Fuyang Zheijang China

This was a very small city when we worked there with the main industry being the manufacture of paper. It is about 45 kms from Hangzhou the capital of Zheijang roughly an hour to the South West, it is situated on the Fuchun river.

Warren had booked a hotel on-line using C Trip a website that we had used quite a bit when living in China. The hotel was placed between both schools that we had worked at and we figured we knew our way around.

The road that the hotel was on, had been the last road of the city but not any more. The city seemed to have more than doubled in size, we walked for a few blocks out from our road and it was high rise and shopping centres in abundance. However we did find that not many places had English speakers. We ventured into KFC for dinner one night and no one spoke English and unlike other KFC's they did not have a menu printed in English, I couldnt be bothered trying to make my self understood so we walked out and into Pizza hut next door where there was an English menu.

The weather was cool for the full that we were in Fuyang and we walked several kilometres retracing places and memories.

This was our hotel room, with the shower and toilet tucked away to the right, the white square near the TV in photo is a bath. Very nice room.

This was one of the window displays with just everything red.

At night this is a great water display with streams of water sent skywards to the notes of classic music, fun for all the family but mainly only kids run through the water. Quiet when we were there, with just a few grandmas and their charges but as there were a couple of drops of rain they had packed up and left. Dad was with this little boy and Dad was keen to go home but young johnny was staying over the other side, he wasnt ready for home yet.

This is the oldest bridge and it is still in use as a foot or bike bridge.

Then we turned and went up the street that is/was the top end in fashion and everything else, I dont think i ever bought anything here as it was more expensive. Would love one of those but getting it home (after re-mortgaging the house!) would be a nightmare. It would probably run into the tens of thousands.

I thought they had all gone but as it was trying to rain, there was one lone shoe shiner out, this was outside the long distance bus station.

Electric cars

These little beasties have taken over from the push bike rickshaws.

We saw quite a few of these on the roads in cities, not on the highways. There is room for the driver and one adult and small child in the back. Ideal for hailing to bring the shopping home for the day.  Chinese families shop regularly maybe two or three times a week, some i know shop every day and they dont use a fridge, which means only one or two shopping bags each trip.

This one was spotted in Fuyang. .

Fashions in Shanghai

We noticed there were some different looking fashions from when we were in Shanghai last.

Many girls and young women were wearing a net over coat over their normal clothes. The net or tulle like material came about 10 to 15 cms past the end of their skirts. It was usually black well thinking about it I think I only saw black over black.

A photo of one of our meals in Shanghai, I had forgotten that I had snapped it. It was beans and egg plant yum!

Read in a China Daily newspaper

A small article in the China Newspaper tells of a man who has been held in custody for fraud.
His wife had complained that he didn’t earn enough money so he got a bank deposit slip and showed that he had put 500,000 rmb (roughly $100,000) into the bank. Nothing more was said, six years later she tried to withdraw the money, apparently the shit hit the fan and police arrested him. That doesn’t seem right to me. He didn’t try to rip anyone off.
500,000 rmb is about $100,000.

Afl in Shanghai

We were given our football tickets when we checked into the hotel. I dont know the price but there was a scalper wanting 400 yuan near the gates for one ticket. We were also given a 24 hour metro ticket and told what line we could use to get to the ground.
We arranged to meet another couple who we had meet up with in Guangzhou when our plane was cancelled. I think they were concerned that they wouldnt be able to cope with the subway. We walked through to the main mall Nanjing road and down to the subway, activated our cards and got on the train when it came in. China subway, trains etc are brilliant, it is in all dual languages, there were seven stops and we were able to get a seat, first time ever I had got on the subway and got a seat straight away. The stadium was sign posted but mainly we just followed the crowd, so many Port Adelaide fans and most were wearing Ports colours of teal grey, black and white.
There was the usual security checks and then we were in. We had row 3, seat 23 and 22. Sitting on concrete steps with a thick pillow that opened up to have a back rest as well. Thankfully the seats were spaced with a fair bit of room between. The foam pillows had the footy book in them and a sign on them saying take me home.
The Chinese and Australia anthem’s were both played but ours was mucked at the start, dont know what they played but did get on to Australia Fair. Everyone had stood and hats were off and the Aussies sang our song, probably about 8 or 9 thousand Aussies singing with gusto.
It was hot and the game was a bit one sided. The Port supporters were amazing, so passionate and at the end after they had won, every supporter was on their feet signing their song.
There were a few problems though, our area run out of water early. I went out at quarter time, my knees were killing me and thought I would buy something to eat as we had left the hotel at 11.30 am, game started at 1.20 pm. There were only 6 porta potties and they had sent for more drinks, waited and then two people raced in with a case each of soft drink. There was no water, i grabbed some and thrust money in to the guy hand as i reckon that was all they brought, there was no food to buy either.
It seemed that if seats were upgraded by another fifteen dollars then there was eats and drinks available but that was co  ordained.
We didnt stay for the pre match which was actually after the game, it was between two Chinese teams with ten minutes each quarter. I would have liked to but after sitting in full sun for three hours already we had had enough.
Wandered back to the subway, got a seat again, had lunch/dinner at pizza hut on Nanjing road,a Peking duck pizza, wish they were here.

