Chengdu re-visited

[Martin]

Great update David. You always write so well!  It brought back memories.

[David E]

Hi All

Firstly, if I may reply with equal humour to Kiwi303...........Us Aussies may have to prove evidence of previous criminal activity to the Immigration Dept...
but we dont have to provide evidence of previous intimate relations with a sheep 

Now...back on topic !!

Today is Ming's birthday and we are going shopping....for clothes (UGH).....will be a gruelling experience, but I gotta grit my teeth and bear it because thats
what she wants for her birthday present !!

I have booked dinner at an "English" restaraunt here, but I have no idea about the type and quality of the food.......Just hope it is not roast dog and
Yorkshire Puddings....(you Poms will understand this  )

Yesterday we had an experience that can only be described as " Only in China......"

We went to the Bank of China to change some Aussie dollars to RMB. The Bank rate was 6 . 42
Ming filled in the usual mountain of paper, took a ticket and got into the large queue.....there is always a large queue in a Chinese Bank, the smell of money
must attract them !!!

I dont like standing in queues so I sat down and watched all the action from a distance.

After about 10 minutes, a Bank Security Guard and a bloke in a suit went over to Ming who was waiting for her turn at the cashier window. A lot of arm waving
 and noise and shouting was happening, so I went over to use my 6 words of Chinese...and my Aussie aggression (!!!!) to sort it out...nobody shouts at MY LP !!!

Apparently, all was well, the guy in the suit was offering to buy our Aus dollars for a better rate than the Bank !! He was offering 6.52...cash. Ming was just
trying to negtiate him up !! I told her to be careful because it maybe a set up to trap us into an illegal currency deal and get us into trouble with the cops.

So she called over one of the Bank officials and told him what was going on....he apparently said "no problem" but you should also talk to my friend here and
 introduced another bloke into the debate....he offered a bit more than the first bloke !!!!!......6.59

I wandered off in total confusion and left them to it. Now there was serious noise and arm waving as they all set to with a vengance....Ming in the middle of
all this waving Aussie dollers about like a weapon !!!!!

Eventually she did the deal at 6.72 !!!!

So we got 300 extra RMB over the Bank rate  ...bizzare !!!...and all this IN A BANK !!!!

Now 300 RMB wont keep us in Champagne and Caviar...like its about $50 Aus.....but when you consider that we can eat for 4 days on this, she was justified in .
feeling very pleased with herself.

But the whole process was so weird....only in China

Now I gotta fight my way thru the various bits of female flimsies hanging in the bathroom and get a shower and prepare for another day in Paradise  !!!

David

[Paul Todd]

Great story David,only in China  ............

[Jason B]

Bard David, great stories of your trip so far mate, Happy Birthday to Ming and I hope you bought her exactly what she wanted.  As she was there I can bet she got exactly what she wanted and in the right colour, exactly as you would have bought anyway.  .  Good rate on the mighty Aussie battler too.

[Jimmy]

I have gone to the bank to exchange money. And gotten it at bank of China using my ATM card. And the rate I get with the ATM card always seems to be the best.

[Rhonald]

I have booked dinner at an "English" restaraunt here, but I have no idea about the type and quality of the food.......Just hope it is not roast dog and
Yorkshire Puddings....(you Poms will understand this  )

David

What ..... don't tell me your in Terror to eat the Yorkshire Pudding? 

Thanks for the update to your Tail wagging

[Kiwi303]

Hi All

Firstly, if I may reply with equal humour to Kiwi303...........Us Aussies may have to prove evidence of previous criminal activity to the Immigration Dept...
but we dont have to provide evidence of previous intimate relations with a sheep 

Hmm, I'm not one of those who like those woolly maggots, they just keep looking for ever more creative ways to die!

