Dim Sum Mum - Tess' Little Pieces

rain, fog and wonder

Janne and I awoke pretty much the same time the next day. Before the sun. She lunged for her phone which had gone dead.

No worries, we had 30 minutes to get ready for our guide.

We didn't have to change our clothes, we were still fully dressed from last night! It came down to wees, ponytails, tea and breakast (granola bars and peanut butter sandwiches). And waiting for Sherry to show up, which she did, 10 minutes early. (We like that in a guide.).

We were not spending the night in the hotel with an S again, so we hired some people from the village (remember, the hostel was surrounded by 10 houses, including the one attached to the mom and pop shop where we bought our cup noodles the night before) to transfer our bags to the sister hotel in the city. For some reason I just knew they would arrive intact.

And we were off. Janne and I started briskly walking, trying to get warm and because we are brisk walkers. Sherry was determined to be first "I am the guide!" and so she was soon puffing as she staying a bit infront of us as we walked along a deserted road, which we now knew would connect to the main road where the bus was.

Sherry sang us a local song. SHe had a very nice voice. She told us a bit about herself and her boyfriend, her life. She works maybe 10 days a month as a guide. Her boyfriend is in hotels.

Since we were staying in the park, we didn't have to wait for the park to open, and the first bus that passed had room for us. We jumped in and up to an area. It was pretty foggy, but the hiking was great. Janne and I were having a great time, despite the limited vision. OUr guide asked if we wanted breakfast, and we said No, we ate at the hotel. We walked past these men who offered to give us rides either on motorbikes (!) or their sedan chairs. We continued walking. It was a beautiful morning and we weren't cold anymore.

Observing piles of litter, I asked Sherry why so there isn't care about the environment. She replied that it is the farmers who litter, and they haven't been to school to be educated about the necessity of using rubbish bins.

Janne and I found this answer fascinating. Janne said, "But the farmers do not have money to be doing tourist things. Here we are at a tourist place and all the rubbish, people unwrapping and then throwing away to the ground, those are not farmers. Those are people with money to spend who have been to school!"

Sherry said they weren't, that educated people were not the ones littering in the cities, etc in China. ANd we left it there.

We kept hiking. It was raining a bit and we were having a great time. We encountered a gentleman who was heading up a rocky area, and he offered to take us. We said sure.

This was a great part of the day. THe hike was extremely narrow, requiring us to duck under rocks, squeeze between them, and really check our footing. Lots of steep downhill, with no handholds. We had a good pace going, and suddenly became aware of 23 year old Sherry suggesting that we "maybe take a rest at the pagoda halfway".

"Sure," we agreed, sort of in surprise. I mean, I am 41 years old. Practically twice this girls' age!

We kept walking, and stopped at at shrine at the top. It was typically peaceful and we stayed there for a few minutes. We said goodbye to the gentleman, and continued on, although Sherry was wanting us to stay for longer! The next bit was really cool..Sherry asked us if we wanted to cross a hanging bridge, then climb a ladder and oversee the mountains. HELLO! She suggested she would take pictures as she is scared of heights and Janne and I scampered off.

Over the bridge we went and I confess, I was glad it was a cloudy day so I didn't see how far down the ground was! And then there were these two tunnel ladders (need to be tunnel ladders to direct your fall in case you fall!) and we climbed up maybe 35 rungs and then there was the top. Not much of a few, but we weren't there just for views, we were there for the journey. Even though i couldn't see a thing, i knew what we were doing was amazing.

This looks familiar, vaguely familiar,
Almost unreal, yet, it's too soon to feel yet.
Close to my soul, and yet so far away.
I'm going to go back there someday.

At one point, walking back, the men who had originally asked if we wanted sedan rides beckoned to us. They had a fire going and wanted to know if we wanted to share it with them, we reckoned. We had just climbed 150 stairs so Sherry was no where to be found, but that's what we figured they were saying to us. THey led us to an abandoned shack, and there was a really warm lovely fire going (lots of smoke, but at least it wasn't cigarette smoke!)! We waited until we saw Sherry, and told her where we were, and she was a bit surprised but gamely joined the party. She told us the men wanted to know how old we were. Janne told them to guess. They guessed she was 25 and I was 28. LOVE THE CHINESE, and smoke and firelight is great too.

