Living with Monkey

Weather: freezing

Temperature: -6 - 1

Exchange rate: RMB1 = R1,40

The culprit: Monkey and the vase she knocked over...

Sometimes living with our cat Monkey is a test of patience. She is full of beans, loves chasing her sister NuNu around, loves pushing NuNu away from the food bowls and general leaving mayhem and thousands of white cat hair in her wake. This morning, shortly after the alarm went off, there was an ominous crash in the lounge. And then it all went quiet. Yes, a sure sign that somebody did something naughty. I think my favourite godson Jackson knew what he was talking about when he kept on saying "Naughty Monkey" after our little terror lived with Rebecca and Jackson for a month. 

Usually the damage isn't too extensive, but this morning "somebody" knocked over a tall vase filled with water and reeds... onto my laptop. Needless to say there was water dripping out of said laptop. Accidents happen, so I'm not too fussed about the laptop, but what I am very fussed about are all the photos and information on there. I've taken it apart as best I could and blow dried what I could. Let's hope it works when I start it up tomorrow... 

All merry and bright

Weather: cold
Temp: -7 - 4
Exchange rate: RMB1 = R1,43
Grassy rooftop: Dry winters grass growing in a roof gutter of a hutong.

Hey, Merry Belated Christmas everybody. Hope you had fun, ate too much, and had a jolly good time with your family.

We had a great Christmas. We opened our presents in bed on Christmas day. Demi our Mandarin tutor gave us scarves from Italy and Stan, my student gave me a Peking Opera wall hanging. After presents we phoned home. Speaking to our family in South Africa made me a little teary, but such is life and we got on with it by going for brunch to Grandma's Kitchen near the Bei Xin Qiao Subway. It was all very jolly with everybody who arrived wishing complete strangers a merry Christmas. I guess that's what happens - goodwill to all men.

As a treat we then headed off to Garden Books. I got Kabul Beauty School and Frikkie got the latest John Connolly. Then it was back home for some gluwein, cheese and crackers.

We had dinner at the Westin Hotel in Choayang, with complete strangers and it was great! We were suppose to join my fellow teacher Richard and his mates for dinner. So, we arrived not knowing anybody but Richard, and he didn't even show up, but we met a cool bunch of people, some of them as new to Beijing as we are and others who have been here form ages. And quite a diverse group - from Taiwan to London... Finally it looks like we've met a group of people we could be friends with - the best Christmas present we could have asked for.

It's a freezing Sunday

Weather: ABSOLUTELY BLOODING FREEZING
Temp: -12 - -5. That's well below zero all day long
Exchange rate:
RMB1 = R1,43
Late Lunch: Our first home-made joazi at home.

It is absolutely freezing outside. No really, I mean it. I know I'm always saying that it's cold, but today is the coldest day in Beijing since we got here. It was suppose to be very cold yesterday so we vegged at home.
This morning the wind was howling. Really howling. Poor Frikkie went to the shop to get some milk. The poor man nearly had frost bite when he got back.

I also made my first batch of joazi at home. Not quite as nice as the ones I made in class, but still very edible. Frikkie says this picture looks like a '70s beer ad... Mmm, maybe.

End of year cheer

Weather: clear and cold
Temp: -5 - 5
Exchange rate: RMB1 = R1,44
Famous family: Kyk Irma, jy's famous. Ikea has weird and wonderful naming conventions. Frikkie's cousin, who's name isn't weird at all, somehow made it into the Ikea catalogue.

I didn't teach yesterday, so it was a long day of playing mahjong online, watching rubbish on HBO, ironing and general lazing about. I'm thinking that I should enjoy it while it lasts, cause it won't last forever.

Frikkie and I were saying how it doesn't feel like Christmas time for us. Although there are Christmas trees everywhere, and most shop assistants wear little Santa hats, it's just not the same and we're just not feeling it. Also neither one of us can face Christmas shopping so there are no presents under our tree. But that's ok - we're ridiculously happy together, so what more could we ask for.

Cooking class

Weather: clear and cold
Temp: -5 - 6
Exchange rate: RMB1 = R1,47
Almost a pro: The fruits of my labours in jiaozi making class.

Yesterday I went to jiaozi making-class at the Hutong. The Hutong is a centre where they host all kind of classes, based in, surprise, a hutong. And jiaozi is of course, dumplings - my favourite food in Beijing. I learnt to to make the pastry from scratch, the filling and then roll the pastry, which is sort of difficult, and then of course the cooking. And the best part, eating all of them. It was just me and Erin, a Canadian visiting Beijing for a week or so who attended, but we really hit it off. It was probably the most fun I've had in a cooking class. Now I just need to get a little rolling pin and we'll be having jiaozi every week and twice on Sundays.

Skiing in Nanshan

Weather: mild mid-winters day
Temp: -4 - 4
Exchange rate: RMB1 = R1,47
Hey ma, look at me: We didn't fall, all that often.

We finally hit this slopes for the first time yesterday. We headed out to Nanshan with the Local Noodle Snow Team. We stayed all day and really had some fun.

Nanshan is just outside of Beijing, so the snow isn't real, but since we're rank amateurs it didn't matter too much. It was the first weekend the resort opened for the season so everything was clean and well organised, sort of. We started out on the baby slope for beginners. An instructor took pity on me, showed me the basics and then showed Frikkie how to turn and off we went. Frikkie is a natural. I'm a little more cautious, but in the end I got it. I fell off the ski lift more than I did skiing. But in the end I could stay on the ski lift and go down the slope without falling.

I hope we're ready for the sloped in Harbin, where apparently the slopes are steep and the snow powdery. Can't wait.

All kitties present and accounted for

The kitties are home. They've settled in. They're ok, if a little skinny. I gave them a bath pretty much as soon as they got here - they smelt of disinfectant. I don't know who was wetter, me or them. My popularity rating took an instant dive.

NuNu has found herself a little hiding spot and Monkey is trying to sleep between Frikkie and I. The more things change, the more they stay the same. We're really happy to have our little family back together again.

The kittes will be home TOMORROW

Weather: almost zero visibility
Temp: -4 - 3
Exchange rate: RMB1 = R1,47
Days left in kitty prison: 1
All wrapped up: I wore only 3 layers today and I nearly died. I may never be able to feel my ears again.

I think I've probably always known this, but the trick to staying warm in the cold is to keep your head and hands warm. I forgot my gloves at home today, wore a hat that does not cover my ears and did not have the best time walking to the subway.

This time tomorrow the kitties will be home. We can't wait. I just hope that they're healthy and not too traumatised. I got them a new bed and some tuna to celebrate their arrival.

