Thursday, May 29, 2008
SZ13
Privacy is what I need. No privacy when I'm writing my blog, no privacy when I'm talking online to my parents, no privacy as I'm chatting away on MSN. Both of us are stucked in the same room minding our own business. I've been contemplating moving out into the hall so that i can get some space away from the CNP. But the those pesky little creepy crawlies (mainly, cockroaches) just pop out of nowhere when you least expect them to - especially on the sofa.
Lately, I've been occupying myself with HK dramas when I'm stucked miserably at home after work. So much so that blogging seems redundant, because I only blog when I'm bored or feel agitated with the CNP, which, is when I'm not watching the shows.
When I look at that CNP, I think of myself when I was at that age. I can't really recall much but I think I had more sense than him to know that I should trim my nails by a bin or use a waste paper to hold the cut nails rather than litter the bedroom floor deliberately. I'm not a cleanliness freak but shouldn't one be at least considerate enough to keep the place he is sharing with somebody else clean? Taking my friend's advice, I'm beginning to find the CNP amusing rather than annoying the shit out of me. Whenever the CNP talks big or something, I see it as some swine making some grunts. I mean, it gets tiring to keep getting annoyed.
We are planning to Guilin during the Duan Wu Jie (Dragon boat festival or something). It seems that only the two of us will be going though. I hope it'll be a not-so-annoying trip ahead. Hurhur. I need more fresh air and space!
Moving on, I had a fantastic steamboat dinner at a restaurant called Little Fat Sheep (Xiao Fei Yang) with the CNP and my colleagues. Obviously I had lamb slices and lamb meatballs cooked in a yuan-yang pot. Basically the circular pot is partitioned into two parts like the Taoist symbol (black/white), just that one side is spicy and the other side isn't. I thought we should have this in Singapore too. Maybe there's one in Singapore that I haven't been to before. We had intended to go KTV, which I was quite adverse to since I don't sing, but then it was too crowded so we went home in the end.
Just so I make myself clear, I don't hate CNP, I just don't agree with some of the things that they do or eat. The problem I'm facing with the specimen beside me right now as I'm typing away is just another consequence of too much pampering and golden-spoon feeding. My colleagues with 5000 other siblings all over PRC are so much more humble and polite.
I think I really like Saturday mornings here. I intended to sleep in since there's no work. But the weather today is just fantastic. It's sunny and breezy. Unfortunately, the view from the window or balcony isn't a white sandy beach with lapping waves; I see only many buildings and roads and clear skys (going by the air quality here, the skys are quite "clear" when you see very very light pale blue sky, and the haze, which is always there, is rather thin). But still, I try to make the best out of it - by sipping some Chinese green tea and bitching my way here. It's starting to turn out to be a quiet and relaxing morning for me... Until the CNP gets up.
My boss isn't in the apartment for a third of the time, so it's usually the both of us in the room using our laptops. This morning, he isn't in again. It's obvious when he's not in: His bedroom door is open and the lights in the living room are not switched off (because the CNP, who slept later than me last night, obviously didn't off them). I'm not pissed. People can be careless, really.
Once in a while, the slightly egoistic, self-centred and snobbish CNP would irk me a little. But it's amusing when I think about it later. Yesterday, a colleague of mine brought some homecooked ducks for lunch and let us try a little. After tasting it, the CNP just commented to me: The ones at my place are nicer.
I'm not sure if it's just for the CNP or for other Chinese too, but he likes to drop money onto the cashier counter at every purchase like people throwing coins into the bowl of a filthy beggar. Maybe the money notes are dirty or something. Maybe it's the way things work here.
On and on, I get annoyed, sometimes infuriated with the CNP's behaviour. But once in a while, things between us work out fine. Like, he would share with me his thoughts and knowledge of whatever he knows, like some Chinese history or general knowledge about good and bad tea... Well, most times he would continue to share with me his prowess in speed reading and how he can finish a 600-page Chinese novel in 8 hours. Lately, he's been sharing with me photos of people who died in the earthquake. Initially the pictures were of people (while they were still alive) who died from the earthquake. But nowadays, they are of people who died while saving other people from the earthquake. From my heart, I sympathize with those who lost their loved ones...