THey had a good laugh when we revealed our ages, and one fellow said he was 41 also. I barked like a dog (1970 is basically the year of the dog) and he giggled and barked too. Then we left.

OUr day continued. We saw many more great things. Some things we chose not to see, such as the "cultural shows". This is where people in "cultural dress" come and dance and have their photos taken for you and then you get to pay for this pleasure. That's REALLY not Janne and Me. Sherry was disappointed. The show was 20 minutes long! We could sit for 20 mintues!But there is nothing authentic about this.

We kept walking in wonderment. Slippery rocks and fog. Seeing sights come and slip right by us as flog took over again.

Sun rises, night falls, sometimes the sky calls.
Is that a song there, and do I belong there?
I've never been there, but I know the way.
I'm going to go back there someday.

 

I did buy a 2RMB raincoat. But there were more people, and the visibility wasn't getting better so we stood in line to take the bus to ride the glass elevator. I think it was at this time, that Sherry emerged from asking when the bus was coming with pot noodles in her hand. Sherry! Sherry! Sherry! we were yelling! Janne and I reckoned we would be fine sans guide, so we jumped on the bus, and all of a sudden, there was Sherry with her 10am snack!

I'm not sure I am talking about bathrooms just yet. Or the various types. That might be a blog for an entirely different day. remind me though, ok? just say, LIFT BOG.

the glass elevator down to ground level. And once there, we were awed again by the incredible vistas. We walked and stared."This is so us," Janne whispered.

(Can I mention that Janne was an attraction of her own? I didn't see any other blondes there, and i believe on the second day we saw two Caucasian gentlemen. On the first day, we didn't see any other Caucasians. Janne had her picture taken plenty! i did meet a nice man from toronto during one of jannes photo shoots!)

The views we were seeing at times brought tears to my eyes. Janne and I were totally in sync, not just in pace, but in what we wanted to see and when. It was so wonderful to have these incredible sights, and no stress, no wondering if the other person was pleased or not, feeling like anyone was accommodating you, etc,..we were great travelling companions as well as such good friends.

Come and go with me, it's more fun to share,
We'll both be completely at home in midair.
We're flyin', not walkin', on featherless wings.
We can hold onto love like invisible strings.

The beauty of what we were seeing, the immensity, i really can't describe.

But we kept walking, promising SHerry , who was now massaging her calves, that we would eat very soon.

We took one last walk, knowing we had to leave soon, to buy our train tickets back to Changsha.

This walk was only a couple of kilometres both ways, and had a train if you would rather not walk. Well, you know what we would do. We waited for Sherry, and she told us that "being a tour guide is very tough, I would rather be an office lady." Janne asked if she does this every day, and Sherry responded, "No one can do what you ladies are doing every day!" and Janne said, "Yes they could!"

The walk (this part wasn't a hike) was beautiful, but we felt too short. We stopped at the end, choosing not to be photographed by the locals. It is really quite sad, they take the prettiest girls and throw them in costume, and so they huddle in blankets, waiting for tourists to come, and when they do, they chuck off the blankets and sort of pretend that they wear these outfits all the time. Eventually Sherry joined us, and we offered to let her take the train back. And she agreed.

Janne and I strolled back, and it was a great time of just talking, and laughing.

We met back up with Sherry, who was sitting and massaging her legs. "Already!" She exclaimed. So fast! But we hadn't been. We had stopped, taken photos, looked and read signs....

But it was lunch time. Since the meat had been sitting out in the sun for a while, we chose to go with just veggies and noodles from one of the stall sellers. One bowl of veggies, two bowls of rice noodles, tofu, veggies, one bowl of fried rice, for 20RMB. A great deal. We sat right near the stove, to stay warm, which sort of upset the owner, because they wanted us to sit out front so they could show the world they had foreigners.

Then it was time to go.

We left the park with regret, but appreciation. And the desire to come again.

We took a 2 RMB bus into the city, and then transferred to another bus that would take us to our hotel. We checked in. Our bags were there. THe room was fine, and apart from the fact there was a mountain of unwashed laundry right outside the lift, everything was perfect! We noticed a heater, and turned it on immediately. THen it was time to get train tickets.