I'm watching a very strange Chinese movie right now. Jacky Chan like you've never seen him before. He's actually acting - no kung fu what so ever. I'm trying to watch some local telly to improve my pronunciation and intonation. The cool thing is that I've started recognising words. Not that many, but it's a start.

Let it snow

Weather: still cold
Temp: -5 - 3
Exchange rate: RMB1 = R1,48
Days left in kitty prison: 3
Going up: Christmas is now officially in the air at the Els-Labuschagne house hold.

According to iGoogle it's currently snowing in Beijing. This is very sadly not true. It's cold and smoggy, and it drizzled this morning, but alas, no snow. I want it to snow!

I finally put up our Christmas tree. First of course I had to go buy the tree. There were real pine trees in small wooden barrels and I was really tempted to get one of those, but in the end got a beaut of a fake tree. It's a massive and it took me forever to set it up last night. I also cut my thumb on the cheap metal trunk, but lucky I had a tetanus shot last Christmas, so I won't die from blood poisoning. I went to a market to get everything and by the time I left I had censory overload - there are Xmas decor in any form, shape, size and colour you could possibly think of. It all got a bit much.

Great news! The kitties are getting out early - must be for good behaviour! They will be home by lunch time on Friday. We both super excited.

HBO, hot water and face jobs

Weather: smoggy, chilly
Temp: -3 - 7
Exchange rate: RMB1 = R1,48
Days left in kitty prison: 7
All the pretty lights: Red lanterns are all the rage in China this season...

There's no doubt that China is a very interesting place. We're still busy settling into our new abode - we now have cable TV again (rubbish HBO included), but spent the weekend without hot water. Yes, that's the whole weekend. And why did we not have any hot water? In China, or perhaps just in our complex, you have to charge your apartment's hot water card with credits, insert the into the hot water card slot in some obscure pipe outside your apartment and voila, you have hot water. Small detail that nobody remembered to mention: the water heating company is only open on Mondays, between 8 to 12 and 1 and 3:30. And if you run out before then, it's just tough cookie. I tried shouting at the complex management company on Saturday morning. No luck. So it was pots of hot water on the stove for bath water all weekend.

We had a busy day on Saturday. After vouching that we'd not go back there again, we spent about 3 hours in Ikea. The thing with Ikea is that once you're in, it's hard to get out without a trolley full of stuff you didn't know you needed or wanted. Plus Frikkie's colleague Leong is coming round for dinner and we thought that perhaps we'd upgrade from the paper plates.

I finally found a wool shop in Beijing. It's miles from where we live, but they have great wool and I stocked up and got some more knitting needles. I'm now working on three projects. One, is, surprise, surprise, a scarf. We then went to Yashow Market to try and find me a coat. It didn't quite work out for me. I still don't have a coat. I'm going to try the Silk Street market - I've been told it's the place to look for long, down winter coats.

After being all vuur en vlam we didn't go skiing on Sunday - we were pooped from missioning about on Saturday and vegged out all Sunday. We will try again this weekend.

Frikkie is in Shanghai tonight, and having dinner with Rachael and Pete as we speak. Lucky bugger.

Congratulations

My dear, dear friend Ncumisa is getting married today. Nick and Ncum, I wish you much joy love and happiness together. I'm so sad that I cannot be there with you today, but such is life and I can't wait to see you as Mr and Mrs in May. hxxx

The turning tide

Weather: too cold to venture outside
Temp: -11 - -3 (yes, sub-zero all day long)
Exchange rate: RMB1 = R1,48
Days left in kitty prison: 10
Permanent gloves: It gets so cold here you can buy "permanent" mits to attach to your bike or scooter for winter. Keeps your hands from freezing and breaking off your arms.

Last week and most of this week was not much fun for me. My regular teaching classes came to an end and it looked like I would not teach again for a while. My frantic and persistent efforts to find a "real" job were not paying off. I felt very glum and was starting to despair. A while ago my friend Alex told me to "enjoy being a kept woman", but quite frankly the whole idea just didn't appeal to me. Being a part-time teacher and house wife did not fit with my idea of who I am.

But this week I'm starting to see things a little bit differently. How many people you know have the opportunity to take a couple of months off and simply do nothing? I bet not that many. So instead of seeing this time as a burden, I've starting looking at it as an opportunity to recharge, do some stuff I usually don't get round to doing (like knitting and sewing - once I find sewing machine) and to enjoy it while it lasts. I did go an see an employment agency yesterday and Tina Wu who interviewed me was quite blunt. The chances of me finding a job, in my field, and in the financial services industry in China are slim to none. The world financial crisis has impacted financial services in particular coupled with a digital marketer who cannot speak Chinese and have no local experience and I'm left with very limited choices. Also, this time of year is the worst time to apply as everything is winding down towards the Chinese New Year at the end of January. So for now, I'm going to be thankful for this time and enjoy every second of it. My teaching schedule has also filled up and I will probably start learning Mandarin full time next year.

Creatures of habit

Weather: sub-zero and tomorrow is going to be worse
Temp: -7 - 2
Exchange rate: RMB1 = R1,47
Days left in kitty prison: 11
Bright lights: Christmas is in the air.

I know I said I was going to blog every day for December, but yesterday was a bit busy. Four hours of teaching, then our own Mandarin class and then we popped out for dinner to check out a new Italian restaurant, Alla Osteria.

Frikkie and I are creatures of habit. If we find something we like we tend to go back to it time and time again. I know we're not unique in this, but you'd think that we would explore more since we're living in a new city. Last night we broke with our usual routine, and tried Alla Osteria in Soho Shangdu. I think the biggest draw card was the word "unpretentious" in the review and Frikkie has been craving pizza for ages. And not just any pizza, it has to be proper pizza, so we certainly weren't heading over to Pizza Hut, which have are loads of outlets of here.

I got as close to butternut soup as I'm ever going to in China, and Frikkie got his thin crust pizza. I suspect we'll be going back there soon, as it now our new favourite Italian restaurant in Beijing. Like I said, we're creatures of habit.

I am taking photos with Frikkie's Nikon Coolpix - it's ok during the day, but it takes rubbish night time shots...

Going to the market

Weather: mild
Temp: 0-10
Exchange rate: RMB1 = R1,50
Days left in kitty prison: 13
Dreaming of a white Christmas: Christmas trees of all shapes and sizes at the Liangma Flower Market.

