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[RobertBfrom aust]

Here is a message for those enjoying China ha ha     


Stay home: 610 million expected to travel during Golden Week


tourists-03.jpg

Over 610 million people are expected to take to China's roads and waterways during the National Day 'golden week', up 6 percent compared to 2012, Xinhua reports.

A daily average of 87 million people will travel during the weeklong holiday from Oct. 1 to 7, said ministry spokesman Liang Xiao'an at a press conference.
Liang said a majority of travelers — about 600 million — will travel by road, up 6.1% compared to the same period last year.


Drivers of cars with no more than seven seats will be exempted from tolls during the National Day holiday.

The Forbidden City in Beijing saw over 180,000 visitors on October 1 last year. Do not go to the Forbidden City during golden week.

The Great Wall of China at Badaling was made invisible by the sheer mass of people atop it on October 3 last year. Do not go to the Great Wall during golden week.

[Pineau]

My wife just got back from Beijing. Forbidden city and the great wall and all the other hot spots.  Escaped the rush just in time.

[JustJim]

You all are trying to hijack my thread

I planned my trip to correspond with the 7 days that Mei was going to have off.  It has been great so far.

Today I got the guitar I wanted.  It was interesting.  We parked her car, went up some dark alley, then upstairs to a music studio, I guess.  There we had tea while the assistant brought out some beautiful guitars.  I thought I was about to get real lucky, but when I inquired about the price he said that we were waiting for his boss to get back.

Well, I am only looking for a second hand guitar to have when I am in China and when the boss got there I found out that I was playing some lovely 9500 RMB guitars - about $1500 USD.  I thanked him and told him that my price was about 1800RMB.  He brought out a simple guitar for 1600 RMB. 

It was suitable and I asked him to put on new strings.  We waited while he changed the strings and tuned it and cleaned it.  All the while I am in the same situation - I can't drink more than a sip of tea before my cup is being filled up again, only this time it is his assistant doing the filling.

Anyways, it was very interesting.  All of this time I was picturing going to, well, an American music store, only set in China.  but things are very different here.  For instance, yesterday I saw a little shop that sells only bearings...nothing else.

This morning Mei and I spent a lot of time communicating.  I am using youdao.com and she is using her Iphone - which is also youdao but she writes her chinese characters on the screen and it has chinese character recognition.  It is the most fascinating thing I have ever seen to watch how she writes.

I was in a hotel for the first two days, and the bed wasn't that bad. I was starting to think that all of you guys are softies.  Well now I am at her apartment and her bed is like a slab of stone with a layer of cloth stretched over it!!  Okay, it is not that bad,  but I tossed and turned last night.  Now I know what you all mean.

We hung out with her friends last night and the gentleman who speaks a little English told me that he likes foreign movies, in part because there are not that many words in the Chinese language, and Chinese movies lack depth because of that.  I did not know what to say.   This is the first time I have ever heard that.

Anyways, I see everything, and I see the cultural differences, and I see so many similarities.  It is a fascinating place, and I am having a good time.

This is the first picture I have of us together.  She has taken so many more than I have taken, and she said that she will send them to me when I get home.  Tomorrow her daughter starts her vacation and we will all do something fun together.  Hopefully her other daughter can also join us.

I will write more when I get time...  Oh, and I got a chance to speak with Lisa, Patrick's gal, on the phone.  I am hoping to invite her and her daughter to meet us one night for dinner.

[IrishGuy65]

Great pic, beautiful lady.  I hope Lisa was able to help!

I will tell you it is unlikely that she will be able to have dinner with you.  Her parents are there and they are pretty old (almost as old as Willy, if my understanding of his age is correct), and she needs to taxi them around to doctors and other things... plus she is trying to spend as much time with them as she can before she comes to America.  You can ask, though. 

Have a great trip.  We all here will look forward to the full trip report and accompanying pictures.

[Willy The Londoner]

I was in a hotel for the first two days, and the bed wasn't that bad. I was starting to think that all of you guys are softies.  Well now I am at her apartment and her bed is like a slab of stone with a layer of cloth stretched over it!!  Okay, it is not that bad,  but I tossed and turned last night.  Now I know what you all mean.

First thing I did for our new apartment was to buy a new King Size bed complete with Australian mattress.  Not sure if it is filled with sheep's wool or not but it is a definate improvement on the usual 'slab of stone'.

Willy

[JustJim]

China....It's like this whole other country.... (paraphrase of Forrest Gump) 


 

[shaun]

Hijacking threads is what we do. 

Great picture.  She is beautiful.  You on the other hand?

but I'm glad to see that you had a great trip.

[JustJim]

Yes, of course...  but that's not my good side...( I was facing the camera...)

[IrishGuy65]

Yes, of course...  but that's not my good side...( I was facing the camera...)

Tell us when she makes you clean shaven ... and then post a new picture 

Haha!!  I was thinking the same thing!!  In case no one has seen the changes, I went from Grizzly Adams to the clean shaven look...

[Willy The Londoner]

Yes, of course...  but that's not my good side...( I was facing the camera...)

Tell us when she makes you clean shaven ... and then post a new picture 

Haha!!  I was thinking the same thing!!  In case no one has seen the changes, I went from Grizzly Adams to the clean shaven look...

But was that top or chin

Willy

[IrishGuy65]

Willie, that was the chin.  The top still has a few hairs left, so is not 'clean shaven' looking yet!!   

[JustJim]

Actually she likes my goatee...  I guess I am the lucky one here as in my gal wants me to have the beard.  Maybe it is covering up things and that is why she likes it.  She says it is sexy.

I will look into the translator.  Right now we are getting serious play out of the youdao app.  A translator would be better but I haven't had the time to locate one.

I was going to write but it looks like plans have changed yet again.  Like I said, I don't know what is happening until it happens.  See you all later.

[Willy The Londoner]

I was going to write but it looks like plans have changed yet again.  Like I said, I don't know what is happening until it happens.  See you all later.

Your definately slipping into a Chinese way of life.

Willy

[RobertBfrom aust]

Yes , and mine for the last 3+ , I always ensure I have at least half a tank of LPG when I head off to pick up Suijun , as often we will visit her other shops unannounced to make sure all is okay , ie; pick up at 7 pm and maybe home by 10 ha ha usually only a 20 minute trip .

[JustJim]

Well, I must be enjoying this life because yesterday I proposed to her.

We were laying in bed talking in the afternoon and she told me that we were going to her parent's house for dinner.  That is when I told her that in my country it is respectful to ask the father for his blessing to marry.

So that night, after dinner, and kind of in the middle of a big soccer game involving the local Guangdong team I asked her father, using the Iphone app.

I don't know if it is the first proposal by Iphone - I doubt it - but it was an interesting mix of culture and technology.  Her sister and sisters in law were all excited.  Her brothers seemed to feel like we were interrupting a perfectly good soccer game.

Her father is adorable - it was his first time using the touch screen to write his characters and he took forever to respond - he kept writing and then deleting - it was really quite comical -  me standing there with a cheesy grin on my face - her sister looking over his shoulder and poking him and saying " No Problem!" 

When I finally got his answer I gave him a big hug and then all the women wanted pictures and all the men wanted us to stop blocking the TV...

I know it is just the first step in a long process.  I am keeping myself grounded by reminding myself that.

Ok, we are ready to go for a walk, so I have to go.  Here is a picture of dinner last night.  It was a wonderful evening, 12 of us sitting on the porch around a wok.  I had a great time - oh, and I had my first taste of durian...not that bad, not that good...