We got in a taxi and Sherry directed us to the train station. We took careful note, knowing that tomorrow she wouldn't be with us. It was 6RMB I noted.

We bought train tickets, reserved our seats for the next day, and then Sherry asked if there was anything else. Janne and I looked at each other and decided we wanted to have a massage. Into another taxi, and to a massage place. Goodbye and thank you Sherry. She complimented us on our fitness and went to meet her boyfriend, thrilled with the bonus we had given her.  The massage place was a hoot. It looked like a palace that was under renovations. It was filled with smoke, but for 128RMB we got a fantastic massage. THe ladies actually balanced us on their bodies, suspending us in the air. It was quite amazing! And then they braided our hair!!

Then the question of dinner. We weren't worried. THis had been such a magical trip we knew something would happen. We spotted a shop and went in. THey had apples and we happily bought some. And Yogurt for breakfast the next day. Water also. But no real dinner food as neither of us thought we could handle another night of pot noodles. What to do? We walked out of the store and found a street vendor.

Bingo. For 12RMB we got a great deal, much like our lunch, and including rice. NOt as spicy as I thought it would be as Hunan cuisine is known for spiciness. We hopped in a taxi, returned to our rooms, had showers, ate our dinners which included the last of the bread which had served us so well, read for a bit and then the drowsiness that was becoming quite familiar (plus, it was now 9.45!) took over me and we said Goodnight.

Unlike the night before, this night, before I fell asleep, i thought about how lucky i had been and all i had seen.

There's not a word yet for old friends who've just met.
Part heaven, part space, or have I found my place?
You can just visit, but I plan to stay.
I'm going to go back there someday.
I'm going to go back there someday.

 

Thank you Jim Hensen, for yet another great song.

the difference between a hostel and a hotel is more than the S

We didn't do much exploring of the train - since the doors don't lock one of us had to stay with the bags and exploring alone wasn't what we had in mind our first night.

I did explore to the toilet and learn how much fun it is using a squatter when on a moving, shifting train.

Back in our room, we got ready for bed and lay down. i changed into my pajama bottoms and janne elected to sleep in her jeans. i had brought two books (i couldn't live with the fear that i might finish one and then be left with nothing to read!) and gave one to janne to read. so we read for awhile, and then when my wrists started weaving back and forth, i announced i was off to sleep.

and i fell asleep quite quickly.

i woke up a few times during the night.

the first time, someone walked into our room. i am hoping it was an official person, but hey, no harm done. they shone the torch in my eyes, (hard not to in a room that size) and i struggled upright. "eh?" then they apologised and left.

the other times were when the train took a big turn. or stop, or something. i would lurch awake, and then not want to fall back asleep just yet, because i wanted to savour this adventure.

we were awake before daybreak. most of the train emptied around then, and we were pretty much alone for the last 90 minutes of our journey. we decided that everyone left on the train was a good person, and we decided to head to the "restaurant". but first, we decided to eat our own breakfast.

janne had packed grilled vegetarian sandwiches on thick ciabatta bread. they were excellent. it normally takes me at least an hour to eat after waking up, but by 45 minutes, i was eating away.

i realised that my companion and i were quite compatible. it took each of us minutes to get ready, no need for makeup, hair dryers, curling irons, etc. toothbrush is the extent of our beauty routine.

the restaurant cart was empty of patrons, but full of smoking train employees, all who looked stumped when my blonde haired friend and i trotted into view. they looked at each other and finally, the oldest person in the room spoke.

"you like?"

janne said, "coffee?"

and i replied, "cha". oh man did i want tea!

cha is something they understand and we were waved to a table, and seconds after sitting down, some VERY DARK tea was placed infront of us in very flimsy disposable cups. it was hot, and not bad. but it was definitely pu er tea. which aids in digestion, shall we say.

it was hot though, and we each had two cups. happy to say this did not come back and haunt us later.

we stood up to pay and were told "no! no!"

well allright! this vacation was turning out to be cheaper than we expected. my dad was going to be thrilled.

by 10am, a little over 90 minutes late, we pulled into our destination. our train had stopped at destinations that didn't have English signs, and i was a bit worried that we might miss our stop. but as we pulled in, i saw it, and cheered YAH. we grabbed our bags, and we were off.

coming out of the train station we saw a lineup of taxis. we had the address of where we needed to go, and their phone number, and we knew we were okay. i also knew we were a fair distance away so it was going to be a relatively expensive ride.

from the minute we stepped out of the station there were people offering us taxi's, but we just walked to the queue. from there, we held out our piece of paper and about three drivers looked at it. one pulled out his phone, made a call, and said, "I take you".