In any case, I am finally almost done with the last episode of the HK drama serial. This is my first time completing a HK drama serial! So exciting. I feel so good.
One last thing, I realised that having milk, Chinese green tea and watermelon together in the morning is as good as flushing water down your intestines.
Just to add on to the fact that things are cheaper here, I bought 4 DVDs after work. In total, I paid RMB73 (SGD14 odd). I was overjoyed and looked forward to watching them soon after (if I weren't watching tudou.com). It just so happened that the stupid tudou.com was malfunctioning halfway through the drama I was watching. So I decided to try out the DVD. Alas! To my horror, the stupid laptop couldn't play the DVD for some ridiculous reason. I refuse to believe that the DVDs were spoilt or anything because I bought them from a CD shop in a huge mall.
Anyway, I resorted to watching TV, despite the fact that there was nothing on TV except more news or discussions of the great work that the local government has done to preserve the integrity of the greater - or remaining - Szechuan population. I'm not exaggerating, but of all the 72 cable channels, two-thirds of the programmes are about that earthquake. Fortunately I found 2 English channels (thank goodness) broadcasting some American dramas. Occasionally I'll flip to the Hong Kong channels.
I'm not sure if it's the Chinese broadcasting station or the HK news station that's having problem feeding the news programme. As I was watching the "News Roundup", 5 minutes into it, the news was suddenly cut off by commercial. I thought it was just the Chinese station's problem (I'm hoping that the HK station has better technical expertise to make such broadcasting mistakes). Then after one commercial the TV suddenly flipped back to the news anchor, halfway into her news... Weird. There was once when the news was showing some overseas correspondent's report, and there were a couple of footages. Usually, after the last footage, one would expect to see the beautiful face of the news anchor again reporting the next news article, right? But this time, I saw the news anchor staring down in slight disgust at - which I assume to be - a TV screen somewhere nearby. Apparently, she wasn't aware that she was back "live" again... In any case, the news before that was about some Szechuan pandas being relocated from their reserves.
It can get pretty bored in SZ, especially when you're sharing room with someone else and there's no privacy at all. Sometimes, my only form of respite (yes, respite!) from the CNP is to watch TV in the living room because that's where he doesn't go most of the time (he doesn't leave the room most of the time anyway). I think I might need to visit one of the 4 Starbucks located just within 200m from my apartment once in a while to get out of the room. It's starting to freak me out. My life isn't just about looking at my laptop day in and day out.
(P.S. I don't hate the CNP. I just don't like to hang around too long with the same person. Imagine seeing the same person at work, home and outside, and on the bed).
I'm beginning to like PRC even more. I like the way that the traffic is so disorderly; no cars stop conscientiously at the zebra-crossings for pedestrians and jay-walking is the norm. It is quite the opposite of Singapore. Another thing is the price of food is also slightly cheaper. I had a pork floss bun and a 500ml packet of milk tea from the convenient shop this morning for only RMB5.50 (SGD1.10). I tried a neighbourhood economic rice stall: A huge serving of rice and 2 side dishes with a soup for RMB12 (SGD2.40). The serving was big enough to match the servings I had in Army. There's more! I bought a 24 pack carton (250ml ea) of fresh milk for about RMB 55.20 (SGD11).
Food is good too. Yes, obviously the food here is oily and salty. But you can ask for less salt, which is like less MSG but they still use tonnes of salt. For almost every meal, whenever I look at the amount of oil in the servings, I start to think of surging oil prices. When I taste the saltiness of the food, I begin to understand why so many people want to steal kidneys... Then, after all these thoughts, I think of my hair... Sigh. But if you think about it, my friend and I went to a restaurant selling Hunan cuisine (my favourite here). We ordered 3 dishes with rice, for a total of RMB50 odd (SGD10 odd). Heavenly.
