My China Musings

This blog is my thoughts on many things and about my adventures of living and traveling in China.

January 29, 2008

Today, the weather broke...and the sun came out, finally this afternoon. Fog had moved in this morning, so traffic was barely moving. But right now the sun is out and even warm, here in Xiangfan. I heard from my friend and fellow American, Jerry, who lives in Xiangfan. He was on his way home to the USA for the holiday month.... well, lets put it this way, he was trying to go home. He managed to get to Wuhan. However, he is hoping that his plane that was suppose to leave yesterday afternoon, may get out today. Supposedly all passengers, who were trying to get connecting international flights have been rerouted on another flight. Now all he has to do is get to Beijing. With that said, another American managed to get to Shanghai, only to be told that he will get to set there for a week or longer. All flights are booked solid and the soonest he can get a seat on a plane is next week. News on the television is saying that there are more people than want to be, are stranded in various places in China. Jerry told me, at the train station at Hankou... one of Wuhan's stations, there are more than 45,000 people stuck  and waiting. Because the roads have all been shut down, everyone is trying to get out by train. Coupled with the heavy holiday travel time....trains are sold out, too. So traveling in China at the moment is next to impossible and miserable.  May your travel be uneventful.  Till next time.

posted by: CarolenChina at 07:06 | link | comments |
china, travel, living in china

January 27, 2008

It is snowing again in Xiangfan. Big beautiful, white flakes. It started again last night after a short reprieve. And It is suppose to keep snowing for another 10 days, maybe longer.

I talked to my former collegue and good guy, Brian. He is back in the good ol' US of A...California dreaming as it were. He said he couldn't imagine non stop snow in Xiangfan. I told him it didnt pile up here like Alaska or Mass or Buffalo...but it was doing a good job at making the streets snowpacked, icy and slippery. The way it is snowing now, it just might pile up...He said he missed old Xiangfan and we talked about the good things in Xiangfan. This city is small enough to still be rural in a lot of ways, but it is big enough to be comfortable. As I was out walking this morning, people were doing a somewhat altered morning exercise routine. Didn't see any taiji players. There were runners out and believe it or not, a couple of swimmers. I cannot even imagine swimming in this weather. But the winter swimmers say it is wonderful. Other than the morning taiji players at the stadium in Panyu, I rarely saw anyone doing exercise in the south. A few basketball players, once in a while, but not much else. There werent a lot of places to just go walking. One had to catch the bus and go out to a big park. That was the only place I knew about. My friend from SF that lives in GZ, told me once there weren't many green spaces to GZ and he is right. In Xiangfan, there are a lot of green spaces. And the Han River is a great backdrop for a morning or afternoon stroll. Xiangfan to me seems more alive than Guangzhou. Guangzhou is a big modern city that sits in the past. The big thing for the people there is to sit around their televisions or sit in a tea house sipping tea the whole day. The biggest excitement is to go shopping.  Nope, I much prefer Xiangfan. Here we have the river, even though I dont swim...many do. Everything is either within walking distance or a short bus ride away. Get on the bus and an hour or so later, one is in the country or climbing up Wudang Shan.  Guangzhou, you can visit an ancient garden or two...but an hours ride on the bus, you are still in Guangzhou. I know that Guangzhou has huge department stores and one can buy almost anything...yes, anything. I still would rather have the open air markets where farmers, themselves, sell the vegies. Meat is fresher and so is the fish.Yes, Brian and I had quite a discussion. He will probably be back for a visit in the not too distant future.  Another thing Brian told me about and we had a good laugh.... when he went home, his international flight was out of Beijing. He took a taxi to go a short distance from the train station to the airport shuttle. The taxi driver wanted to take him clear to the airport, but Brian said no... then the driver said that he wanted to practice his English because the Olympics are coming. The two phrases that he wanted to practice were "meter broken" and "where's my tip". All those wonderful Beijing bound travelers this summer will probably hear that from all the drivers. Maybe they should opt for the bus. Otherwise, they will pay high prices for short rides.  Wherever you are, I hope your meter is running...till next time.

posted by: CarolenChina at 03:41 | link | comments |
china, living in china, guangzhou, xiangfan

January 25, 2008

I finally got back to Xiangfan. That was quite an adventure as I came back on the bus and we took the scenic route. What should have been 5 hours turned into a more than 8 hour ride. Snow covered fields were beautiful to look at along the way. And it was as cold inside the bus as outside. When I finally got to my friend's where I am staying, I just climbed into bed and fell asleep. Between the long ride and being very cold, I went out like a light.

