EXPLORING

I explore the area a little more and find the old quarter of Baoding after meeting my students: they're all very enthusiastic and bright, but on  many occasions self conscious as I suppose may young people are. In this part of China many people get around on little electric scooters, which is one way in which the Chinese embrace green culture. There are also little red taxis built on a motorcycle chassis, they emit almost no sound so I surmise they may be electric. Some local people have little trucks also built around the same principle complete with a Chinese voice that emits a message whenever they reverse, I imagine something like THIS VEHICLE IS REVERSING! although not very loud. I've sickened of eating out all the time and long to be able to cook so have bought a wok ( the Chinese just call it a pan.) Would you believe the traditional Chinese wok is virtually unobtainable here ? They've all embraced the non-stick, flat-bottomed version you tend to buy in Wilkos or ASDA in the UK. In despair I buy a cast-iron one at Walmart which I think is the best I can get. After centuries of design why fix something that ain't broke?
If the good news is that buses in China are punctual, regular,clean, cheap, fast and reliable the bad news is they are hopelessly overcrowded. Then again China is known for its population. I tend to stand near the exit doors if I can as they are separate from the entrance. I find myself gently edging towards the exit by making my body as fluid as possible and sidling through the other passengers:  (Its standing room only quite often,) Many road users on scooters tend to wear a kind of blanket that covers them at the front with built in gloves like oven gloves presumably to keep out the cold. In the UK they would just get some motorcycle clothes I guess.  Few wear helmets. The old quarter has an old world charm that makes me think that to have an old quarter, a city has to undergo burgeoning redevelopment., meaning that at some time in the past, the old quarter was surrounded by fields. The old quarter is full of art materials shops which encourages me to think I may be able to enthuse my students and get some stuff to make art myself!

MOVING IN

As I spend time going out with colleagues and meet more local people, I begin to feel more at home, although the feeling of isolation I experience sometimes becomes a little overwhelming. I sometimes feel depressed and at such times need to be among people. 

Due to an accommodation problem I walk into the hutong labyrinth and book myself into a small Chinese hotel: apparently something which is unusual. I begin to feel like a kind of effective traveller, but this is soon upgraded to executive as the powers that be intervene and I am able to spend the night in an international hotel.

 Following this I settle into my flat and begin to unpack, which takes longer than I had thought owing to not knowing where to put everything. I begin to make lists of things I need, but the best part of this is that I finally get to speak to Sarah and my parents. I miss them so much.

One unfortunate thing that happens is I manage to get locked out of my flat! One afternoon I go out and lock the door, on taking the key out it breaks in the lock leaving the shaft inside! I don't know what to do so run straight into the office at the university and explain what's happening. The ladies in there respond by saying "How did you do that?" I regard this as a ridiculous question that I can't answer. Either I don't know my own strength or it's a weak key! Anyway I have to wait in the office while they call a locksmith and I'm pacing up and own like a caged tiger, calling Eliot who offers me a crash in his pad for the night, with the Chinese ladies asking me to be patient. After an hour and a half, I get a call saying the locksmith has arrived. So i go over with one of the ladies who drives me, and he removes the shaft. I pay him 100 RMB and have no real choice but to leave the flat open while I try and get a new key cut. The only alternative to that is having the lock changes for 1000 RMB. So the locksmith and my colleague leave and I set off closing the door behind me.......which promptly self-locks!

Realising that I've locked myself out a second time I don't dare go back into the office as I fear they will either burst out laughing or think I'm insane. So I hurry out to a little key bar at the end of North Street where the new campus is situated,  and fortunately the lady there is able to make a new key from the shaft of the old one. I order two and hurrying back to the flat I can only pray that they work! Luckily this is indeed the case and I'm relieved to get back inside! I take care with Chinese locks and keys after this!