I haven't been to any hairdresser here, but I'm going to visit one this week or next. The normal prices are around RMB30-40, which is reasonable. As a Singaporean, I always have this thought that the sub-standard hairdresser will accidentally nip off my ear or something. Hur hur.
I have been going places, but not shopping places. There's nothing much to shop in Shenzhen. Except fake branded goods. I'm planning to join another colleague this weekend to the Botanical garden in SZ. Then probably ask another colleague to bring us (yes, with the CNP) around Luo Hu (Sell many fake goods and some good shopping stuff).
Speaking of Luo Hu, there's a sort of Bugis Street here located in Dongmen. Basically, this part of the streets are closed (like Xi Men Ding in Taipei, if you've been there) for people to walk. The entire place looks like People's Park. The structures are at least 20 years old and the place is filled with shops selling fake but well-imitated branded goods. Of course, they also sell real stuff. Once in a while you see some people standing by a street lamp with 2-3 puppies leashed - illegal sale of puppies. The puppies were so cute but then you won't know if it's clean. Inside one of the buildings, there's a pet shop with quite a fair bit of puppies. The puppies are so small and cute because they're barely 2 months old. But they look sickly. Either they haven't been vaccinated or they're already sick (the latter most likely) from some infection. It is not advisable to buy from shops in SZ even though they costs only around RMB800 (SGD160) for a Labrador puppy. It is better to buy from a breeder.
Although the things here are relatively cheaper. If gauged by the people's salary, it is not as cheap. My colleagues earn about RMB3000 (SGD600) on average. But is it just nice for the standard of living here in SZ. As most of the people here are from other provinces (SZ is after all, a city of migrants like Singapore), they rent apartments. I saw a video clip of one colleague's apartment. It was a one room apartment with no kitchen at all for RMB800 per month. She would cook in the balcony. If you take away the rent and transport expenses and remittance to her parents, how much would she probably be left with for shopping and savings? Another friend whom I visited, shared with a room mate a 2 bedroom rented apartment. Their beds were on the ground and there was no TV. The place was sparse and everything was simple. Then I think of how fortunate I am in Singapore. Imagine, these people came all the way from their villages to find work in SZ. The one staying in the one room apartment is from Szechuan. Although her family stays in a house in Chengdu (now cannot stay due to earthquake), she still has to come out to work. She's already 38 but from her attitude and behaviour, I cannot help but think that she still has that village mentality: simple and humble (but not so naive and stupid). The friend who stays with his friend in the two room apartment came from Guizhou after graduation at age 21. He's the same age as me.
I think this is what I have always wanted to find out and see for myself how different it is living out of Singapore. I don't think I would learn or pick up anything if I had been shopping or staying in all the time in front of the laptop. I rather stretch my limbs by climbing mountains and explore into other cultures and lifestyles. I simply love the - boring - fishing trip and hearty dinner with my Hakka colleague that I've mentioned previously. We talked so much and I've seen so much by visiting her relatives. I'm looking forward to more of these experiences.
I had a good weekend. My colleague invited me to her place for dinner (My CNP friend wasn't - very luckily - wasn't interested). The cook was her husband; the cuisine was Hakka style. It just so happened that her husband cooked all the time and she handled the dish. The evening went well, with a couple of homemade simple dishes and we chatted for a while. I thought they were a friendly couple because they even invited me to go fishing with them the following day.
My CNP friend fell sick on that very night and so couldn't go for the fishing trip, apparently...
Anyway, we were joined by my colleague's sister and her son. Seriously I didn't look forward to the fishing trip. Just so that I could get out of the house and away from the CNP. Just to keep the entire fishing trip short: I caught 2 fish and picked some wild strawberries behind the fishing lake. I also had a simple lunch of big chili with chicken innards. It wasn't exactly to my liking, but I think it was worth a try because I know I won't budge a bit if I were given that in Singapore, and I had no other choice anyway because the stupid coffee shop ran out of other meat... The more exciting part came after the fishing trip. We visited my colleague's uncle, who lived in a dilapidated unit in a single-storey house. Their entire room was just the size of my toilet plus a little more? Although it was cram, the place was quite neatly packed and still, all the 7 of us managed to squeeze in it. While they chatted in their Hakka accent oblivious to my existence I quietly sipped the hot tea and think of what's to come for dinner.
