicine but I’m not sure what the African Students are studying. And they really stand out over here……
Well I think with all this talk of food I might have to go and have some lunch, luckily I am well prepared. I got some noodles last night which I can re-heat….mmm delicious or I can go for a piece ‘n’ cheese with Tuna. Which reminds me, I bought some Bega old vintage cheese last week and it cost $8 for 250 grams or whatever the small size is. Western products are well over priced, but it’s good to have a them as there is only so much Chinese food one can consume. Coffee is also double the price, but at least I can get it easily enough. I need my cheese and coffee and chocolate. I go to Hong Kong next month for a visa run and so I will have to buy some more whisky as I only have enough for a wee swally and that is very sad considering it’s still winter and I should be consuming way more. When I return to Australia I shall buy some duty free Isle of Jura whisky as this is one of the best single malts money can buy.
Right that’s it, am beginning to ramble and I could eat a scabby heeded horse
Xishan Island & Taihu Lake
I was told to be at Xihuan Lu Station at 8:50 and to meet the bus that would take us to Xishan Island and Taihu Lake. Well i did that and was picked up by friends Amy & Lincoln. There were 12 of us on the bus and everyone else worked within the travel industry. Today we were going to look at a several destinations to see if a day tour could be organised in the future. I was the foreign consultant 🙂
Like many old quarries around the world they can become a place where outdoor activities can thrive and this is no exception. There are high rock faces and walking trails, although there are few places that still need a bit of work. We walked along the top of the wall surrounding the newly formed lake which was a lovely blue colour, possibly because of copper deposits, but you had to be careful as it was a long way down.
We wandered through some thick vegetation with thorns, so you had to be very careful or you could get ripped to shreds and then we came into the open and passed through some vegetable patches and on down to the lake again where we found these two old boats, two rusting hulks blending into the winter landscape.
Our next stop is a lovely view point on the edge of the lake where you can see many water birds, although I admit you can’t because we stopped quite far from them.
Time for lunch and as usual you lose count of the amount of dishes that come to the table. When you eat in China there is always so much food, which for me is a good thing because I usually find that I won’t eat about 50% of what arrives on the table, such as chicken feet.
When the bellies are full we head off to the local village on Xishan Island and this is a very pretty place where village life is still much the same as it’s always been. There are not too many tourists yet but of course that will change. There main sources of income are fishing and tea production, which are both seasonal. They are not allowed to fish for more than 6 months of the year.
This is Bob my new 84 year old mate from the village.
The small harbour and in the back ground the 1000 year old tree…
It took 5 of the girls to hug the old tree. After here we went for a lovely stroll around the island looking at the wonderful views and daily life of the locals. A great place to escape to from the hustle and bustle of city life.
Unfortunately we have to leave the relatively peaceful life of Xishan Island and head for the main entrance to the Taihu Lake area and return to city. But we have one more stop and that is to walk along the edge of Taihu lake and if you are lucky enough you can see the sun set over the water, although today we were not so lucky. Just along from the large timber waterwheel there is an abundance of reed beds that attract the local wildlife, but as it’s still winter all we can see are bundles of the reeds stacked along the shore line. They are not allowed to burn them any more and if they are not collected they are often left to rot on the waters edge to break down for the new life to come.
This is a vast lake nearby Suzhou and at weekends and holidays it is packed but to be honest that is what life is like in China but it’s well worth the effort to come out here and wander along the banks of Taihu Lake.
As we head back to the city I am dog tired, but my ears prick up when I here that it’s Pizza for dinner…………it’s been a good day but I’m knackered
A quick trip to olde Blighty
I came here a few years ago and you were able to go up to the top and walk around. There was even a cafe that sold really expensive coffee. I remember paying around $6 or so for the cheapest one on the menu. Now this double Tower Bridge is no more than a folly and a back drop to many wedding albums.
Tom & Jerry
One of the wonderful things about using public transport in Suzhou is that they play Tom & Jerry cartoons on the buses and the metro.
I grew up watching them and they look as good today as they did when I was a kid. Mind you Mrs Whitehouse tried to have them banned because apparently they were too violent and of course kids like me might be adversely affected and become serial killers. Well I’m not a serial killer yet.
You can often see Tom & Jerry on TV in other Asian countries and you know it looks great with any backdrop and most folk love it. I watched a young Chinese kid laughing at Tom when he ran into the wall for the umpteenth time while trying to catch Jerry. I never tire of it, but I do like it when Tom finally gets the better of Jerry on the odd occasion.
More importantly it spans the test of time. Tom & Jerry have longevity and they will be around long after everyone living today are no more than a thought or a piece of dust blowin’ in the wind.
