Managed a decent sleep on the wooden bed (ie. no mattress), lying on top of a folded doona – maybe I was tired. I may persevere with the bed current arrangement until I get more orientated – if I sleep OK.
The map shows the staff dormitory (arrow) the main teaching building (pink) and the 2 storey cafeteria (orange).
Ben (Wang Peihui) had identified a park that was in an online tai chi video that I found before leaving Sydney, so at 6am I went there and found 3 small groups (all women) doing tai chi – in different styles.
I joined in the group that were doing a form I recognised, and after the third one, we started chatting. The leader of that group spoke enough English for us to communicate. They were very interested in why I was there, so I told them a bit about Sydney tai chi & myself. Luckily I had my camera with a selection of photos, so I could overcome the language barrier. They practice every day at 6, so it will be no problem doing some daily exercise.
Later I checked out the canteen for breakfast. Had 2 spicy chicken buns & 3 pork buns (all small) from there for breakfast for 3RMB – less than 50c.
And by 7am it’s already hot. This area reminds me a lot of Vietnam, both in climate and architecturally – big buildings, wide streets, but at the same time narrow alleys, small dimly lit stores & restaurants, dusty, construction going on, etc. China may be becoming an economic powerhouse, but there are a LOT of people just eking out a living here.
One thing that surprised me was the quietness of the motor scooters – until Ben told me that they are electric! There is a huge number of these electric motorbikes which outnumber motorised ones at least 5:1. I found an ad for ones that are imported to New Zealand. http://www.evworld.co.nz/evoyager/
Haven’t been to the town yet, maybe today, but from what I’ve seen, attractive doesn’t immediately spring to mind, it’s more utilitarian, and our building is almost spartan.
Most of the day was taken up by administration, but managed to buy some food and cleaning essentials at the local supermarket, about a hot 10 minutes walk away, including trying not to be hit by cars & scooters. The basic road rules are: drove slowly, don’t use blinkers, toot for right-of-way, and all vehicles take precedence over pedestrians. The supermarket is huge, but no butter, cheese or margarine. The meat section is sparse, but good for chicken wings, feet & duck heads – some pork too.
It’s really hot & humid which makes walking tiring.
Have some spare time until 4pm when we sort out the phone so I thought I’d check out what’s for lunch at the canteen. Unfortunately I was too late, so cooked up some fried chicken wings, stir-fried vegetables and rice on the 2 gas rings on the balcony. The kitchen is basic, but satisfactory.
When Ben came back to sort out the phone, he tried a wing and it passed the taste test.
If it’s any consolation, mobile phone plans here are just as complicated as those in Australia, with 4 main competing telcos. I’m now on a plan that is quite generous while on campus, but quite expensive off-site.
The map shows the staff dormitory (arrow) the main teaching building (pink) and the 2 storey cafeteria (orange).
Ben (Wang Peihui) had identified a park that was in an online tai chi video that I found before leaving Sydney, so at 6am I went there and found 3 small groups (all women) doing tai chi – in different styles.
I joined in the group that were doing a form I recognised, and after the third one, we started chatting. The leader of that group spoke enough English for us to communicate. They were very interested in why I was there, so I told them a bit about Sydney tai chi & myself. Luckily I had my camera with a selection of photos, so I could overcome the language barrier. They practice every day at 6, so it will be no problem doing some daily exercise.
Later I checked out the canteen for breakfast. Had 2 spicy chicken buns & 3 pork buns (all small) from there for breakfast for 3RMB – less than 50c.
And by 7am it’s already hot. This area reminds me a lot of Vietnam, both in climate and architecturally – big buildings, wide streets, but at the same time narrow alleys, small dimly lit stores & restaurants, dusty, construction going on, etc. China may be becoming an economic powerhouse, but there are a LOT of people just eking out a living here.
One thing that surprised me was the quietness of the motor scooters – until Ben told me that they are electric! There is a huge number of these electric motorbikes which outnumber motorised ones at least 5:1. I found an ad for ones that are imported to New Zealand. http://www.evworld.co.nz/evoyager/Haven’t been to the town yet, maybe today, but from what I’ve seen, attractive doesn’t immediately spring to mind, it’s more utilitarian, and our building is almost spartan.
Most of the day was taken up by administration, but managed to buy some food and cleaning essentials at the local supermarket, about a hot 10 minutes walk away, including trying not to be hit by cars & scooters. The basic road rules are: drove slowly, don’t use blinkers, toot for right-of-way, and all vehicles take precedence over pedestrians. The supermarket is huge, but no butter, cheese or margarine. The meat section is sparse, but good for chicken wings, feet & duck heads – some pork too.
It’s really hot & humid which makes walking tiring.
Have some spare time until 4pm when we sort out the phone so I thought I’d check out what’s for lunch at the canteen. Unfortunately I was too late, so cooked up some fried chicken wings, stir-fried vegetables and rice on the 2 gas rings on the balcony. The kitchen is basic, but satisfactory.
When Ben came back to sort out the phone, he tried a wing and it passed the taste test.
If it’s any consolation, mobile phone plans here are just as complicated as those in Australia, with 4 main competing telcos. I’m now on a plan that is quite generous while on campus, but quite expensive off-site.
