Friday, 28 December 2007
Back from China...
I'm back...
I just came back late last night, 27 Nov '07. We're supposed to checkout from
Changi at around 2230, but there was a "slight" delay back there at
Xiamen International Airport because of some issues with the
ATC and the aircraft. We were delayed 1 1/2 hours before we actually took off.
Nope Dennis,
im not dead otherwise u wouldn't be reading this. And nope
Awal,
im not there to look for whatever u call that (I know what u mean) and u know why.
There're too many things to talk about in China. Temples, Beggars and Tea, or "
TBT" i should call it. U choose.
Apart from that there are many interesting points i think i should point out, like "scenic views", rough roads, pollution, and very bad hair.
Frankly if u really concentrate on the details, your stay in China would be a very pleasant one.
Well, sort of.
From Mt.
Wuyi to Fuzhou, its was a 5 hour train trip instead of a flight. The cabins did not have windows that could open, and the smokers weren't bothered at all. They smoked all they want and treat the cabins like their own living room without taking into consideration non-smokers like me. Or us. The smoke was so unbearable that we told the on board police about it. Predictably they didn't work and even told us to confront them ourselves. What were they thinking? Getting paid to tell us what to do?
Mt.
Wuyi looks good, when u climb it. Its was very tiring when u climb on those acutely shaped steps. But when u reach the top, the view was really breathtaking.
In Fuzhou, things start to go a little wrong. It proved to be one of the most unsafe places
i've ever been. When we arrived, we were told our problem would not really smoke, but pickpockets. My aunt's comb got stolen while getting up the bus, and she doesn't know it! According to my dad, there were 2 men coming up behind her and then tapped on her. I think they stole the comb as it looked like a mobile phone, and she slotted it into a phone pouch on her bag. They were very fast and swift, but downright stupid. Well, its only a comb, but that's a lesson we can learn, like watching your belongings when u walk at night. I then became
slightly paranoid, thinking that my name tag or water bottle might be stolen.
But most importantly, we visited my grandmother's relatives in a village some "light years" away from the city. I met my niece and nephews. It feels kinda weird when
I'm call "uncle", like
I'm 30 or 40 years older or something. Nevertheless we did had fun, experiencing what its like to live in a village and exploring a place which was so
different to urban culture, obviously.
Another thing i should point out is that driving in China is like driving on a race track in a road car, where traffic rule don't apply. The roads are so rough that even the suspension, brakes and tires of a full
fledged SUV like the Range Rover Sport or the new BMW X5 have to be changed every 10 minutes. There is one point of time where i saw holes on the road surface. I wondered how the low-profile tires and low suspension on this bus i was on actually survived on the roads, which appeared to be still under construction. The suspension was so hard that i couldn't even take a proper nap as its was so bumpy and wobbly on the way.
The last place we stayed was at
Shantou, filled with dilapidated and burnt-out unpainted buildings, which was an eyesore. There were also construction sites everywhere, practically, which contributed mostly to land, noise and air pollution rather than productivity. So, like my Brother and I would say: "CHOP-CHOP, CHINA!"
I would be uploading some photos about the trip in future so u would understand why China is the most pleasant place to be. Maybe.
=)
None of which matters to us <3.
Friday, December 28, 2007
Ian