Dr Hook, going to a rock concert

Last night we went to see Dr Hook. Oh my goodness, it was brilliant. They were one of my favourite bands in the eighties and although the lead singer is the only orginal band member left, it was truly Dr Hook music.

It was loud, it was entertaining, it was GOOD!

The guy on the left of picture is Dennis who did the show. He and the band were on for an hour in the first session, he said that they didn't have a support band/act as they had too songs that they wanted to play for us. After a 20 minute break, he came back on for a bit of a talk fest and then he introduced the band members, there were six including one female vocalist, three of the members are Australians. The second session went for an hour and a half.

One time he said that the next song was probably the one that a lot of people may have heard him sing it on radio in 1971, that was the year we were married. I though that he would have to have been 60 but Mr Google tells me today that in two weeks he will turn 68. He still plays an awesome harmonica. Great night out oh and as we were there early we found an Italian restaurant, very satisfying night.

Finally in Shanghai

No bus or car waiting for us so we lined up for a taxi. The lined snaked in and out several times before we got to the top of the line, where staff were directing patrons to each car. we estimated the queue to be about one hundred and fifty people when we joined but it did move quite quickly and there were guards/staff directing things so no queue jumpers.

Seventy yuan got us to the hotel or about $13. We had to check in with the travel agents first and they did most of the hotel check in then we got our football tickets, room keys/cards one each which was a first and breakfast vouchers. I am sure that my passport went in and out of my handbag half a dozen times in a few minutes.

The room was nice and clean with a window seat, large lounge chair and a window to the bathroom, which can be a bit offing.

The hotel is not far off where we used to stay when we came to Shanghai when we lived in China, sometimes we would go there for a sanity break as there foreigners just blended in with every body else, after a rest we went for a walk in familiar territory. One of our meeting places, a maccas were not there but the butcher street was stil there and operating. These are shops facing the road side and the sides of lamb and goat are hanging with a large butchers block which they cut the cuts of meat to the customers wishes, some places cooked the meat as well, things like kebabs.

The park outside our old hotel was very shady the trees have grown tall green and bushy, it has a running track around the outside and many people used to exercise their dogs and people would also run or walk around it. To get there was to negotiate a six lane roadway under an overpass so we didn't go over as we were heading to our favourite place to eat in Shanghai, an authentic Italian restaurant.

Damn and blast! it is now a fast food pizza takeaway place. I guess still Italian but not what we wanted or expected to find. We walked back in the circular route that we used to do after eating there, which included going near the Bund, past the Westin Hotel and foreign bookshop looking for a place to eat and eat. many places but no appealed or a couple we went into, where only serving coffee and cakes. We wanted dinner!

Almost back to the hotel and we saw a StarBucks, i am not keen on their food but i knew Warren was hungry, again on offer was coffee and cakes and a couple of sad looking sandwiches. We walked out and saw a golden arch, not McDonalds but we were hoping it was one that we had been familiar with, a Yemeni restaurant we went in hopeful.

Yes, it was, menu was in pictures and better yet the girls spoke English, we ordered green beans rice eggplant sweet and sour pork and a platter of bread. Yum, a delighful meal for 88rmb approx $16.

Funny thing, we had been poured green tea, in many places that just happens without ordering, I had almost finished mine so I grabbed the teapot that was on the table and poured into my glass, oops, I had just topped my glass up with soy sauce. We asked for a coke after that.