One of the best things about living in China is the fresh produce markets. There is great market about 10 minutes by bike from our complex. It would be 5 minutes, but you have to cross the Sanyuang bridge and that sometimes takes a while since the bridge leads to two major highways, so there are lots of on and off ramps. But I digress. The market has three distinct sections: fruit, veg and wet. I'm great with the fruit and veg. There still some stuff I have no idea what to do with, but mostly it's the stuff you get back home, sans butternut, which I miss. The fruit is on the one side and the veg is on the other side and in between there's the wet stuff - that means it's still breathing or was breathing a short while ago. The smell is a little off putting, but it smell of raw meat, which isn't the best smell in the world. I found the massive big ears quite unusual, but the sheep's head put me off completely. There is no part of the animal which is not eaten, which I guess is a good thing. The still breathing part would be the seafood. There are water tanks filled with live fish and the crabs, although tided up like a little parcel with string, are also still alive. We have, by the way, also stopped eating seafood at home. The goal is to stop eating seafood altogether. So I like two parts of the market very much, but the wet bit(s) you can keep.

Moving on up

Weather: windy and smoggy
Temp: 0-13
Exchange rate: RMB1 = R1,48
Days left in kitty prison: 14
Room with a view: the view from our new lounge. It may not look like much at day, but in the evenings it's magical.

Yesterday we moved into the apartment we will call home for the next 12 months. Hoorah! We were like two bag ladies moving our stuff in two shopping trolleys. Ok, I was like a bag lady, Frikkie looked all manly and strong and carried the heavy stuff. Our new apartment is still in the Phoenix complex where we've been living since September, but we moved to a different apartment block. We've also moved up in the world: from the 25th floor to the 29th floor. The views are pretty awesome. And the biggest plus is that we have two balconies. Our immediate shopping list includes a small table and two chair so we can have our morning tea outside. We also have two bedrooms now, so come on over and visit - there's plenty of space.

Speaking of space, the beds in the apartment are gi-normous. I "went looking" for Frikkie several times during the night cause I thought he wasn't sleeping next to me anymore... Our queen size duvet looks like it shrunk in the wash and I'm not even sure a king size will be big enough. And true to the Chinese standard the mattress is just slightly softer than a slab of concrete. The term "firm mattress" has a whole new level of firmness in China. I'm sure tonight we'll sleep like babies. Frikkie also nearly had an apoplectic fit after looking at the peach-coloured curtains for too long. Yes, architects live in a very special world... Needless to say they have to go, the debate is now just what is going to replace them.

Today in two weeks I will go to fetch the kitties. It feels like it's taking forever.

I will be spring cleaning a bit and then tonight I'm going to a cooking glass to learn how to make dumplings. I'm super excited about it - dumplings is one of my favourite things to eat in Beijing and I can't wait to start making them at home.

Also on the horizon this week is an interview with an employment agency on Wednesday. Hold thumbs that they have positions available that I qualify for.

Veggie bobotie

Weather: mild (for this time of year in Beijing)
Temp: -1 - 9
Exchange rate: RMB1 = R1,44
Days left in kitty prison: 19
Not quite the midnight train to Georgia: On the train from Hong Kong to Shanghai - May 2008.

The first South African we met in China, Elkarien, came for dinner tonight and it was a lovely evening. I guess Elkarien is in her 50s and she's doing some language work for the British Council in China. She gets to travel all around the country, which seems tres glamorous, but also a little bit lonely. She's off to SA next month for Christmas. I officially have Christmas at home envy... It's very tempting to pack my bags and come home for a month or so for some summer and sun - but it's just a fanciful idea, I would never leave poor Frikkie here to face the bleak December weather on his own. Plus the kitties are almost out of prison and I want to be around when they get out...

Trouble in the land of Canon

Weather: mild
Temp: -1 - 11
Days left in kitty prison: 20
Exchange rate: RMB1 = R1,44
From my files: Gratuitous kitty love. This was taken in August 2006, when Monkey was extremely cute and I had braces.

Ok, so I got my days mixed up. I know Jackson's birthday is on 25 November. And somehow I decided that yesterday was the 25th, which clearly it was not. Happy birthday Jackson, again. Promise to get it right next year.

I think my camera is finally giving up the ghost. Why, oh why did I get drunk at one of Julia's party and then dropped it? I love my little Canon, but it may have to go. It keeps on freezing, when I really don't want it to. Like tonight -Frikkie and I were busy making a little video clip of us singing Happy Birthday to Jackson and it froze. Bugger. So no photos until further notice. Or no new photos until further notice.

Today was a bit of an up, down, up day. I got a phone call and follow-up mail from a very nice financial services company and I got really excited about it, but then it turns out that that need a hardcore sales person, which I'm not. So, that was a bit of a downer, but then a good recruitment agency mailed to set up an appointment for next week, so something to look forward to.

I got a really funny email from our friend Andrew who is travelling South America with his GF Helen. They just spent a week in the Galapagos Islands and it sounds absolutely idyllic. I may have to start disliking him soon - the travel envy is killing me.

Shanghai - a new love affair

Weather: mild winters day
Temp: -1 - 11
Exchange rate: RMB1 = R1,53
Days left in kitty prison: 21
Look Helen, you're famous: My friend Helen is perhaps not "big in Japan", but she's pretty big in Shanghai.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY JACKSON JAMES HUMPHRY! Have an awesome day babsie - your godmother loves ya big time. xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Wish I could have been there for the party.

We just spent an awesome weekend in Shanghai. For the first time we stayed on the Puxi side of the Hungpu river and it made all the difference. We usually stay in Pudong cause it's close to Frikkie's office, but the thing with Pudong is that it's a bit of a hole. Story goes that 10 years ago it was muddy farmland on the wrong side of the river, but because Shanghai was bursting at the seems it was developed into a monster of high rises, 12 lane roads, some horrific architecture and is generally aesthetically challenged. Like I said, a bit of a hole. But Puxi is where it's all happening. It's the old party of the city with character, tiny little lanes, hidden bars, hole in the wall restaurants... right up our alley.

I spent most of my Friday in the alleys of Taikang Lu. The little lanes are packed with galleries, bric-a-brac, people hanging out their washing, life happening, coffee being brewed, cocktails being shaken. Absolutely amazing and the antithesis of Beijing. In Beijing everything has been restored, cleaned up, ordered and redeveloped to within an inch of its life. That has, thank god, not happened to Shanghai - it's all still pretty organic. Which means that the streets are a little messier, you get lost more easily, but the city has a creative edge to it, that I think is missing in Beijing. Met Rachel (Aussie friend) for some drinks late afternoon before we hooked with Frikkie and Pete (Rachel's husband and Frikkie's boss) for a couple of glasses of good Australian Sauvignon Blanc at the Australian Chamber of Commerce get together on the 90th floor of a hotel. Great views and as long as you don't mention the rugby Aussies aren't that bad to hang out with :-). The whole Hassell crew headed out for dinner afterward to a place called 1930. Imagine Shanghai in it's hay day of decadence, opulence and opium - that's what 1930 was like. It's tiny, with great cocktails, music and good friends. Pretty much perfect.