I spend more time in cows... I'm on a dairy/cattle farm, not a sheep station  

I have booked dinner at an "English" restaraunt here, but I have no idea about the type and quality of the food.......Just hope it is not roast dog and
Yorkshire Puddings....(you Poms will understand this  )

David

Hey, no matter how they ruin a good english roast, it's gotta be better than taking her to Maccas


If you bring her over to NZ sometime, I can show her how to prepare a nice roast, from selecting the animal in the paddock through the processing right up to the delivery on a plate

I remember someone commented about the difference between Asian cooking and Western cooking being that in china one has to chase dinner round the kitchen before cooking it. Doesn't worry me, a Kitchen is far easier to catch things in than a 5 hectare paddock

[RobertBfrom aust]

Firstly a very happy birthday to Ming , and David I hope you enjoyed the shopping , we now have a rule in our house as the Knox shopping centre is 5 minutes away and contains about 1000 shops , I drop the ladies [ usually Sujuan and 1 of her girlfriends ] at the front doors and return home , some 4 or 5 hours later I will get a call to pick them up , but usually with only 1 dress to show for all that time , and yes usually she is proud that she has bartered the price down , regards Sujuan and Robert .

[Scottish_Rob]

Hahaha Great story David...Happy birthday to Ming and enjoy the shopping trip...

[shaun]

Yes I too like the story David.  I can't wait to be back in China again.  Not sure when that will happen.  Happy Birthday to Ming and a great shopping trip for her too.  May your boredom turn into delight when she finishes.

[Sylvain D]

happy Birthday to Ming, and have a nice holiday in China, David
By the way, nice story
I didn't live the same experience about bank rate, but knows, maybe another time...

[Bee964]

David E,

Great update. Hope you did not have to grit your teeth too much for the shopping trip. Happy birthday to Ming. Keep the stories coming and enjoy your time there. I like your comment about fighting through the "female flimsies". I was living with 3 women, my ex wife and 2 grown up daughters. Every time I wanted a shower there was always something hanging on the shower rod or strung over a drying rack. I could never get a hold of the door knob due to all the bras hanging on it... 

Dave C

[David E]

Well I got thru the shopping expedition without too much emotional and financial damage !!

Just tagged along making nice noises about endless bits of female clothing and hoping like hell she wouldnt buy some of the more hideous
examples she tried on !!!

Finally she chose some new jeans and some winter boots and haggled unmercifully for her discount.

All in all, I behaved myself and let her enjoy her birthday treat !!!

On the drive back to the Hotel we got involved in a duel to the death with a Volksvagen Beetle driven by a young Chinese girl.
Without exception, Ming NEVER gives way to anything on the road...pedestrians, bikes, cars Taxis, Busses or trucks.....now I'm sort of
used to it and can keep my eyes open when driving with her, sometimes up to 3 minutes 

But this particular episode was getting seriously scary and I felt that if something didnt give, somebody would die...probably me !!!

Ming was muttering and grumbling in Chinese and doing a lot of horn work and strange hand signals whichn werent in the Chinese driving
code (is there such a thing ??)

Finally the Beetle was seen off and we continued our journey in relative calm.

I politely asked why we needed to go throught that performance and explained that I would need to hurry to the Hotel to change my undies 

She said....and guys, I swear this is true......."I dont like that car"......when I asked why, she said...."Its got no bum" !!!!!!

I thought I would expire from laughter...nearly split my sides.

Anyway, alls well that ends well.

Must dash, she is stirring and we gotta get ready to meet the family today for lunch and Mahjong....its a tough life, but somebodys gotta do it !!

Next episode I will tell you about English Restaraunts in Chengdu...........the "Road, Martered Cob  wit Chibs" was particularly enjoyable 

David

[Irishman]

Great update as usual David, I love her reasoning for the crazy driving, sometime you just have to accept the madness of it all 

[Jason B]

"I dont like that car"...."Its got no bum" !!!!!!

This must be the way they see every other car on the road then, judging by what I have experienced on the roads in Shenzhen and Huizhou and that includes riding in taxi's!  What are they going to do in China when road rage becomes a problem like it is in Western countries?

Great read Aussie Bard.  Looking forward to the next installment.