"okay" we said.

"very expensive" he warned us

"use meter!" we suggested.

"okay" he said.

he was the third taxi in the queue and nothing was happening.

janne and i instructed our driver to not start the meter until we started driving.

"okay" he said and lit up a smoke.

we were so tired of cigarettes.

after three minutes, we still hadn't moved. we suggested to the driver we would find another taxi, one at the front of the queue. our driver pushed his head out the window, and screeched in a very loud voice for the others to move. and they did, we started driving and the meter went down.

we were driving along when the driver pulled over at a roadside stand. and screeched at the lady working there. janne and i were fascinated. was she a girlfriend? was he telling her he was taking a long route with some dumb tourists, and would be back wayyy after dinner?

apparently not. he drove a few more metres, and stopped at another shop and screamed again. i looked at janne and said, "i bet he is the youngest child, with a voice like that." she agreed.

the shopkeeper brought out a pack of smokes and, interestingly, two packs of bark chew. we inspected the package carefully and it appears to be like chewing tobacco except it is pieces of bark. driver was on his way again.

he offered us a smoke, and was sad when we declined. he turned on music and began to sing. he was quite obviously enjoying his drive in teh country.

we drove through a village where a wedding ceremony was going on.

and finally, we arrived at the mountain.

we said goodbye to our taxi driver and he assured us that there was a truck coming for us, "in 10 minutes" no more.

we paid out entrance fee, and we started walking into the park,  which was stunningly beautiful. and then the van arrived and drove us to the hotel.

you understand this park was originally people's homes, but when the government took it over, they had to let people continue living there, and also provide the occasional hostel for tourists. most tourists stay outside the park, but janne and i wanted the real deal. so here we were, in the park, surrounded by 10 local homes, and at the hotel, which was really a hostel, SURPRISE! and had all the doors to the rooms open.

i thought that was a clever marketing trick to show people there were available rooms, since there was no electricity to have a nice flashing VACANCY sign. sadly not.

please know it was cold. even the sun was pale comfort.

we were given our room, by the lady who did not speak English but who was quite excited to show us there was a television. the room was impeccably clean, as was the toilet. interestingly, when you turned on the tap, the water went directly to the (squatter) toilet. not a bad idea actually.

um, the one thing about the pristine room was, that, well, IT WAS FREEZING.

when we booked the room they said the had an english speaking guide and the guide would be waiting for us.there was no guide!

this was a challenge.

janne took the bull by the horns, made a call, and arranged for an english speaking guide to be at our remote place by 4.30.

but it was just 1.30. were we just going to sit around for 3 hours?

no.

we locked up our room and headed back the way we came, looking for a little hike.

we were debating which way to go when we happened upon a lady who spoke a little english. she asked her guide what we should do. her guide suggested we flag down a bus and head to the top of a mountain. it was a clear day...take pictures.

it seemed like a good idea to us, but instead of WAITING for a bus, we decided to walk until a bus found us. 10 minutes later, a bus came chugging up a hill (our park entrance fee includes free bus passes) and we were happy campers.

the top of the mountain was glorious. let's all beg charles to post pictures. absolutely incredible. there werent' too many people, but many of them were quite willing to talk to us or about us. we were overwhelmed. we took pictures, and kept walking.

we were given wrong advice, to take the wrong bus once, but we made it back to our HOSTEL (man, the difference between one letter!) by 4.30 and there was our guide, Sherry.

in quick order, she worked out a few details for us, and planned our itinerary for us. by this time, now that we knew about the buses, we really didn't think we needed a guide, but that was okay. she would give us local information. we liked that. she would also give us directions to the bus station. we agreed on payment, and that was that.

it was now 5pm. darkness was descending. we knew we would have to be quick in finding dinner. we had actually decided what dinner was going to be - pot noodles and the bread we had bought in guangzhou. two pot noodles came to the princely sum of 8RMB.