We had dinner at Shanghai's most famous vegetarian restaurant on Saturday night, Godly. We literally skidded in there 5 minutes before they closed and the waitress was none to pleased to see us, but when Frikkie ordered rice in Chinese she was all smiles and we had great service after that. See, already those Mandarin lessons are paying off.

On Sunday we went to a truly beautiful Buddhist temple. Don't ask me what it was called, Rachel navigated us there, we just went along. The temple is still active, which means there are monks floating about in orange robes and the whole place had a feeling of deep serenity. We were lucky enough to observe a dedication service held by a family for their deceased parents. There is something about monks chanting brings inner calm and peace.

The late autumn downer

Weather: chilly, but warmer than yesterday
Temp: -6 ~4
Exchange rate:
RMB1 = R1.50 (I think it's stabilised)
Days left in kitty prison: 26
Textbook: An image from our Mandarin textbook.

Frikkie and I are not having the best week. He's really frustrated at the office and I'm so bored I want to platz. The economic downturn is really affecting China and the construction industry is no exception. So everybody is tightening their belts and to say that he's not having much fun at the office is a bit of an understatement. I've decided that teaching really isn't for me and that I want a proper 9-5 corporate job. I was looking at opening a flower/coffee shop, but after some further investigation decided that I don't know enough about the local environment to really make a go of it. Also, you need a local partner and since I know about 5 locals this wasn't really an option.

But it's not all bad. We're off to Shanghai for the weekend. Frikkie has to go there for a work on Thursday and I'm flying down on Friday for some R&R and slightly warmer weather.

We move into our new apartment next weekend. Lucky we don't have much to move so it should go quickly. Yeah!

Despite the cold at night we regularly hop on our (now dusty) bikes and head for our DVD shop. We don't have cable TV and it's a bit nippy to go out at night, so we're watching a lot of DVDs. The thing with the DVDs that you get from our friendly local DVD prirate is that you never quite know what you're going to get. We got a copy of Asterix and Obelix go to the Olympics (or whatever it's called in English). So we knew it's a french flick and we checked that it had English subtitles. Well, technically it did have English subtitles, but let's just say it wasn't comprehensible English. Not even close. And the movie was dubbed into Russian. So perhaps it was dubbed from French into Russian and then a Russian speaking frenchy translated it into Mandarin and then somebody typed every third word in Google Translate et voila - no comprendo Angleski.

Grade 1, Day 1

Weather: warm and balmy, no, just kidding. it's frigging freezing
Temp: -1 - 8
Days left in kitty prison: 27
Exchange rate: RMB1 = R 1.48

It was rather cold today. I'm guessing I'll be saying that a lot over the next couple of months. It is not lost on my that technically I went from winter into 3 weeks of autumn and straight back into mid-winter again. The thing is, technically it's still autumn so I can't imagine what actual winter is going to be like.

Our first Mandarin lesson was fun. I can now ask for a cold beer - clearly a very important question and thus today's lesson was very productive. We started with a Grade 1 textbook that will teach us how to read and write. And we practiced out tones: flat, up, up-down, down. Yes, it's as complicated as it sounds.

I'll post a photo next time - I'm too lazy to get out of bed to go get my camera to download some pics.

They found us or we found them

Weather: nice and chilly
Temp: 1-10
Exhange rate: RMB1 = R1,46
Days till get cats get home: 28
I have no idea what this means: I liked this red character on a rock. I know it's sideways, but that's about all.

We have met a bunch of South Africans yesterday. We went to Shunyi for coffee and breakfast at Secrets from Africa, Miranda Allan's new shop. I met Miranda through the folks at Melissa's when I enquired about being their agent in China. Miranda's been here for a couple of years and have been importing SA products such as Carol Boyes an Helen Melon. So we met a whole bunch of people over coffee. Gerju, one of the Naspers guys here, invited us along for dinner where we met some more Saffers over sushi and then about 10 more when we watched SA vs Scotland. Gerju seems to know more people than the Pope. It was very cool to hang out with people who just get you without having to explain too much.

We interviewed out Mandarin tutor today and start lessons tomorrow night. We're really excited about it. Our first text book is what Grade 1 students here use to learn how to read and write. You gotta start somewhere.

We discovered a cool bar in Sanlitun, the Rickshaw. Free pool, cold beer and great Mexican food. I suspect they will see us again. And we lazed away most of our Sunday afternoon there. Frikkie kicked my ass at pool, but I staged a comeback and eventually lost by only one game.

They're here

The convicts have arrived! The countdown has begun.
30 days to go.

Today is the big day

Weather: Sunny winters day
Temp: 3-14
Exchange rate: RMB1 = R1.48
The kids arrive today: The kitties land in Beijing in about 30 minutes. Then it will take about 3 hours to clear them through customs, then I get to see them before they head for their 30 days in quarantine. This is NuNu being cute.

I thought I had it in me to bargain, but I just don't. I went to the Toy Market yesterday to get birthday presents for my favourite godson and Frikkie's nephews. I think I got some great presents, and wasn't ripped off, but I guess I could have gotten it for 20% less if I really wanted to, but I just don't have it in my to haggle. Just like I figure it's ok to pay the bike guard RMB1 instead of the 50c she actually asked for. A local said the other day that foreigners like us set a precedent which pushes up prices for the locals. I say: whatever.

We're going to go coat shopping this weekend - Tuesday's forecast is minus 5 - 8. It's going to be bloody freezing.

One, two, three

Weather: cold with mist/smog
Temp: 1-13
Exchange: RMB1 =R1.50
Looks pretty real: Those rockets look pretty real to me - scary thing is that this 'jet' is about 600m from my school's office.

Lekker verjaar Martin! Hoop jy't 'n lekker dag met baie presente. Jou Oom Frikkie belowe hy pos een van die dae jou present, so dit gaan dalk bietjie laat wees (maar dis maar hoe ons Oom Frikkie ken, ne). xxx

Winter has truly arrived in Beijing. It's cold and the sun struggles to get through the clouds. I cycled to Carre Four yesterday and I had tears streaming down my face - it was so cold my eyes watered. And my ears! They hurt if I cycle without my beany on. And I've started wearing my gloves. In short it's not safe to leave the apartment building without at least three layers of clothing on. Thankfully the apartment stays at about 22 degrees - so nice and warm.