I am invited out with colleagues for beer and food, also a karaoke (KTV in China) session but can only make the meal owing to the exhaustion I feel from a disrupted sleep pattern. Shame as I would like to try KTV: it's where you have a group of friends and book a private room with a karaoke machine so you and your friends don't offend everyone else with your dreadful caterwauling!

I learn that patience is the ultimate virtue in China, as everything that happens to me creates a sense of being in opposition to an immovable force. The scale of everything is overwhelming and I quickly learn that walking around the town is simply not an option; the roads are all wider than motorways and it takes two or three minutes to drive past a block of flats. Everywhere there is the same colossal and monolithic architecture. I try to spend as much time as possible with others to counter the loneliness I feel, and sometimes feel as if I am on another planet as I walk alone, like a ghost, around the city. It's a strange feeling: sometimes I feel at home, at others, a stranger in a strange land. I manage to make the acquaintance of some local Chinese who always make me feel welcome, and the conversations we have often revolve around my learning a little Chinese as I teach them a little English.

Near the flats where I live there is a street of huts, shacks and tents all selling street food, fruit, vegetables and other goods. The most prevalent dishes are “hot-pot”, a Sichuan dish of hot broth in which you cook a mix of fish, meat, vegetables and noodles, and fried noodles. There are little places which have high stools around a conveyor belt carrying various foods that you cook in a hot pot. Some of it is very good but I feel a lack of variety. It certainly isn't Chinese food as I know it!

I encounter a Chinese teacher outside my flat and at the time I have problems with my computer. I know that in my situation being a shrinking violet doesn't help so I brazenly ask if he can help me. I'm glad I ask as he turns out to be a computer wizard with a PhD and this leads to my taking himself and his wife out to dinner: they turn out to be charming people and good neighbours. I hope we can become friends.

I find myself becoming addicted to chocolate, something which makes me curious as this never happened to me at home. When I go out I'm assailed by strange smells, lights and sounds that continue to echo the experience of watching the film “Blade Runner.” I go out with colleagues for pizza (of all things!) in a China version of an American Diner. 

I also obtain some cleaning products for my flat but am unsure of what these are: I get some toilet cleaner and floor cleaner from the local mini-market, which can be an odd experience to visit as the little shop girl follows me around like a ghost making me feel uncomfortable. At any rate by using gestures I make it clear what I'm looking for so she gives me two bottles. At home I'm cleaning the bathroom one day when I try to use two products at the same time in the sink as I'm unsure which is best. I pour them in and suddenly the mixture begins to fizz and generate a cloud of invisible gas which has a strong chlorine smell and  is choking me. Instantly I get out and open all the windows in the apartment, open the plug hole in the sink and turn on the tap. The smell of chlorine is everywhere and I  surmise I've created chlorine gas and nearly gassed myself! After about an hour the apartment is cleared and I resolve to be more careful in the future!

TRANSFER

I arrive at Beijing West Station having had a reasonable night's sleep and board the bullet train: amazing machine right out of something like Logan's Run! (reminder to get a photo as soon as I can!) Enormous place but easy to find your way around as it's well signposted in Chinese and English!

I do sit in the wrong seat though, Australian lady asks me to move, didn't read the ticket properly. Glad I did, first class seat! Met at the station, accommodation not quite ready yet though. Staying in a hotel near the centre of the city. The first excursion I have is all street eats and markets, very exotic seeming after London! The bullet train is amazing, it goes at something like 290 kph, or about 200 mph, and is silent! There are stewardesses on board like those you would find on a plane, immaculately dressed and with signs in Chinese and English.

One thing I do find out quickly is that moving LED signing is everywhere in China, on taxis, shops, hotels, even small ones in the hutong.