we went back to our room. now what it was dark, it was freezing inside.

however, i had asked sherry to ask the receptionist what reasonable thing we could do about the cold. sherry had said for 15RMB we could rent electric blankets. DONE! i asked if we could rent four, and was told no.

we stripped the beds, put on the electric blanket, and turned it on. the lady told sherry to tell us that when we went to sleep we were to turn it off. YES OF COURSE we promised. meanwhile i am crossing everything, fingers, toes, and intestines, not because i want to lie, but also because i am so cold. thank goodness we had brought sleeping bags. janne and i considered sleeping in the same bed, but we reckoned we would be okay. we dressed in every single item of clothing we owned (excepting knickers and bras) and got under the covers.

our room had a kettle, so we made our pot noodles, sat down to our delicious meal, and afterwards we chatted. however, at around 7.30pm, something very odd happened...i started dozing off in the middle of our conversation.i was warming up nicely. inside was full of warm pot noodles and lovely bread, outside that electric blanket was doing it's work.

"i need to sleep" i informed janne, who was trying to plug in her phone so we would have an alarm in the morning. (we were meeting our guide at 6.30)

she turned around to talk to me about my phone charger, and i was asleep.

we both woke up around 2am, when a drug was ....giving birth or something ridiculously loud outside. it squealed and wrenched for about 10 minutes and then drove away. then i went back to sleep. at one point, i woke up and heard janne (good girl that she is) click off her electric blanket. she, the girl who smuggles fruit into china, was clicking off her blanket? seriously. me, i had no such qualms. the back of my neck was a bit sweaty, but i just took off my gloves and soon wasn't so warm. and we slept on.

 

 

 

Trip of a lifetime

here's a favourite poem of mine:

Ithaca

When you set out on your journey to Ithaca,
pray that the road is long,
full of adventure, full of knowledge.
The Lestrygonians and the Cyclops,
the angry Poseidon -- do not fear them:
You will never find such as these on your path,
if your thoughts remain lofty, if a fine
emotion touches your spirit and your body.
The Lestrygonians and the Cyclops,
the fierce Poseidon you will never encounter,
if you do not carry them within your soul,
if your soul does not set them up before you.

Pray that the road is long.
That the summer mornings are many, when,
with such pleasure, with such joy
you will enter ports seen for the first time;
stop at Phoenician markets,
and purchase fine merchandise,
mother-of-pearl and coral, amber and ebony,
and sensual perfumes of all kinds,
as many sensual perfumes as you can;
visit many Egyptian cities,
to learn and learn from scholars.

Always keep Ithaca in your mind.
To arrive there is your ultimate goal.
But do not hurry the voyage at all.
It is better to let it last for many years;
and to anchor at the island when you are old,
rich with all you have gained on the way,
not expecting that Ithaca will offer you riches.

Ithaca has given you the beautiful voyage.
Without her you would have never set out on the road.
She has nothing more to give you.

And if you find her poor, Ithaca has not deceived you.
Wise as you have become, with so much experience,
you must already have understood what Ithacas mean.

Constantine P. Cavafy (1911)

 

 

Last week I turned 41. In a typically generous move, my typically generous husband did not so much as raise an eyebrow when I told him I hoped to spend my birthday weekend hiking in middle China with my girlfriend Janne.

This much anticipated trip was a short one. We left Thursday afternoon. We travelled light, and ironically, almost identically. If we had conferenced beforehand, we would have been able to agree that ONE of us bring the medical kit and the OTHER pack torches. But better safe than sorry. We each carried one backpack and a bag. And headed for the train station.

We did last minute wees, and got in line for the train to Guangzhou. We had great seats, and even though everybody and their cousin smoked, we were off. for an adventure.

One of the reasons I have been wanting to take this trip so badly is because I have been feeling like I haven't done an adventure lately. I travelled to India by myself. Charles and I went to Nepal. I went to Costa Rica and found my cousin, even though I only knew the city she lived in.I love my life now

but I loved that life too.

And now we were going on adventure. Hiking in Hunan. We had a few arrangements, but this was inner China, and we knew we would be "roughing it". We couldn't wait.