Dinner was taken at a small restaurant near my colleague's uncle's residence. They served great Hakka food. Despite the food being oily and salty (as with all Chinese cuisine that I've tasted) I think I ate so much I had to go for the runs. We visited the uncle's brother nearby before retreating. By the end of Sunday I was deadbeat.
Yesterday marked the one week anniversary of the Szechuan earthquake. It marked the first of the three-day nationwide mourning for the victims. At 1428 hours, a siren would be raised and vehicles were supposed to stop and horn for three minutes in memory of the quake. I was thinking how cars could stop in the middle of the road (but then it's PRC). In the end, no cars stopped on the main roads but the blasts of horns could be heard for three minutes. The people in my office stood by the window and mourned as well. It was quite an experience actually because the last time the entire China held an official mourning was when Mao Zedong died.
Later in the evening, my CNP friend and I met with another colleague to attend a private mourning ceremony held by some tertiary students outside a mall. We were late, thanks to the CNP friend. Initially, we had decided to go for a quick dinner after work and head down to the mall to buy candles. When we were about to leave, my boss came back from elsewhere, and asked my friend (I was in the toilet) for dinner. Obviously, my friend said okay. But the thing was, my boss told him that we were going to have a steamboat dinner with some friends. We only had 1 hour to eat dinner and buy candles, and the CNP friend said okay. I didn't know how we could stuff all the food in and attend the ceremony. I was amused and annoyed with him; amused I was that he could agree to the dinner when he was making all the fuss about the earthquake and annoyed that he didn't have any sense of time management. This isn't the first time anyway. But I couldn't be bothered, I'll get free dinner anyway. It was only at the restaurant when we were left with 30 minutes and the food had just arrived that I told him that we were going to be late. He looked at the time and gave me a blank look for a while, then proceeded to say: How?
I was seriously going to tell him straight in the face that we should just skip the ceremony. But in the end I had to say, "okay, let's leave in 20 minutes time." He agreed gleefully while I sulked in silence. It just so happened that one of my boss' friend didn't eat beef, so the fatty beef slices were to be last into the pot... And there was just no time for us to wait for the slices to go into the pot. As we were about to leave the restaurant, I gave those beef slices a last glance before leaving reluctantly. Stupid CNP.
We were only on time (although 15 minutes past the slated time) for the cheering (Read: Go on, China). But it was an emotional 30 minutes of mourning as throngs of people gathered under the light drizzle. Although it was a private gathering, there wasn't any problem throughout the solemn ceremony. Come to think of it, we can't even hold such events/gatherings in Singapore.
After the ceremony. my CNP friend and I saw another colleague and he suggested to go back to the restaurant for dinner. I thought I was going to boil and explode or something. But the ceremony sort of cooled me down and I agreed (because he wanted to treat us too).
Last but not least... The PRCs don't flush down their toilet paper with their faeces. To make things worst, they don't wash their hands after that. Either they want to save water, or they can't be bothered about hygiene. Sigh. Then I think of going to Korea... I hope they wash their hands even if they don't flush the toilet paper into the cubicle.
All this time, I've been typing my entries in my bedroom that I share with my CNP friend. We share the same table and are only two feet apart. I hope he hasn't been spying on what I'm typing into the blog, or found my blog on the Internet. Before I forget, within these three days of mourning, there'll be no entertainment across PRC. No MTV, tudou.com, and KTV nightclubs are closed. So irritating. Hur hur.
It's wonderful to be in PRC. For the most part, I can download anything without fear of being caught (at least to my best of knowledge). Maybe I'm in SZ, also an immigrant city like Singapore, that's why I feel like I'm in Singapore occasionally. The subway is efficient and clean, the malls are adequately maintained, and the people seem to be friendly most of the time.
