Well all you guys, I am finally in Shenyang. Thanks RobertB for your well wishes.
I have my trusty BBK 103 pocket translator with me. My lady Zhu Renjie has ditched her little translator in favour of this American unit.
Well, I better start at the beginning.
My first hiccup was at the Gold Coast in Australia where I was double booked in a seat! I knew that if there was to be a problem it would be with my internal flight down to Melbourne to fly out with China Southern Airlines. After a phone call, the stewardess came back and showed me to a seat. There were two rather large women I had to fit between. Luckily I am slender which as you will come to understand later in my story can be both a bonus, and a problem for a certain Chinese lady. So I got to Melbourne which is way down south. Sometimes in life you gotta go backwards before you can go forwards.
I had a 5 hour wait at Melbourne airport before I flew out at 11.30 pm. I was lucky enough to get a seat next to a young mid 2o year old Chinese woman who could speak some English. We were flying to Guangzhou. She had been in Oz on a holiday financed by her parents. She was going back to China and then to study International law in Germany as she had a scholarship.
Guangzhou was very hot, humid and steamy. Glad I wasn't staying there. I had about 6 hours to wait before I flew out to Shenyang. I finally flew out at 1.30 pm to arrive at 5.00 pm. I hoped to God that my bag got transferred from Guangzhou. Well, I luckily found my suitcase and headed for the arrival area to look for my lady who said she would have a sign with my name on it. Sure enough, I saw a sign with my name on it, and behind the sign was a very wonderful woman waiting for me. She was a sight for my tired eyes. She had organised for her nephew to chauffeur us back to the hotel. It was a very luxurious new car that I could never afford to own. So I felt pretty special and looked after. We navigated our way through the traffic and finally arrived in front of an Ibis hotel. I had booked 3 nights at the Rose hotel and I was sure I had told Renjie that's where I was going to stay. Anyway, after I talked to a friend on the phone who could speak English, I decided to let my booking go as it was too far from where Renjie lived. I knew it was meant to be. So, feeling optimistic and positive, I booked 5 nights at the Pesky bird hotel ( formerly known as The Ibis Hotel). We have Ibis in Australia and they go through all of the rubbish bins. My room is very good and the staff are friendly and the rates are very reasonable. Their English is adequate.The Internet is a great bonus to stay connected with my friends. I have my laptop with my music on it, so the familiar connection is great.
That night we went walking to look for somewhere to eat. It was very difficult for her to get me involved in choosing somewhere to eat. We settled for a small family run eating house and had some soup, rice and beef dish. It was then I discovered that Renjie feels that if I was going to be her man, then I would need fattening up. Genetically, I know it will be impossible to fatten up this thoroughbred, but she has not stopped from her mission to date. I asked if she has heard the expression ' killing me with kindness'? She is a very determined woman!
Oh yes, later that night with the help of our trusty BBK AM 103, she proceeded to ask me some simple questions she had been contemplating, like, have I been married twice and why did I leave my wife. I swear I had written about that stuff before in EMFs. Well I think I managed to explain to her that yes my history may look chequered to her, but that I was a trustworthy man. She has given our friendship a lot of thought.
We have been through a lot in the last few days as we get to know each other and the language and cultural difference feels huge in some respects. She is a very conservative traditional woman and very inexperienced in the finesse of romance and love. I have certainly set myself up for a challenge with this lady. But she is as tough as old boots. She can haggle a price as good as anyone I have ever seen . I am the exact opposite. She took me shopping yesterday for a set of spectacles at ' The glasses shop'. I had lost mine recently and they cost me AU$ 480. Renjie assured me I could get them replaced in China a lot cheaper. Well, when we finally found the glasses shop, which had moved premises, I handed over my script that I had brought with me. I found some Pierre Cardin frames I really liked and Renjie starts doing her thing with the haggling. I would have been happy to pay the asking price, but not this lady.
She got the price on the frames down, then, when they gave us a final figure with the lenses she proceeded to do the same. She got them down from 480 yuan to 400 yuan. That's only about AU$66.
I loved to watch the expressions on the shop owners face and the young female assistant every time she haggled. I told her she was being too tough and that she would send them broke!
We have been to the Imperial Palace which was great. We held hands almost all day. We have been to Beijing park which is also a must see. She has been a very generous and thoughtful host.
On my second night, I was invited back to her humble abode for a meal of dumplings and vegetables. Renjie had cooked up enough to feed a small Chinese regiment! Renjie owns a small old apartment in Tiexi district. When we got to the entrance of her unit complex, she told me we couldn't hold hands. So whenever we get back to my hotel, I jokingly do the same. We had a great time after the meal as I said I would like to go for a walk to help burn off the huge serving of dumplings. Just down the road was an area that had 4 ping pong tables and she asked me if I could play ping pong.Well, I asked her if Chairman Mao was a communist! So we went back to her place to get 2 dusty bats and a ball. We went back and had a great time working up a sweat. We weren't the best players there, but we had fun. Seems like everybody gets out of their house to do some form of exercise on Sunday night. Ballroom dancing, 2 guys cracking whips, other groups dancing, people walking dogs. We walked past the Beijing Olympic soccer stadium where some international football was being played. Would have loved to have a ticket.
This morning we organised for me to catch the bus with her to where she works. When we got to where she works, I had to 'wait slightly' ( I love this translation thing!) while she went in to put her white work coat on. She works as a pharmacist. It is funny to hear her try and get her tongue around that word! She then walked me back me to the bus stop to make sure I got on one safely. I am very grateful for her help and friendship so far. We both agree that we like each other want to spend time together.
There was another lady in Changsha I had contact with, but she has written and severed the relationship. These Chinese ladies are very resolute about wanting to be the one and only!
So today I get to stop at home and contemplate my time of love and life in China.
I will send an update in a few days.