Guangzhou was easy to get into, except my friend's criminal tendencies (OH THOSE DANISH) were revealed as she was stopped at the border for trying to smuggle in contraband items - three apples. The guard confiscated them and we reckon took them home. He certainly didn't dump them into the bin.

Our next move was to transfer train stations.  The subway is Guangzhou is easy to understand, clean and we had a map. We bought tokens no problem and were on our way. We had to transfer trains, and while we exited charmingly, we couldn't quite figure out which train to get on. We decided to ask a guard, who didn't speak English, but pointed to the other train. That doesn't count as getting lost does it?

We jumped on the train, made friends with a toothless old lady who wanted us to sit beside her, and a few stops later, we were at our new station.

Our train didn't leave until 8.20 and it was barely 6.50. What were we going to do? Sit in another smoky waiting room? HARDLY. We decided to take a little walk. We darted past the barrier and stepped into the massive square that many cross to head to the trains ticketing barriers.

Shenzhen is the chinese city i visit the most, and it is a bit of a truman show there. It is a massive city, but the parts I visit aren't really local. You get to Guangzhou and you do feel like you are in China. There were people carrying babies on carriers made of bamboo and cane. The babies were thrilled. And everyone was carrying a bucket. This was our mystery. Why is everyone carrying a bucket? But I suppose it makes sense. It can carry stuff, and you can turn it over and sit on it.

In the square, there were people selling food, plush toys, electronic yappy dogs, and many people just hanging around. Others were moving swiftly, headed to the train station, others were exiting from it.

Janne and I saw four fast food restaurants: two McDonalds, a KFC and a "kung Fu". She said, "this might be kenneth's favourite McDonalds!" Which one? One was very close. The other was past the impromptu food stalls and was across the freeway. We'd have to figure out how to get there. We could get lost, and we did have a train to catch.

"Well, we already know where this other one is, incase we can't find that one," I said, gesturing to the far away McDonalds. And she smiled, and replied, "I love it when you think like me."

We set off, and decided we were looking for a subway or overpass. As we were wending our way through the square, a delicious smell hit our nose. It was a type of flat bread, seasoned with coriander or sesame seeds. There were many such stalls. The sellers appeared to be originally from SErbia or Khazakstan.

We went under the Subway, across a street, and into the McDonalds, where my persuasive friend talked me into having my first Big Mac in years. If I eat at McDonalds I normally hoover up the kids nuggets. The McDonalds was massive and filled with the rising middle classes. Women in flowing robes, many african women, and obvious "office workers" with double layers of false lashes surrounded us, as did two teenage boys playing video games.

We visited the bathrooms (squatter again) and headed over to the train station. But first we bought the fantastic flat bread (with sesame street). Six massive pieces (about the size of a medium pizza base) were 4RMB, and included a bottle of water and a smaller sample bread. It was dark now, and it was getting interesting. Smells, sounds, everything. Even languages.

At the station, there were huge lineups, but since we already held tickets, we thought we were exempt from the queues, and so we just went to where a train was advertising our destination.

We approached a fellow, and handed him our ticket.

He shook his head.

And pointed. And then walked with us outside the terminal to the queues.

Fair enough. We retraced our steps and I began wondering what in my bag was so heavy.

We joined a random queue and when we got to the front, we smiled and were let through. The guard said, "Where from?" and I replied, "Canada!" and Janne said "Denmark". Very good! We were informed.

We sat in the massive hallway that had signs declaring that there was no smoking allowed and watched as everyone around us smoked.

Finally it was time for the train to board.

So many people pushing into a tiny gate. Thankfully, we are pretty pushy when necessary.

We made it through, went down an escalator, down a long hallway, then turned left and there was our train.

We found our car, and stepped on board. Then we found our compartment, set our bags down, and looked at our home for the next 12 hours.

All we had to do was wait for our roommates to arrive.

We had booked the two bottom berths of a four sleeper. Our pajama party pals could be....anyone!

Suddenly it was five minutes before the train left....and we had no roommates. Janne and I looked at each other. Was there the possibility that we would be the only people in our compartment?

Suddenly our door handle jiggled. But the door didn't open.

I looked out the window. Our train should have left. This was agony.