I must say, Xiangfan taxi drivers are more honest than the Wuhan taxi drivers. When I went to the station to catch the train, I went by taxi because I didnt have much time, plus, it was snowing. We have been having steady snowfall. The roads are past bad on the way to right down atrocious. Snow has piled upon snow, slightly thawed then refroze putting a layer of  ice in between each day's accumulation. Then there are patches of black ice... geneally lousy driving conditions. But back to my taxi driver observation...my ride to the train station took a little longer than normal because of the ice and snow. I tried to tip the driver but he refused it. Yes, I said he refused it. No taxi driver in Anchorage would refuse a tip...but the drivers here  in Xiangfan rarely accept them. That may change soon, but that is a topic for another story. Anyway, I finally got to Wuhan, Wucheng station.  Wucheng station is under going renovation making things a little inconvenient. Had to walk the whole length of the station out the end  to a side street. Snow was coming down pretty hard. All  the streets around Wucheng are being upgraded. No buses can get near the station. All bus stops have closed. Traffic jams are the norm. The only mode of transportation out of there was foot or taxi. Taxi drivers wouldnt budge for less than one hundred reminbi. I dont care if you were going 50 meters, the price was 100 reminbi. Between the heavy snow fall and no buses, they think they can charge what ever they want and they do. I opted for the foot mode of travel away from there. I walked at least 5 miles or more to the long distance bus station at Fujiapo. There the taxi drivers were charging 40 reminbi to more than 100.... I kept walking. Found a bus stop...and a bunch of students who spoke English. They were all very helpful and I got on a bus headed to my friend's home. What should have taken about one hour to get from Wucheng station to my friends took more than three. I wouldnt pay the extortion price for a ride in a taxi. The upside, I got my exercise for the day.

posted by: CarolenChina at 08:37 | link | comments |
china, travel, living in china

January 22, 2008

Be careful what you wish for! How many times have we heard this phrase? At least a couple of jillion times, I think. I am not sure if hope and wish are interchangable, but I got my hope. I mentioned a couple of postings ago that I hoped it would snow again. Well, it has been snowing in Xiangfan now for more than 5 days and according to the forecast, it is suppose to snow until well in February. I will be very careful what i hope for in the future.

According to the experts, this is the coldest winter in 20 years.There is a big push of very cold air coming out of Siberia where the temps have been down in the -60C range. Our temps havent been that cold, thank goodness. The cold air may get as far south as Bangkok. 

Most of the major highways are closed. They are snow covered, but mostly they are closed because of no snow removal equipment. This makes traveling a bit difficult. Train tickets are hard to come by. People are returning home for the Lunar holiday and college students are going home for the long break. With only trains running, it means they are over crowded even more.  

I came to to see my friend in Wuhan. He is headed home to the land of Oz because of health problems. He is an Aussie, so that makes sense. He and I used to be teachers in Xiangfan and I know I have mentioned him before. I am sad to see him go in one way. But I know he has to go. Being an expat means I get to meet many from everywhere. But that also means, that most likely, I will never see him or my other friends who have left, again. That makes me feel a little sorry that we are parting. I will take over his teaching position so that he doesnt have to pay a huge fee for breaking his contract.

However, I cant get back to Xiangfan because the road is closed and the train is sold out. So I am stuck in Wuhan.  Even flying is out of the question. We have had a fog most of the time with the snow. While it is not a heavy fog, it still shuts down airports.  

I hope wherever you are, you are warm.........till next time.

posted by: CarolenChina at 12:26 | link | comments |
earthquake, living in china

January 16, 2008

Hot beef noodles
White snow
Floating river
Quiet Mountain

With thanks to my friend Zhao Hai, who used to live in Xiangfan (and I think his heart is still here)…this little poem really explains how simple and how beautiful Xiangfan is.

Hot Beef Noodles,  is a common breakfast in this area. Xiangfan is known for its spicy, hot peppered dishes. On a cold wintery day, nothing tastes better and gets you going like a big bowl of hot noodles. They warm your whole being, just freshly pulled, fresh  beef broth and hot peppers. Hot Beef noodles are indeed a cold winter morning delight.

 It snowed again in Xiangfan. Flakes were these beautiful semi-large puffs floating from the clouds. I text messaged my friends who live in other areas of China, that I was watching snow fall while eating hot beef noodles. And that, at that moment, life was good.

The Han Jiang or Han River, passes through Xiangfan on its way to the Chang Jiang, aka Yantze River. Dividing Fancheng and Xiangcheng, it floats here. Currents here are not so evident, although probably under the surface they are there. However, just watching the river go by, it looks so calm and peaceful, it seems to floating, not in any hurry to reach the Big River.  So yes, floating river, and life is good.

Last is the quiet mountain. Xiangfan has mountains all around it. Not the tall awe inspiring peaks of Sichuan Province, or Tibet. But mountains none the less. They are quietly standing sentinels of many ages of history. And they still are keeping watch. They give the city a wonderful backdrop.  Xiangfan is quiet little city in northwestern Hubei Province, that is a very nice place to live. Lots of natural beauty surrounds it. Maybe like the Han Jiang, under the surface there is much happening. But to watch Xiangfan, it is peaceful. And at the moment, life is good. Till next time.

posted by: CarolenChina at 08:11 | link | comments |
china, living in china, xiangfan