Having some time to myself I go online as there is free WIFI in my room and everywhere, although I do have to navigate very slowly in China. I have a bad night though as I guess the time lag is catching up on me. Waking around 10 I decide to explore the area. Street after street of little cafes and shops. Not a bar to be found anywhere! Desperate to call home, but cannot find a phone box anywhere, just like the UK I guess. Many little alleyways (hutong) nearby, forming a labyrinth in which I quickly get lost, and people who don't drive a car (the roads are extremely busy) get around on cycles or electric scooters. There a re also little red 3-wheeled carts which turn out to be local taxis, but as they are electric I imagine they do not go very far.

In the evening, the lights and street food combine to produce the atmosphere of “Blade Runner”. Many stalls have lights with spinning gadgets attached to them to keep insects away. They look like small rotor blades. Oddly enough I do not feel too out of place, as the lifestyle here is not too dissimilar from that in the UK.

I spend most of my time at night asleep or restless as I try to adjust to the time lag. Exploring the area I find row on row of shops and cafes, one has spits on the street roasting some kind of animal over charcoals. Crossing the road in China is a real challenge and the most dangerous activity I've undertaken since landing. The roads are immense and you have to watch the lights very carefully as the green “walk” man only applies to one side of the road, so you can cross but traffic can still turn left (right in the UK) into the lane you are walking across! Still if I keep my wits about me I am OK. I walk into a small restaurant and some Chinese graduates from university are there, and help me read the menu. We get talking and this makes a memorable evening and we exchange contact details. The Chinese I meet are incredibly welcoming and hospitable. They teach me a little Chinese and I teach hem a little English. The hutong are fascinating, and I must take my camera out with me to record them. China is just so VISUAL!

CHINA

I feel a sense of excitement and destiny as the plane slowly begins to taxi away from the terminal. My thoughts are abstract but mostly of my beloved Sarah.

I look at the landscape of the Gobi Desert as I wake from a troubled doze. It looks like the surface of Mars, and seems completely inimical to life. Imagine what would happen to someone who crash-landed here.

I arrive at Beijing Airport and the first thing I have to do is get through immigration. There are 6 gates which say “Chinese Nationals” and 6 gates which say “Foreigners”. But there are maybe a thousand people going through the Foreigners Gate! Took me 15 minutes to get through, not too bad, (worried for a moment they would not let me in!) To get my bags means catching a train! I begin to get a different sense of scale. 15 min train journey, just like the Tube really, then by the time I arrive my bags are on the conveyor belt. More huge queues to go through Customs, maybe 10 minutes then head for the exit.

Hundreds of people waiting at the exit with signs meeting people,, and a few taxi touts come up asking if I want a taxi. I shake my head and keep walking, having been forewarned. At the taxi rank outside there are marshals organising the taxis, nothing could be easier. I get in a cab and show the driver the address of the hotel I'm staying in, and at first he seems puzzled, but appears to understand. We set off and as I'm wearing a thick coat and its 77 degrees F I begin to get a bit warm. I also hope I'm not going to get lost! My spirits do dampen a bit as traffic jams and the sheer scale of Beijing conspire to make this a long trip! The architecture is gigantic and often monolithic, with huge megaliths appearing through the smog that renders the whole place slightly hazy. Occasionally I can see buildings which look quite futuristic looming in the distance. Again and again I get restless, hot and uncomfortable, worrying that I do not know where I am going. Finally my hotel appears and the taxi drops me off outside the foyer. When I pay the meter he queries the payment, I forget that he had to pay to go through a toll road, one more bill and he's quite happy. I unload, check in and liveried staff carry my bags to my room, which is quite luxurious looking, my train tickets for the next stop have already been delivered. I ring Mark, the friend I've arranged to meet and he's already on his way, (I'm late, after a one and a half hour taxi ride) so a quick freshen up, then rush to the bar to meet him.

We catch up on old times and I have my first hot-pot meal in China, a great evening! I also get to be introduced to the Beijing subway, which is easy once you know how, but Beijing is very easy to get lost in!