The Chinese are also a bunch of patriotic and sympathetic people. This is apparent in the way Chinese all over the world supported the Olympic torch relay. I felt fortunate to witness the SZ leg of the relay. It was initially scheduled to begin at 7am or 8am on that day, but due to some circumstances (foreseen I think) it was postponed to 12noon on the morning itself... What the hell was the city governor doing...
Anyway, as the slated leg of the relay went on under the unusually clear sky and scorching sunlight, I witnessed Chinese people's enthusiasm and patriotism! I think it's pretty obvious that the route was flooded with people on the sides, some eventually breaking through the substandard road barriers, and some climbing up trees just to peep at the torch bearer. I was mildly amused by the tree climbers. Almost all the trees tops along the route were occupied by people. People jostled and pushed and ran with the runner. Later in the evening when the torch bearer bypassed SZ again (can't really remember why they ran for hours in SZ), it was reported to be tailed (chased/followed/etc.) by approximately 1000 people.
I revelled in the Chinese's enthusiasm for their country's biggest event of the year. Although I did go down to the streets to take a peep, and possibly some shots (which I couldn't, obviously), I didn't cheong like my colleagues. We got separated eventually and I ended up looking lost and confused in the midst of the crowd. When I got back, someone commented why I didn't run like them... I was supposed to run like them, huh?
On a sadder side, the earthquake in Szechuan was terrible. The death toll mounts with each passing day, and as I'm typing away now, as more bodies are found. The Szechuan colleague in my office was freaking out when we got the news. Luckily, her family was safe and sound, except that they had to sleep on the streets. My initial response was "oh". I think being Singaporean has made me less aware and less concerned of the monstrosity of such catastrophes. I had never experienced earthquakes or typhoons (touch wood) before. How would I know how it geninuely feels to know that I have a friend buried in a pile of cement fragments and bricks with only a hand sticking out? But when I read the news and the photos splashed on websites and from my PRC colleague's laptops, I think about nothing. I just stare blankly into the photos.
Over the past two days, more casualties and fatalities were reported. Suddenly the office has news broadcasted from laptops. Live telecasts and/or radio broadcasts inundated the whole office. Gradually, in these two short days, I realised I find myself immersed in and following the news as well. Well, that's also because my workload is still quite little, hence the free time... In anyway, my PRC intern friend is fanatically following the situation there, constantly updating me and coercing me to look at new photos he has sourced from somewhere. I think it seriously affected me.
It affected me in some ways. First, I truly feel the pain and lost when I look at the photos of crying mothers and dead children. Well, at least I still have empathy. Second, the way my friend has become engrossed and emotionally affected by the disaster is having a slight adverse effect on me. I'm beginning to feel more morose, yes, as well as annoyed.
At first, I think being Chinese, he felt truly sad for his people. But with each passing day, whenever he reads of the rising death toll, he gets slightly agitated and moody. It's become a routine to log on to the Internet all the time to look at new photos, forums and news. Then he would gently force me to look at some of the gory photos. If some unruly idiot wrote on the forum libeling Wen Jia Bao's visit to be unsincere, he would harp on that "baseless and senseless" libel for some time (Quote from him: How can that - you know what - country still seek independence when 15000 people were killed!). I think it's okay that he feels for his people and country, but I think he should know that there are morons who still type without thinking 5000 times before, that detractors are everywhere, and critics are ubiquitous.
Perhaps he's only 20? So I guess I should cut some slack on my ranting. I mean not to bitch about him, but I guess it's just what they always say: Singaporeans are so indifferent to their surroundings but complain too much; the Chinese talk politics but know not what politics is (sometimes).
I'm going to donate to the Red Cross for the needy in Szechuan. The entire office donated. But I'm not doing it out of peer pressure. I really think that the Red Cross need the money for the victims. It's not much, but it's what I can provide with my paltry monthly allowance.
I have heard that 2008 is a year of catastrophes. Surging food prices, earthquake in China and cyclone in Myanmar... Hmmm, I was wondering, how come no one in the office talked about the 100 000 victims of Myanmar?