I can now count to ten in Chinese! I practise with the taxi drivers every time I have to catch a cab somewhere. They find it pretty funny and I get to learn something. I've started recognising phone numbers in radio ads, which is pretty useless since I have no clue what they're advertising but it's a start. It also means that I can start bargaining in Chinese. Yesterday I went to the flower market and know that I got ripped off by RMB20 cause the shop assistant asked the owner how much the lilies were and the price given was RMB60, but then when she spoke to me in English, she said it was 80. I didn't feel like arguing, or bargaining, but next time she won't be so lucky.

The kitties are being picked up from Rebecca this morning for their flight to Amsterdam tonight. They'll be staying in a kitty hotel til Thursday night when they fly to Beijing. They land at 9 on Friday morning. We are SO excited.

Nothing in particular

Weather: similar to a clear, chilly Joburg day
Temp: 0-13
Exhange rate: RMB1 = R1,47
Shrooms: I've discovered these mushrooms in the shop downstairs. They're called Snow Crab mushrooms and I bought them because they looked so beautiful. Also, great to eat when fried in butter and garlic.

I phoned my brother yesterday and chatted to the whole family. And I was doing just fine until Jessica, my youngest niece, asked if we'll be home for Christmas. I had a bit of a blub after that. And today, as if sent to torture me I saw the first signs of Christmas in Beijing. I went to the flower market close to our flat and the market people were busy unpacking all their Christmas decorations. Apparently Christmas is big in Beijing - who would have thought. I can count on my one hand the number of times I have not been home for Christmas and I'm sad that I wouldn't be there this year.

We're signing the lease for our new apartment tonight so it looks like it's all happening! Now we just have to pay 2 months' deposit tonight and 3 months' rent next month and we should be good to go - we will also be extremely broke, but at least we'll have a roof over our heads.

And I'm hoping that everything with the kitties are on track - nobody's phoned me to tell me otherwise, I'm assuming that it's all good.

It is BBBRRRR cold

Weather: COLD, with a capital C
Temp: 0-7
Exchange rate: RMB1=R1,48
Subway: Sanyuanqiao is our subway stop on Line 10.

I think I've aged considerably in the last couple of days stressing about getting our kitties to Beijing. But as it turns out it really wasn't necessary. I asked so many of my friends favours to get it all sorted and guess what - it will all be sorted by Wednesday when they fly. Rebecca, Deborah, Shani, Nolene, Evan, Geron... I cannot say how much I appreciate your help and assistance.

It is REALLY cold today and at some point I thought my ears were going to drop-off they were so cold. We've been apartment hunting since 10:30am and I'm hoping that we've found The One. Now we just hope the owner will play ball, but we're trying not to get too excited about it all, cause you never know. The problem is that our apartment is really warm and then you don't wear enough layers and it only hits you once you step outside the front door. Earmuffs, thermal underwear here we come. According to the weather forecast it's going to be even colder tomorrow - we may never leave the flat again...

Getting our cats to Beijing

Weather: rather nippy - a cold front is on its way.
Temp: 2-12
Exhange rate: RMB1 = R1.50
Walking: my first attempt at adding a short video clip to my blog. It's pretty arb, but if it works well, there will be more to follow. Let me know.

Leaving our cats in South Africa was not an easy decision, but since I didn't have a residency permit we had absolutely no choice. Rebecca has been looking after them and I'm forever in her debt - looking after our two madams, moving house, renovating your new house and digging up your garden all at the same time, with a toddler as first mate, can't be very easy, but Rebecca has been great and we owe her in a big way.

But leaving your cats with your nearest and dearest for a month or two is really easy compared to trying to sort out the logistics of actually getting them to Beijing. I've been dealing with a company called Keringa in Johannesburg who's job it is to get the cats here. It all seemed plain sailing till yesterday. Keep in mind that the cats are supposed to fly on Monday. So, yesterday they send through a mail saying that they just want to know when I'll be getting the State Vet Clearance Certificate. WTF is that? I don't know about you, but I certainly don't fly my pets around the world on a regular basis, so I assumed that they would sort out all the necessary documentation as I'm paying them a small fortune to do so. Yes, can we all say it together? Assumption is the mother of stuff ups. So, I called them; shouted a lot, but to no avail. They assumed that I would get the state vet certificate. But of course - let me just fly to SA to drive to Germiston to do that. ARGH! ARGH! ARGH! They say it's a misunderstanding - I say it's sheer incompetence. But all is not lost - I've asked the troops at Virgin Money to help and I'm hoping that the kitties will now be here next Friday.

007...

Weather: Fine and mild
Temp: 5-19
Exchange: RMB1=R1,40
Gorgeous: The man is a god...

Just got back from seeing Quantum of Solace. Go see it. I cannot stress that enough. Unfortunately there's no beach scene, but Mr Parker is going to hyperventilate after the opening scene. I want to say more, but don't want to give it away.

Also, and I'm pretty sure everybody agrees with me here: I'm pretty pleased that Barak Obama is the new US president. I was following it all live on CNN.com and it was quite emotional. I thought Sen McCain's speech admitting defeat was extremely gracious and I'm really hoping that things will improve for average Americans.

On the local front, and almost as exciting as the American elections, I gave my first private class today. Stan Sun is an ernest fellow and I have a feeling that we'll become firm friends. I also met his Doberman, Tiger, who really liked me and knock my tea mug out of my hand and all over me, but it's all good.

The countdown to our kitties arriving in Beijing has officially started. They fly this coming Monday and I'm SO excited that I can hardly wait. I'm much less excited about the 30 days quarantine they have to go through but I've made my piece with it.

And just in case there was any doubt, the free market is alive and well and living in China. The flat we were going to live in from December has been let to somebody else. Somebody who offered the landlord RMB500 more. So, the search for a place to call home for the next 12 months continues.

Grown-up stuff

Weather: who knows - I haven't gone outside yet, looks alright though
Temp: 3-16
Exchange: RMB1 = R1.47
It is what it is: Digging Beijing

Sometimes grown-up stuff is really hard. I just cancelled a second interview with a company because I believe that it's not the right industry or company for me. Sounds easy enough right, but I don't know if/when I'll make it to a second round interview again. And although I'm pretty sure I made the right decision, I'm just not 100% sure. Also, the longer I'm out this 9-5 game the less likely I am to get back into it and does that mean my marketing career is coming to an end. And do I want it to come to an end? Like I said: grown-up stuff is rather difficult sometimes.

Last night I met with my first private client for English classes. I thought it was just going to be a "hi, how are you and when do you want to have your classes" meeting. But no. We arrived at about 8 and left at 11. We had dinner, I was given an extended introduction to Sun Xioa or Stan as he is called in English and got a history lesson thrown in for free. Then when it was all done, his driver drove me home in his massive BMW. I'm quite excited and it seems that at least some things are working out.