To pass the time I looked around me. The room was about 1 meter and a half wide, and eight feet tall, six feet deep. We had a large window. The beds were 3/4 of a meter, and although firm, comfortable. There was a quilt! Perhaps Janne and I wouldn't need the sleeping bags we had brought!

And the train started moving! Not only were we free of roommates, but we were on our way.

I am smiling as i write this.

so back from the philippines, birthday parties over, and errm, yes, my parents and kipper and nearly naked grant are here.

this is a big deal. my home is busy but happy!

yesterday was a full day, we three dames went to church, then joined the boys and kids at a rugby tournament. from there we headed to wan chai gap where we were meant to join lesley, jo, andrea and families for a hike.

my dad, never one to let a nice day go to waste, got antsy, and at 2.15 declared he was starting. i decided that it was best he not go alone and accompanied him. dad is a great walker and we went along, and had a great walk. as did the others.

dad even had the time to purchase a new shirt. much to his delight the shirt was ON SALE. much to mum's delight, the shirt was quite attractive!

we went to mannings to get some deoderant. dad is so cute. "i'm looking for mennon speedstick or old spice deodorant." he informed me.

"well, you wont find it here...this is asia!" i responded to my perplexed pa.

he soon learned for himself that his favourite staples were not available. and so we took it upon ourselves to smell out the options.

we decided the best one we could find was called PLAYBOY. graciously, dad let me choose which one he should buy, playboy VEGAS, MALIBU or MIAMI. we chose vegas.

then it was to the boat club, where sela was asleep in mo's arms. her high fever, which had been plaguing her all weekend was back. fortunately i had packed ibuprofin in my bag and i gave her 10 mls. she slept for 45 minutes and then was up and much cooler, and racing around.

the hikers gathered around, drinking and enjoying the great weather. the kids were all well behaved and it was a really nice day. we ordered dinner and quite frankly, were loathe to leave!

but eventually we did. because we had hiked to the boat club we needed to get taxi's home. jasper was on taxi alert and dashed forward when he saw one, little wrist flapping. high praise for the driver, he took jasper seriously and pulled right over for him! high praise for jasper, he got his taxi! yay!

the rest of us piled in a second taxi and all was well.

that night sela had a bad dream, apparently she dreamt that everyone was going out, and jasper told her that they were leaving. a few minutes later, she woke up from this dream and decided the whole thing had happened. she burst into tears and started wandering the hallways which (surprise) were empty and dark. it was true! we had left her! OR were the hallways empty because it was 4.45! oh right, that part!

she was burning up and charles gave her some more ibuprofin. i took that opportunity to email her teachers and my work to say " sela/I won't be in today."

it's great having kipper, nearly, daddy and mo here. it's a good visit. i am a happy hong kong girl right now...but i won't be here for long.....

 

 

every day i write my book

coming home was wonderful, but i wasn't there for long.

the following monday i packed up and headed to the philippines for a training session. i was meant to stay for two nights, but given that it was the triplets birthday on the wednesday, there was no way that was happening!

the short trip to manila was really good. our communication officers are doing a terrific job and it was good to talk with them and give them more skills. we had brought in a really fantastic English professor who really helped them at all.

me? i like to keep things simple. (and if possible, 80's oriented). during my presentation i just said, "use your spidy senses" and told them that there is no excuse for every story being the same because every person is different. i asked them who watched csi, and people nodded. so i asked when a person dies, do they just check out the apartment and leave? no! they interview husbands, friends and neighbours....and that is what an interviewer can do too.

manila's mtr/lrt/mrt is fantastic by the way.

i got home, we had the birthday parties and then life settled into it's typical routine. work, school, etc.

but then something very small added such a change!

the other day liza found what i thought was a yogurt covered raisin on top of the piano table. this was a surprise to us both, because yogurt covered raisins are always hoovered up in our home. i started to pick it up, and liza told me not to.

"eh?"

"it's an egg" she told me.

"an egg!" i said.

"a gecko egg."

now the geckos that live in our home are pretty streamlined, even with all the treats i give them. i cannot imagine them pushing an egg this size out their fanny. how could they scamper along the walls carrying an egg like this? their legs couldn't meet the walls.

a quick google search confirmed that it was a gecko egg!