Tiger Hill
The tomb of of the Emperor Wu was discovered at Tiger Hill many years ago. Tiger Hill has a history stretching back 2500 years. There are many gardens and features to explore along the way. There is even a Leaning Tower of Suzhou right on top of the hill and this structure dates from about 1000 years ago.
There are too many places and features to list here so if you want more information then do a Google on Tiger Hill.
Yesterday the sun was shining and it felt really good to be out in the sunshine without having to wear layers of clothing. The cold wind from the north has finally abated and it’s very pleasant. All around Suzhou you will see the first signs of spring with the plum blossom starting to flower.
Suzhou Cuisine
Jelly Fish
Mango Fish
Spicy Eel
Album of Suzhou Take 1
Now this is my movie debut, but before you say that I’m not Oscar material let me just say that this is a demo and not the actual finished product. I will of course have a better wardrobe including hair and makeup and I want a trailer, yes a really big one with whisky on tap. A big comfy chair and someone to give me a massage, cause it’s a tough business this movie game. I need a few runners to get me stuff when I need it. Oh I think I could get used to this…..
Ah yes the Prima Donna has arrived!!!!
<a href=”https://youtu.be/KNCJCnHGHKM”>watch here if ye canny read it</a>
Why
Why do people lose the power to walk when they reach an escalator or one of the travellators you often find in airports and shopping centres It seems to be a common phenomenon no matter where you go. Surely not everyone can be a lazy bastard or is there more to it. Is there some mystical reason behind this, a force field maybe that immobilises them. All of a sudden they lose the ability to function like a normal human being and are transformed into a statue or what I like to call, a fuckin pain in the arse.
I can understand if you are shoving a trolley ’cause you got no choice but why just stop. In China many folk don’t have the same etiquette, as say on the London Tube where if you don’t keep to the one side then someone will rip your throat out or at least a prod you and give you dirty look. So here, the whole escalator will be blocked by individuals staggered up its length and this makes for interesting shoving when you squeeze through.
It’s even more ridiculous when you get beaten in a race for the escalator only for said person to come to an abrupt halt. I must admit I have been guilty of this a few times in my life but surely not everyone I come across is doing this for the very first time. I mean the odds against that would be a astronomical, wouldn’t they?
By all means enjoy a moment of joy and wonder as you magically move whilst standing still. In this moment you can look at Facebook or the news or all the selfies you’ve taken that day and if you do decide to stand still when you venture out and about then please make sure you stand to one Fuckin side!!!
Scots poem calling Trump a “tangerine gabshite walloper” wins an award
Here’s Lorna Wallace of Kilmarnock reading the award-winning poem.
Listen here if ye canny read it
A Scot’s Lament fur her American Fellows (Oan their election of a tangerine gabshite walloper
America, aw whit ye dain?!
How could ye choose a clueless wain
Ti lead yir country? Who wid trust
A man sae vile?!
A racist, sexist eedjit
Wi a shite hairstyle?
Yet lo, ye votit (michty me!)
Ti hawn’ this walloper the key
Ti pow’r supreme, ti stert his hateful,
Cruel regime.
A cling ti hope that this is aw
Jist wan bad dream.
But naw, the nightmare has come true,
A curse upon rid, white an’ blue,
An’ those who cast oot Bernie
Must feel sitch regret
Fur thinkin’ Mrs. Clinton
Was a safer bet.
So noo we wait ti see unfold
Division an’ intolerance, cold;
A pois’nous bigotry untold
Since Hitler’s rule
As the free world’s hopes an’ dreams
Lie with this fool.
Alas, complainin’ wullnae change
The fact this diddy has free range
Ti ride roughshod ow’r human beings
That fall outside
The cretinous ideals borne of
His ugly pride.
Awch USA, we feel yir woes
An’ pour oor wee herts oot ti those
Who ken this oarange gabshite isnae
Who they chose,
But jist sit tight;
Trump’s cluelessness
Will time expose.
Fur sittin’ there beside Obama
Efter the election drama,
Trump looked like reality
Had finally hit:
Aboot the role of president
He knew Jack shit.
Poutin’, glaikit through this farce,
His mooth wis pursed up like an arse,
His Tangoed coupon glowin’ like
A skelped backside.
Despite all his bravado
Trump looked keen ti hide.
Let’s therefur no despair an’ greet,
Or see this outcome as defeat.
Let’s wait an’ watch this bampot
Flap his hawns an’ squirm
When presidential pressures
Crush him like a worm.
Hawd oan ti values you hold dear,
Don’t let this numpty bring yi fear,
His chants of hatred don’t speak fur
The human race.
Love will endure despite this
Oarange-faced disgrace.
So USA, in ma conclusion,
Know we Scots feel your confusion:
We are also chained ti those
Not of oor choosin’ .
Stand firm fur unity will break
Through Trump’s delusion.