That night I don't sleep too well. Hot bath but still it is too warm outside. I get up to go to the bathroom to find myself locked out! And the lights have gone out! Down to the reception only to find they speak no English so have to make myself understood by using drawings and gestures. I get told someone is coming to fix it, the lady in Reception uses a phone app to translate into English. Thoroughly fed up I go back upstairs, eventually a little man comes along and by the time I get back up it has been fixed, and my lights are back on.

THE PROSPECT OF WHITBY

The Smugglers' Bar on my last night in England.

LONDON

I check out but leave my luggage in safe storage at the hostel. Looking to relax I take the train to Greenwich which turns out to be far too busy, full of lousy pubs and with a mix of Italian and Asian food to choose from. I feel lonely and depressed so ring my father and he understands this . We realise a long day lies ahead and I can't get to talk to S as she is out with her mum. I find a little dim sum bar wondering why I'm so keen on Chinese right now, have a light lunch then decide to go to the Prospect once more. I call parents and S to have a last goodbye before China in case I don't get to speak again. Very emotional, but the right place, peaceful overlooking the Thames. Right now I cannot think further than the task of getting myself on the plane, that's more than enough to be going on with. With a stoic thought of resignation I go back for my cases, then set off for Canada Water. No problem to Paddington, train straight to Heathrow T2, anxious as I think there may be some baggage problem as I'm carrying a huge pack of batteries. In fact everything goes smoothly, an attendant helps me with self check-in, bags checked (I have to separate my PC laptop) and I arrive in the departure lounge around 5.30 pm. I ring to let S know were I am with the last scrap of power in my phone. I can't believe I've got this far, and feel euphoric. I buy a couple of items I need then go to YO SUSHI and get sat next to a Japanese gentleman that I try with some success (given the language barrier which I suppose I'll have to get used to,) to have a conversation with and get so carried away that I get two flasks of sake and eat too much sushi, but then I want to have a good time.

www.taylor-walker.co.uk/pub/prospect-of-whitby-wapping/c8166/

LEAVING HOME

When the time comes for me to leave I break down in tears. How could I have ever felt this was the right thing to do? Sarah comforts me and drives me to the railway station. We arrive about 15 minutes before I have to catch the train and hold each other in our arms, feeling the pain of being torn apart. We agree to walk away without looking back when the time comes, and hold each other as if we will never let wild horses pull us apart. At this moment nothing is more tempting than to stay in the foyer and miss the train. But finally, I realise there is no time left, give Sarah one last squeeze and say “I have to go”, then walk on to the platform.

Although I have a reserved seat (first class) I just go to another carriage where there are no reserved places and sit where it pleases me. The journey passes uneventfully enough with me having an egg sandwich and a beer for a late breakfast. The train stops every 20 minutes or so and at Northampton a large family group gets on with insufferably noisy children that they do not even attempt to keep quiet so I have to wear earplugs, Gratefully I get off and walk to the Tube which is several minutes away, Easy journey although the weight of my bags wears me down. Jubilee line station at London bridge appears to have no lifts or escalators, probably I missed them, so had to lug bags down the stairs, three flights, my elbows began to protest. Got off at Canada Water and after some dithering whilst looking at maps and getting my bearings walk to the YHA. Booked in, walked over to the nearest pub and had steak for lunch, got in touch with Sarah and my parents. Weather fine, cityscape of London spectacular and futuristic, reminds me of Judge Dredd. I then catch the Tube to Wapping and the famous Prospect of Whitby pub, (famous on association with Judge Jeffries and Captain Kidd,) then shower and go back for a light dinner at a small Chinese restaurant, one more beer and back for bed. The Prospect is actually a lovely old fashioned English pub, the like of which is not seen very often. It's very oak panelled and raftered, with discreet lighting giving it an intimate and historic feel. As a stranger in London I feel I'm already in another world and try not to think too much about what's coming.

CHINALAND

Being the story of my experiences in China from 2015 where I teach Art and English. This is not a travelogue or a piece of journalism, nor is it a guide for backpackers!