Tonight I will be returning to the UK for a short break from China but fear not I’ll be retuning in two weeks time. My flight goes from Hong Kong via Amsterdam meaning it’ll be a rather long journey (17 hours) which I never look forward to but hopefully should lessen the jet lag as I basically fly through the night of 8 time zones.
It’s been 10 months since I moved to Shenzhen and so far it’s been a great experience. Although I have developed somewhat of a love-hate relationship with the country it continues to fascinate me and I’ve managed to see and learn a lot more since my previous shorter trips as well as met some interesting people. Shenzhen might not be the cultural hub of China but I certainly appreciate its relative cleanliness and convenience as a gateway to the rest of China.
I’ve managed to pack in a lot of short trips into the time, visiting Guangzhou, Yangshuo, Hong Kong (5 times), Xi’an, Shanghai, Beijing (again), Xiamen and many more smaller places besides but there’s still a lot more to explore. Next on my hit list would be central/western China and in particular Tibet would be dream destination if I can find the time to do it justice.
I intend to spend my time in the UK catching up with friends and family, working on on a few work-related projects and generally enjoying some non-Chinese food for a change! Here’s hoping I don’t catch H1N1 on the way
In case you wondered the pictures here are from the He Xiangning Art Gallery and OCT Art & Design Gallery which are both located in the Overseas Chinese Town. Neither had particularly interesting exhibitions on and for the entrance fee (20 RMB each) it felt like a bit of a con. Still, if you fancy seeing some strung up shopping trollies this might be for you.
Last weekend I escaped the suffocating summer heat of Shenzhen to the southern island of Da Jia. After a rather hairy boat ride (see video below) we were greeted by beautiful beaches and warm waters. For China it was pretty clean and not too crowded.
I’m pretty sure the boat driver had a death wish but for 10 RMB we were hardly expecting a gentle cruise!
Hiking to the top of the island presented beautiful views out over the Pacific Ocean and some mysterious military installations which hinted at the islands former use. Being on the coast the area is popular for its seafood…
Not being much of a seafood lover myself I wasn’t too thrilled by the lunch options but it was nethertheless interesting to see the variety of underwater life on offer. Instead or ordering from the restaurant you were able to pick exactly what you wanted from the local market who would then cook it for you directly.
For those wanting their seafood even fresher a few brave souls were even snorkeling off the coast and eating what they found directly! Sometimes I think it’s nice to see people getting back in closer contact with the origins of their food and sometimes it’s just a bit yuk.
In the evening we returned to the mainland and had a BBQ on the beach which was followed by a pleasant night swim in the still-warm sea. Unfortunately, bereaved of GPS, we got a bit lost on the way home and didn’t get to bed till the early hours of the morning. Still, a nice day was had by all and this time I managed to avoid getting burnt!
Anyone who lives in China will know the importance of personal security. Things can get a little hairy from time to time and unless you have someone watching your back you never know when you’ll wake up in a bathtub of ice with your vital organs missing. To this end I have employed a private security unit to take care of my physical protection. While this might seem like a lot of people for the defence of one man you’ve got to remember we’re dealing with economies of scale here. An army in China costs a lot less that it would elsewhere and you’d be surprised just how much you can get for your money.
At a glance you can tell this crack unit of ex-PLA special force operatives are the best of the best and one can understand how they got the name “flying dragons”. Seen here parading outside my apartment notice how they are wearing urban camouflage to blend in with the surroundings for minimal visual impact while I go about my daily routine. Local triad gangs beware, ninjas have nothing on these guys.
No expense has been spared to equip them with the latest technology including these Segway weapon platforms with miniature assault rifles capable of firing up to 100 peas per-minute on fully automatic mode. The unique sitting position allows for greater stability and manoeuvrability while firing.
I hope you’ve enjoyed this insight into my personal army and consider this a warning to those who would contemplate doing me harm
If you’ve never tried Vietnamese food go now and try. Your stomach can thank me later.
If you need a little more convincing here’s a few action shots from my visit to “Spring” last weekend, a new restaurant which has popped up in my locality:
Prawn Spring Rolls (Gỏi cuốn) – little parcels of fresh goodness with Nước chấm dipping sauce
Baguette (Bánh Mi Thit) – French bread containing paté, ham, various vegetables garnished with coriander
This was my third experience of Vietnamese food (the other times being in Guangzhou and Seoul) and although it was just a light lunch everything was delicious and healthy with so many fresh vegetables. The decor was also pretty tasty with a simple green/grey colour scheme.
If they eat this kind of thing everyday in Vietnam then I’d say they have it pretty well!
In the past two weeks in China there have been two separate incidents of buses bursting into flames, firstly in Chengdu, then worryingly closer to home in Shenzhen (warning: links contain graphic photos). Tragically in the first instance 27 people died when they were trapped inside.
There have been no official reasons given for the causes of the fires although there are a number of theories going around:
When you combine any of these possible causes with the fact that most buses in China are usually horrendously overcrowded then you have a recipe for disaster. What makes it even worse that in the first case the safety-hammers for breaking the windows were missing / stolen and allegedly the bus driver ignored passenger warnings of smoke coming out the engine.
Given the silence from the government it’s hard not to jump to conclusions as to the cause but for bus passengers, myself included, it leaves an air of nervous tension and suspicion. Some people have even taken to carrying small hammers in their bags and false alarms have caused mass panic.
Whatever the reason for these events it seems clear that nobody wants to take responsibility or even get involved and while there will be much rhetoric about how safety is being improved it’s unlikely anything will change in the short term at least. For a country where corruption is almost a part of everyday life this is a depressing reality.
One thing’s for sure I’ll be thinking twice before squeezing onto an overcrowded bus or one where the wheels look like they might fall off any time soon.