The forbidden city

Weather: nippy
Temp: 3-14
Exchange rate: RMB1 - R1.41
In all his glory: Chairman Moa's world famous portrait at the entrance to the Forbidden City

We finally made it to the Forbidden City this weekend. Yeah! About time I think. Pete, Rachel, Brendon and Frikkie trekked to Tiananmen East subway station relatively early on Saturday morning. The plan was to avoid the masses, but I guess for something as popular as the Forbidden City that's kind of impossible. It was just us and bus loads of other tourists, most of them Chinese.

We got ourselves a great tour guide just outside the ticket office. I can really recommend Johnson (yz2974@yahoo.com.cn) - his English is great and is rate of RMB150 for a two hour tour was worth every cent and we're probably going to contact him again when we're ready to go to the Great Wall.
I knew the Forbidden City was big, but I don't think I was quite prepared for exactly how enormous it is. We walked, and walked and spent about 5 hours there. And we didn't get to see everything. Once we did the tour with Johnson we doubled back to the western section of the city where they keep all the palace treasures. The amount of gold and precious objects is staggering. I have seldom seen so many beautiful and rare things in one exhibition. We ended our visit with the Clock and Watch exhibition. Wow - a staggering amount of antique clocks and watched unlike anything I've ever seen and worth the RMB10 entrance fee. We staggered out of there suffering from visual overload, but in a good way.

On Saturday night the Aussies came round for dinner - yes, our first dinner party. We had to use paper plates, cause we only have 2 plates, but nobody seemed to mind to much cause Frikkie made a killer green curry.

On Sunday we headed off to one of the antique shopping streets. It was a little disappointing cause it's all been renovated. Which means that it's all neat and tidy and nothing like the antique market in Shanghai, which is still a real market and a little more 'organic'. But we got to see a little more of the southern part of the city, which is definitely less affluent and less developed and we had a glimpse of what real Hutong living is like, communal toilets and all.

It's a bit of a trek to the South since we're in the North and as a reward we popped in to the Vineyard, a cafe similar to Salvation Cafe in 44 Stanley. The food was yum and I'm pretty sure we'll be spending quite a few weekend mornings there digging into their famous veggie brunch.

Chirades

Weather: clear autumn day
Exchange: RMB1 =R1.47
Impressive: The new CCTV tower is till under construction but I can't wait for a view from the top.

Ok, I take it all back. Perhaps slightly dodgy business practice is completely acceptable in China and not just when it comes to foreigners. I'm always looking at job ads these days and came across this ad...
Temporary job: Oct 24th 1-2pm attending meeting job needs three western male above 30 years old** A company has a meeting this Friday afternoon at 1:30pm at China Central Place (HuaMao ZhongXin), which is just outside of DaWangLu subway station. The meeting will be only 30mins. We will pay 200 Yuan for each foreigner, plus taxi fee. It is very simple, you just need to wear formally and sit there. We will give you a notebook, you can just pretend you are listening and write on the notebook. One foreigner needs to say something, we will give you what you need to say. Very simple job, just need to pretend very professional in the meeting. Need three western foreigners above 30 years old, the older the better. But at least 30 years old. Please send your RESUME and PICTURE to chinaesl@yahoo.cn That made me laugh out loud.

I spent a lovely day with Rachel and Brendon. Rachel is married to Peter, Frikkie's colleague/boss and Brendon has come the China to check it all out to see if he wants to move here. Saw the CCTV tower up close for the first time and it's really impressive.

It's the little things

Weather: slightly warmer than yesterday, but still chilly
Temp: 3-15
Exchange rate: RMB1 = R1,41
Getting a handle on things: I quite fancy having a big, red double door as a front door.

Today, there are a few, small things that bug me about China, mostly it's just one thing that manifests in different ways. I think this is what the Chinese think: "You're a foreigner and we it's our god-given duty to rip you off". I have a couple of examples to justify this theory.

1. I'm trying to get our cats to China. This is pretty straight forward from SA. The fun and games begin when they get here. Until very recently no quarantine was required for pets coming into Beijing. Now there is a 30-day quarantine period. Which is fine, but you're not allowed to go and see your pets, nor are you allowed to check out the facility where they will be held. Which makes me very uncomfortable, but it seems that there is absolutely nothing I can do about it. But that's not my problem. My problem is that if you're willing to pay about RMB10 000 per cat you don't have to leave them in quarantine. Not even for a day. So for R30 000 I can pick my cats up from the airport and bring them straight home. In China, as in SA, that's A LOT of money and most labourers would hope to earn that in a year. See, somebody figured out that foreigners would pay this kind of money and then found a loophole and bang, you're in business and making money off foreigners.

Example 2: we've found an apartment that we like (Frikkie not so much, but it's convenient) and we can afford. The price started out at RMB8000 a month, but after the Olympics the property bubble has burst and the price came down to 7000. We liked the apartment at 8000, we like it even better at 7000. Small snag is that we only want to start renting it from the first of December. But, as they say; A bird in hand... and keep in mind that this all happened this week, so it's not as if the landlord had any takers for November anyway. The landlord then says: great, but if you only want to take it from 1 December the rent is 7500. My response: NO. Back and forth. back and forth. There are loads of apartments available at the moment, so it's not as if we're hard-up. Fine, the landlord will take 7000, but do we want a receipt? Yes, we need a receipt for tax purposes. To get a receipt will cost 350 a month. Why? Because now the landlord has to declare the income from his flat in order to get the government to issue a monthly receipt and guess who's paying part of that tax? Yip, Foreigners Els and Labuschagne.

The joys of being a foreigner

Weather: chilly
Temp:2-10
Exchange rate: RMB1 = R1.45
You looky, looky: Wungfujing's food street is full of the weird and wonderful food.

The thing about being a western foreigner in China is that you can never blend in. It's the round eyes that give you away, every time. Mostly it's ok to stand out. It doesn't bother me much and by now we're pretty used to the inquiring glances and sometimes blatant staring. Last night we went to Wungfujing, one of Beijing's famous pedestrian shopping streets. We were actually trying to get to a movie cinema, but got lost, wandered down the wrong hutong and by the time we found Wungfujing, it was too late for the late show (9:30) and we ended up strolling around, not really doing anything. I don't know if you remember the email that went round before the Olympics about the weird food you could get in Beijing? Seahorse on a stick, scorpion on a stick, silkworm on a stick? Anyway, those photos were taking at the Wungfuging food market and that where I got something to eat. No, don't worry, I skipped the scorpion, but opted for veggies on a stick. Or 5 sticks to be precise. In my local market's food section that would cost me RMB 5. Last night I was charged RMB65. No I kid you not. Yes, I know, I should have asked for the price first, but knowing more or less what it should cost I certainly did not expect to get charged that ridiculous amount. But that's the thing about always being the obvious foreigner, in one of the touristy streets in Beijing - they can spot you a mile off and hey, maybe some tourists are willing to pay that, but I certainly wasnt'. We sorted it out and in the end I only paid RMB25 - which is still tourist price, but a spot better than RMB65. I think what irks me most is that to this guy I looked like just another foreigner, fresh off the plane. It also highlighted that we really need to learn the lingo, otherwise this sort of thing is always going to keep on happening.