I AM GOING TO BE A MUMMY!

the aforementioned egg was quickly moved the warmest part of the house (the kitchen) and put into a plastic box. we ripped up some paper to protect the egg. the kids wanted to touch the egg but i didn;'t let them, explaining if the egg is turned over, the baby inside could drown in the fluid.

this egg might not be viable. this is a very real fear. gestation is 30 days. i think we are down to 23. what will i say if the egg doesn't open? what if it does and i am not present at the birth?

 

thing three - saturday night was a delicious night. i got to achieve one of my dreams - seeing elvis costello in concert. we went with laurel and chris ("daniel's" parents) and we first had a quick meal at dan ryan's. we looked at our tickets and laurel said, "i think we are in the front row". the ticket did say "a" which was good!we walked over to the theatre and were led to our seats. not only were they front row, but they were front row centre! we had the four best seats in the house!

we saw lots of people we knew, and all of us had the same refrain, "all of our friends are as sick as parrots...no one else knew he was coming to hong kong."

it was a wonderful concert. i am a long time elvis fan.  he is very quirky, wore a shirt with a jacket that i would NEVER allow charles to combine, and was alone on stage with seven guitars and his trademark black rimmed spectacles.

his fifth song was one of my fave's .. everyday i write the book...by saying how much he hated, hated, hated this song..or used to until a CANADIAN taught him to sing it properly.

WELL, what else were we supposed to DO but cheer, loudly?

he paused and said, "i like canadians"

(see previous, except then i yelled, "you married one!!" at the same time as someone called out "NANAIMO!")

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lQKoMoZAexo&feature=mfu_in_order&list=UL

and then he was off.the above recording is live from that night.

he strolled around the stage, unplugged, he whistled, and the acoustics were so fantastic you could hear his footfalls as his black wingtips strolled around. when the audience got too noisy he would put his finger to his lips.

and cute as a button. at one point when he approached his chair and sat for a minute, he said, "i'd like to introduce you to our special guest star tonight...me"

charles was v. chuffed when elvis performed "SHE". someone in the audience was brave enough to record it!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HW0ugCWefy4&feature=mfu_in_order&list=UL

it was just wonderful being there with MC, holding his hand and leaning on his shoulder, like i have done for so many years. it was a fantastic night.

 

homecomings, new arrivals, old favourites. it has been a good month.

 

 

 

 

 

 

where was i?

eventually i came back to hong kong, but not before i spent some time with wonderful gran in vancouver. we went to see The King's Speech one night and YAY COLIN is all I can say! great film.

then it was time to fly home, which i did and truly, one of the best bits of about coming home is the reunion. on par with the shower you have after you have unpacked. it was a perfect day, my flight landed around 8am and i got home by 9am and unpacked, then spent the rest of the day just catching up on all that had happened while i had been shivering and celebrating.

then it was time to see my little children.

the first to appear was jasper and he jumped into my arms and wrapped his legs around my waist, school bag and all. a great reunion! then it was carys, who squealed and assured me that she had cwied because she missed me so much. and then sela, who was pulled toward me by jasper and carys. this made her cross. "i know she is here!" announced my little knickers and she ran to me. "i could never forget, this is a perfect day!"

and lastly, my year four man came across the playground, eyes zipping across the playground. i wasn't in my usual spot. normally, i wait near the water fountain and i could see his big brown eyes  and anxious face zero in on that area.

this expression on his face reminded me of his year one show. charles and i piled into the auditorium and waited for seb to traipse in with his classmates. eventually he did, and they clambered on to the stage. at once seb's little eyes began to search the audience, seeking us out. his mouth was open, and he was biting his lower lip. his shoulders were very tense. i was waving like every other parent going, "darling! darling!" so he didn't see me. and i realised i just had to wait until he did see me. and eventually his eyes did rest on us, and it was magic. his tense little frame relaxed and he smiled. not a grin, just a smile.

i got more than a smile the other day on the playground though. i got a full blown "mummy!" and if ever there were rules about sebbie kissing me on the playground, well they were temporarily lifted as he happily hugged me and smooched my face, neck and arms. "Oh mummy, you are really home, and i love you so much" he announced, getting the important things out of the way first. "It is such a happy day for me."

What else do you need?

It was great to be home.