A friend sent me an email in which she contributed to the school magazine (Blurt! or Vie) a list of items about the usual suspects/observations in a typical chinese office. In the list, some were funny and some weird (but still funny). For example, I've been wondering for the past week why the pregnant woman in my office keeps wearing an apron in the office. I was pleasantly enlightened after reading the email. The apron was to shield the foetus from the radiation of the computer. I wonder how come pregnant woman in Singapore don't wear that in offices. Maybe Singapore women are not restricted to just one child per lifetime (chinese can have one child only - must protect at all cost)... Or it's just not fashionable to wear that. Maybe? (Shrugs)
That's not all. The chinese usually bring their own lunch boxes to work. Almost everyone in the office bring their lunch boxes. It only makes sense to take the trouble to cook food in the morning (or - yikes - the night before) and bring to the office to eat when the food sold in PRC is both oily and salty. I just had the worst dinner yet in PRC since I've arrived just a moment ago at a food court near my place. I ordered beef hor fun. When the food was ready, it looked fairly tasty, except for the layer of glistering oil on the hor fun. The hor fun tasted liked it was cooked in oil, salt and MSG only. I swear I could feel a layer of oil gloss on my lips after dinner. Moving on to the beef, my first bite felt like I was biting on the joint in the beef slice. As I masticated the meat in my mouth, I felt like I was chewing on rubber. I took a closer look at the beef slices and noticed that some still had red blood stains on them. So half-cooked. Another 2 PRC nationals seated opposite us (I had dinner with my friend) also could be heard complaining about the saltiness of the food. One of them kept grumbling and gumbling and muttering... Obviously I couldn't finish my food in the end. I am considering bringing my own lunch box too. It's the "IN" thing to do anyway. The most important thing is, I don't want to drop anymore hair. (P.S. My friend thought that the beef tasted fine...)
Another gross observation that I absolutely must bitch about is the way people dispose of their toilet paper after wiping their bums. It started when I first used the office communal toilet at the end of the corridor to pass motion. As I squated there (no sitting ones, tsk) I noticed a small basket bin in the cubicle. I had no idea why it was there or what its purpose was. It wasn't until I asked someone (can't remember now) and again I was enlightened, albeit an unpleasant one, as to the bin's purpose. The people here are very considerate. After passing motion, they do not dispose of the toilet paper (after wiping their ass) into the WC like I do; they just drop them conveniently into the bin. I was flabbergasted. This, I was told, was to prevent the sewage from being choked by the toilet paper. I think it's utterly illogical unless I'm using sand paper to clean my bum. Then I suddenly remembered that the bin in my apartment's toilet was also filled with toilet paper, sometimes with yellowish-brow stains on them. Now I know where they come from. The toilet is used by only my PRC friend and I... Then my friend also informed me that Koreans practice that too... Sigh.
I think I've written enough to make myself lose appetite for one meal. Funnily, I was actually telling all of what I've written above on MSN to my friend while I was having lunch (also oily and salty, but better texture than the indigestible beef hor fun) today.
Last thing! Today, the Olympics torch came to SZ. How exciting it was. My colleagues and I made our way to the starting point (or somewhere there) to catch a glimpse of the torch. Apparently, the venue was teeming with people when we arrived. People were shouting and cheering. The weather was strangely sunny today, as opposed to the hazy and gloomy skys when I first came here. In any case, after all the pushing and shoving and running I only caught a glimpse of the torch and the man/woman/I-don't-know-what running off with people trailing behind...
It's amazing how enthusiastic and patriotic the chinese are. As thousands thronged and overcrowded the road curbs, there were many who climbed up trees just to see the torch bearer. There was a policeman who was demanding a man to get off a tree when that man was 5 meters up there. Standing there motionless and expressionless, the policeman shouted in vain as the man refused to get off that tree. I walked away as my interest waned. I can't imagine a Singaporean climbing up a tree just so he can watch the Chingay. Then again, it's Chingay... Maybe for F1 we may see something interesting.