As a Beijing newby you're also reliant on guidebooks to give you a the lowdown and usually this pans out but not today. I'm busy looking for a birthday present for my favourite godson Jackson. So what does one get a little boy for his second birthday that unique and special and from China? You research, you cross reference and eventually you think you have sure winner: a shop that sells unique, hand-made toys made by a 5th generation toymaker. How cool does that sound. If the New York Times thinks it's cool it must be. Right, so off I go. I can't find it on the map so I take a taxi and voila -we find the shop and although I spend a good half an hour in a shop the size of my couch I am unable to really find what I'm looking. What I don't get is why it's on the Top10 list of must-visit shops in Beijing... Live and learn.

We also met our first South African! Elkarike has just moved to Beijing (from somewhere else in China) and we're going to have her over for dinner soon.

Weather: lovely autumn day
Temp: 4-17
Exchange rate: RMB1 = R1,64
Made for walking: Comfortable shoes will save your life in China. Walking in heals may cost you a toe, and will leave you with at least a blister or two.

Do you remember Richard Clayderman? He's blond, floppy fringe, plays piano? Was really popular in SA during the early '80s? Ballade for Adeline? Ring any bells? He was not a one hit wonder, oh no, he's alive and well and touring China and it seems the rest of the world. Ballade for Adeline was one of the first songs I learnt to play on the piano, so I have a bit of a soft spot for the guy, but I'm not sure I'm going start queueing for concert tickets just yet. Kanye West will be here soon, but I'm not convinced either.

Now that I live in China, I cannot tell you how many international site spit out Chinese writing at me. Youtube, Blogger, Google... which I guess is good, but it's a little scary that they know exactly where in the world you are.

I thought today that it's quite funny how quickly you get used to stuff. I'm now, more or less, used to people spitting in the street. I am now, more or less, used the pushing to get onto/off the subway, which only happens during peak times. I am now, more or less, used to the pace people walk. When I first got here I thought people walked really slowly, now I just slow myself down and it just makes things easier than always trying to overtake people on the sidewalk. Beijing driving freaked me out when I got here. It looked like there was no order to things, although the traffic always seem to move. Now, I'm completely used to it, I understand the flow and that it's really non-aggressive. What I'm not used to: people emptying their noses on the sidewalk, one nostril at a time.

Sunday, lazy Sunday

Weather: mildly crisp
Temp: 4-15
Exchange: 1RMB = R1,63
Cocktail anybody? Frikkie concocted a new drink for us - the Beijing Tonic. Stolly vodka is only RMB55 a bottle, so how could we not put it to good use?

Our day started off with all kinds of plans - should be go to the Temple of Heaven, Tianamen Square? So many possibilities. The thin about living in a new city is that you sometime feel compelled to do all the touristy things, but then you think: Hey, I'm going to be here for a while, so what's the rush?
So, instead of doing anything, we did absolutely nothing. Frikkie made lunch and cocktails, I read my new book, Journey to the West. It's a Chinese Classic and I'm really getting into it. Right now I'm finding out where the Monkey King comes from.

Today is my one month Beijing anniversary and Frikkie's two month. I can't believe it's only been four weeks.

That's SIR Paul Smith to you

Weather: Slightly nippy
Temp: 4-16
Exchange rate: RMB1 = R1,63
With fur please. Litchi anybody?

I started my day by sniffing salt water. It was as much fun as it sounds. It burned the bejezuz out of my nasal passages, but it also, sort of cleared my sinuses. Don't worry, I haven't completely reverted to home remedies for my nasty cold that doesn't seem to want to go away and I picked up some Tylenol Cold and Flu meds from the pharmacy on our way to the subway station.

Then we headed to the Yashow market in Sanlitun. Now when I say market I mean, it's a 4 storey building, with an escalator and a food court. And what seems like millions of little stalls selling everything your little heart could possibly desire. Yashow market is very, very clean and tidy. And all the sales staff wear the same uniform: jeans, white shirt and blue satin waistcoat - it looks more professional than you might think. So, think organised, with no dead animals being sold anywhere, except in the basement, where they sell shoes (although from the smell of it most of the shoes are plastic). Frikkie said he needed gloves. That was, ostensibly, what we were looking for. What we ended up with were 3 Paul Smith shirts. I'm not even going to tell you what we paid for them. Obviously it was ridiculously cheap. Obviously they're knock offs, but quite frankly my dear, I don't think you'd be able to tell the different between the real thing and a good knock off. I may go back and get myself a Max Mara coat, cause the duffel coat I bought from Woolies is not quite cutting it in the cold climes we now find ourselves.

Our lease in Phoenix is running out and we're thinking of moving closer to the CBD. Looked at 3 apartments, but I'm not convinced by any of them, so the search continues. Living with a person who really cares about the wall colour can sometimes be very interesting...

Saw a billboard advertising the 2008 China Copyright Conference. Thought it was rather ironic. We will be spending the rest of our Saturday lazing on the couch watching pirated DVD's.

I don't want to be sick anymore!

Weather: cold (if this autumn I'm not looking forward to winter)
Temp: Min 2 - Max 13
Dis mos kos: My mum gave me this cookbook for my birthday. It has all the best Boerekos recipes. I'm seeing milk tart in our future.
Exchange rate: 1RMB = R1,70

I'm still sick. And I'm not really starting to feel any better. I was determined to go to a market today, but after finishing the ironing (don't ask) I was completely pooped and napped all afternoon. I'm barely awake now. I also sent off my CV to some ad agencies today. It would seem that most of the agencies are based in Shanghai, but like Frikkie said, there has to be some in Beijing. I've got to keep on trying I guess.

After saying I'm not going to the prirate DVD store I went anyway. We returned our faulty Rightous Kill and bought: The Mumie (sic), Journey to the center of the earth, Don't mess with the Zohan and Flashbacks of a fool - Daniel Craig's latest movie (bits of which was shot in Cape Town). What I find really amazing is that whoever makes these bothers to copy everything and then gets the English write-up on the back wrong. Not badly wrong, just a word missing here, mummy spelt incorrectly... It's the sub editor in me - I can't help myself. But it also makes it fun and I think I can now speak a third language, spoken by most Chinese: Chinglish - it's a lot like English, but with some distinctive Chinese quirks. I think people use Google Translate and hope for the best. The best of it often quite hilarious.