January 13, 2008

It snowed in Xiangfan, yesterday.  Snow is not unusual, but not the norm either. It started in the night and snowed all day making everywhere white, clean, and beautiful. Just like the rest of the kids in the city, I  had to go out and make my prints in the snow.  I was little surprised at how few were out playing. I saw a group of college kids near the river having a snowball fight. I watched a grandpa try to get 3 kids to help him build a snowman. They were just standing there, looking at a lady as if to say, "I dont understand, what does he want?" One grandpa was having more fun than his 4 or 5 year grand-daughter.... I stood and watched them and laughed. He was laughing big time, acting like a big kid, showing the little girl how to catch snowflakes on the tongue.  Then they would pack a few more handfuls of snow on the snowman that wasnt getting very tall.  I saw a few young boys having a snowball fight right where some shop girls were trying to clear their sidewalk. They were none to happy when they were the recipient of a wayward chunkof packed snow. Needless to say, the young men vacated the area, post haste. Nooone was making snow angels or  building snow forts. No snow angel imprints on the ground anywhere. I did happen upon a young mother helping 2 little ones build a snowlady. This snow sculpture was indeed a work of art, complete with tiny branches of green leaves for hair. That young  mother made my day. She remembered how to play. I think sometimes Chinese adults past the age of 20 forget how to play. I know a couple of people who remember how to let go and play. But most are so controlled by parents and bosses that the play factor has been forgotten. In China, young people clear into their thirties, have their lives controlled by the parents. They are told what they can do and what they cannot do.... It seems strange to me a westerner. In our culture, we encourage our children to make their own decisions and be independent. No so in China. Parents will go out of their way to control their children's lives.  It is snowing ever so lightly in Xiangfan today. And it is a bit cooler. Don't know what the weather forecast holds. I hope more snow....till next time.

posted by: CarolenChina at 04:29 | link | comments |
china, living in china, xiangfan

Musing January 8, 2008

I went to see a friend's new apartment/condo...on the eleventh floor...of a high rise in Fancheng.  It has a view to die for of the Han River and the whole of the walled part of Xiangyang. Looking to the right, there sat the tower or pagoda as we, westerners, would call it, in mountains near Long Zhong. Standing there viewing the walled part of what had been the ancient city just put my imagination in overdrive. I could see the flags of the local government flying high. I could see the government officials in all their finery complete with entourage walking up Bei Lu (North Street). In my mind, I could see markets and people doing people things. I could see ancient warriors crossing in boats only to be met by a legion of women lead by the general's wife, I think. My knowledge about this is a little shaky.  From my vantage point I could see the mountains as they rose up around the city. I swear that I heard the drum in the drum tower sounding the time. My view of the ancient docks, were pretty empty, but I could imagine in the mornings that the vegetables would arrive on time.  Oh yes, a city with such an ancient past can make one's mental pictures a lot of fun. A man at a local family temple showed me a sword that was found in the sand of the Han River. What was left of it was said to be nearly 1500 years old. I am from the USA....unfortunately, I cant find something from my country's past 1500 years old. We arent that old.  Maybe my great,great,,...............great grandchild will. Till next time.

posted by: CarolenChina at 06:14 | link | comments |
china, living in china, xiangfan

January 2, 2008

My grandmother said once upon a long time ago, that whatever you find yourself doing on New Year's Day, is what you will find yourself doing the rest of the year. I dont know what she based this observation on, but I will say, I sure hope she is right.  I happen to have been out walking on New Year's Day...went to my favorite fresh air market... got fresh from the ground baby spinach, fresh dopi, fresh village eggs, or in your verbage, free range eggs.  Made a huge salad out ot the fresh spinach..  Got fresh from the Han River fish and cooked them almost as good as my friend....but not quite. He is a good cook. The air was very cool almost cold. The sky was beautiful blue. It smelled good outside because of the mixture of things like hot soya milk, sweet potatoes, breakfast noodle places and fresh spices....a potporri of aromas.  So if that is what I will be experiencing the rest of the year, I am very happy. Now is the time year when China shows her personality. Not the one the Central Party puts out, or the one that Chna has when she is trying her best to emulate  the west, but China's own. Lunar New Year is just around the corner. People are out buying fish to salt, and  its hanging on many verandas already. I noticed one of the neighbors putting out their homemade sausage to cure. Pretty soon all the public places will be cleaned and scrubbed just like the homes. In Guangzhou, last year, I never saw so many flowers put everywhre. Too cold, here in Xiangfan....for the flowers but it has its own way of dressing up. Watching China trying to do Christmas is........, what I am not sure...However, watching China get ready for Lunar New Year is a joy. One of those many things  I love about China. Till next time.

posted by: CarolenChina at 04:49 | link | comments |
china, living in china

January 1, 2008

2008 is officially here on my side of the Pacific. (China)

May the new year bring you health, peace and joy.

May all your goals be reached.

May every happiness be yours.

And know what ever you hope and wish for in 2008,

I hope and wish for you, too.

Happy New Year.

posted by: CarolenChina at 01:40 | link | comments |
china, holiday

Template by motime.com  |  header image credit: Markus Gann © www.begann.de