So much for my experience in PRC thus far. The toilet paper thing is the most traumatising fact I've learnt of so far. I cring thinking about it.
The trip to Nanjing was well worth the extra premium paid considering that the plane ticket was bought the day before I flew over - Labour Day eve. Frankly speaking, I wasn't looking forward to the trip except that I could get out of SZ and the horrendous air that was creating all the phlegm and sniffing. But judging from the amount of photos I've posted on Facebook, it doesn't take an idiot to figure out that the trip was absolutely gratifying.
My initial concern wasn't the extra premium for the holiday trip or that my email inbox would explode (I left my laptop in SZ). It was the flight to Nanjing. The cheapest flights to Nanjing were provided by domestic airlines, so I got a RMB1380, 2-way ticket to the city of Nanjing (thanks to my resourceful PRC colleague). I have not taken Chinese airlines before so I was pretty apprehensive, despite it being a two-hour flight only. Nonetheless, besides the undelectable meal on-board and slightly rough landing, it was a pleasant flight back and forth in the end.
The planned trip to Nanjing would last 4 days and 3 nights.
The first day was spent having an expensive lunch (courtesy of my friend's parents) and a visit to the Nanjing Massacre Memorial Museum. As it was a public holiday, the place was obviously packed with people. Anyone who knew of the 1937 holocaust would have been astounded by the scale and monstrosity of the massacre and understand the deep-seated animosity felt by Chinese all over. It would be impactful to learn something about the holocaust before visiting the museum.
After a sumptuous dinner prepared by my friend's mum (6 dishes + 1 soup for 4 persons), we made our way to Confucian's Temple. There are many stories behind this cultural site; it is a romantic, sad, sinister and joyful place all rolled into one. The Qinhuai river, shophouses and palatial mansions transformed the night into a festive occasion as people teemed each corner of the temple. I was enthralled by the lanterns along the river, which reminded me of Mooncake Festival.
Day Two was spent in Zhongshan Mountain National Park, mostly. Sun Yat-sen's tomb, Nine-Story Linggu Tower and the Ming Dynasty Tomb (apparently it's one of the fake tombs built to protect the emperor's resting place, etc.). At night, we retreated to the gorgeous Qinhuai river. As the slow boat made its way along the river, I became in awe of the serenity and calmness that the river exuded. Although I had no idea what the hell the tour guide was talking about in her fast-paced mandarin, I knew that the river had been through many historical events in its lifetime.
I think I'm not a very "cultural" person. I'm more adventurous and interested in outdoor experiences. Day Three was the best day I had of the four spent in Nanjing. We went mountain climbing! The mountain is only 400m plus at its peak. I forgot its name but it's supposed to be the tallest in Nanjing city. My friend's friends came along and we reached the peak pretty fast, in less than 1.5hours. The climb upwards was exhilarating. The feeling at the peak was breath-taking. The journey down the mountain was adrenalin rushing because almost 70% of the path down was steep and treacherous. By the time we reached the foot, I felt satisfied, despite the perspiration and all.
By the end of the day, I think I really met people whom not many would have the chance to meet. How many people can meet several strangers simultaneously and become friends from another country, in a single day, while on holiday? I think I'm lucky in a sense that I met people who genuinely enjoyed sharing their thoughts and knowledge with strangers. I've learnt something about intercultural differences, some observations about people's lifestyles in other countries, and ultimately, made some new friends.
I left Nanjing with mixed feelings. I would miss the people I've met, food I ate and places I've been to. Yet I know I'm not meant to lead their way of life. Perhaps the rich history and culture had somehow left a mark in me. It was not just a holiday during Labour Day. I took away more than just what I could see from scenic sights and historical structures. There was something about life, something about people's attitudes and something else - humans as social creatures.
I will miss the people I met during this short period. Although we don't really know each other well, I feel like I'm parting with my close friends for a long time. Thanks to Elsie, Gu Li Nu Er, Jin Fan, Guo Zheng, Jun Jie, Jiang Hai, and parents of Jin Fan for being such warm hosts (hope I got the names right).