We're off to The Red Capital Club for dinner tonight. Looks really nice. It's in an old house with a beautiful courtyard. Apparently they specialise in the favourite dishes of senior Communist Party Officials. Should be interesting.

Who left the fridge door open?

Weather: clear skies, mildly freezing.
Sweeties: A subway ad for White Rabbit sweets. See, they're even popular in China.
Exchange rate: 1 RMB = R1,67 (what the hell is going on?)

Ok, besides the Rand being in free fall, it is now also really cold in Beijing. I mean wrap up in 4 layers and still feel the cold kind of cold. It rained last night, which is always good cause it cleans the air and today the skies are crisp and clear and the temperature has dropped by what feels like 20 degrees. And the wind is blowing. So it's probably wind chill factor more than anything else. Today, for the first time I'm glad that I did not have a job to go to. (I teach again on Monday)

I had all these big plans for today: clean the flat, go to Tianimen Square, maybe throw in some of the Forbidden City... Guess what? None of that happened. Ok, not none of it. I cleaned the apartment. And it is now official - I hate house work. It's boring. It ruins your nails and makes your hands look like they belong to a 90-year-old. Doing the laundry is even more tedious. And ironing has gone from something that I quite liked doing to a chore that I could give a miss. Can we all say it together? TEDIOUS.

Then I thought ok, the house work is done and as a little reward I'll go and get a massage. There is a place really close to where we live that advertise traditional Chinese massage. I haven't had one yet, but apparently it's not an oil massage and often leaves you slightly battered and bruised. But hey, sounds like fun, right, and try everything once. I swiftly changed my mind as soon as I stepped out of our building. Cold with a capital C. The thought of taking any of my clothes off seemed very unappealing. So instead I went to say hi to Jason, my estate agent buddy, who is, btw, all of 24. Then went to drop off a coat at the dry cleaners, popped to the shop to get some water and ingredients for dinner and hot-footed it back to the apartment. And this is where I'll stay me thinks till tomorrow. Frikkie mentioned that he wants to go to our local pirate DVD store to return Righteous Kill, which got stuck half way through, but I think he may be making that trip on his own.

And just in case you were wondering - Jason's office, the shop and the dry cleaners are all in our apartment complex - so I was outside for all of 10 minutes and still froze my butt off.

I am employed

Weather: cool with mist (not poluted haze)
Gotta love Kylie: Frikkie's parents gave him Kylie Kwong's latest cookbook for his birthday. It arrived in one of the boxes and I'm almost done reading her travelogue (there's nothing on telly and she writes beautifully). Most of the recipes are veggies, so that's great for us and even better: it's in English. Bonus that we can get all of the ingredients at our local Carre Four.
Exhange rate: 1 RMB = R1.55

I'm still sick. Yuck. Flu/cold. But nevermind that - I have a job. Officially. It's a slow start with only one lecture this week, but next week I have two. Geoffrey thought it best that I start off with small classes, so at most I'll have 3 students tonight.
I did another demo class today and apparently did much better. I spoke slowly, introduced myself properly and didn't assume anything. Quite proud of myself.

I don't think I realised how not working was affecting me. Being unemployed was getting me down. Must be that Calvinist work ethic that's been drilled into me all my life. I know 2 lectures a week isn't going to keep me busy, but it's a start and at least I'll be contributing a little to our combined income.

Frikkie is back from Chongqing tonight. Hoorah. Apparently their meeting went really well, so it was all worth it. He's off somewhere else tomorrow, can't remember the name, but he'll be back tomorrow night.

High Noon in Shanghai

Weather: fine and mild, with "mist"
Pearl of the Orient: The Pearl Tower in Shanghai.

HOT OFF THE PRESS: Congrats to Tinus and Marina! He popped the question in Paris and they're getting married.

And to Annetjies, my niece, who turned 16. Geluk meisie! Net mooi dinge vir jou.

Yeah people - my visa application is being processed and very soon I'll be upgraded from a tourist to a resident! The document from the SA consulate did the trick and we're a-for-ok and away. Frikkie and I had a good chuckle about our "piece of paper" - but hey, it makes things easier and I'm sure it isn't legally binding.

Shanghai was pretty cool, except that I came back with some bug and am feeling miz today. We got there on Saturday afternoon and met up with P2 (there are apparently too many Peters and Andrews in the Hassell office in Shanghai, so you get a nickname) from Frikkie's office for drinks and dinner. Also met Andrew Lamb or Lammy and his girlfriend Holly. Went to a Moroccan-theme bar called Barbarrosa, set in the middle of a small lake, or massive water feature, whichever way you want to look at it. Pretty cool, with all the pretty people enjoying the last of the warm weather. Shanghai is much warmer than Beijing and it was quite chilly when I got home last night. It was great hanging out with fun, English-speakers again.

After dinner we headed off to a tiny little club to go and see an Aussie band Regurgitator. Apparently they're really famous in Oz and seeing them in a small club and not at a music festival was a real treat. It was hot, sweaty, hot, sweaty, with some very cool music. And the Aussies were all super-stoked about seeing the "Gurge" up close and personal. The lead singer is kind of cute...

Sunday we staggered out of bed late, nursing medium to large headaches. Not quite the spring chickens we used to be. We headed off to the fabric market - famous for silks. It should really be famous for coats and a little bit for silk. The market is filled with every kind of coat you can imagine, beautifully made, and very well-priced. Haggling is expected in Chinese markets and you should never pay the price on the price tag and should start by offering 10% of the asking price, and if you pay 30% of the asking price, you paid too much. Yes, it's a tough world out there. After the market we grabbed some dumplings on the street. The pics below are of our dumpling stall and it's neighbour, the bike repair guy. We sat in the middle munching dumplings.














After the dumplings we had noodles from another stall. Our friendly noodle maker added some MSG, which she seems to add to all the noodles. I can now spot th white crystal a mile off, after nearly buying it at the supermarket (I thought it was salt - looks can be deceiving). Oh well, Pringles also contain MSG and it hasn't killed me yet.

It seems that all the expats from the Shanghai office are good mates and we went for a barbie at Andrew and Ilma's apartment. They, surprise-surprise, also work for Hassell. Very cool couple with a cute baby. Played Wii for the first time... think I may be addicted.

Got home at 11 on Monday night. Frikkie's in Chongqing till tomorrow night.

Our boxes just arrived from SA. TG cause I'm sick and tired of wearing the same clothes.