VISA UPDATE

The visa arrives on July 4^th, as optimistically predicted and I’m delighted to tell my family I’ll be home as expected!

HEALTH CONCERNS 2

I went for the medical to obtain my visa to come back to China in June, however 3 days later I found out I’d failed it: it seems there was some problem which at the time is unspecified. My line manager Ian calls me to explain and suggests another hospital visit to obtain a second opinion with Iris, our new admin lady. Worried about the possible implications of this, I talk to  Iris and she agrees to take me to the hospital at 7.20 the next morning. I have a friend on standby in case Iris can’t make it, as she has family matters to deal with as well.

As it turns out I am only too glad she comes,  as we have to organise a new ultrasound scan, blood tests, and ultimately  a CAT-scan, to find out where we are at in terms of visa applications. She fights battle after battle with the hospital staff  to expedite all this and I sometimes despair of success, but she comes through every time.

During the CAT-scan an odd feeling comes over me; it is a sense of privilege similar to that which I get when I’m on a plane about to take off. It’s strange and illogical, but on the other hand I am in a foreign land and have jumped the queue to get this treatment.

We discover there is some liver problem but we cannot get to the bottom of it yet. In the end a senior consultant writes us a diagnosis: the process by which we obtained this is too long-winded to describe adequately here. It’s 3pm by the time we leave and we’ve been there since 8am.

I have to wait until Monday when the admin office lady can go back to the visa centre. When Iris calls me later on Monday afternoon my heart is in my mouth. When she tells me we’ve made it, I’m overjoyed! The second year is then assured: all we need to do is to make sure we can get the visa processed in time. I have to get this investigated in England when I get back. Plan B was going to be processing the visa in the UK.

SAYING GOODBYE FOR THE SUMMER

I will miss the friends I have made among the Chinese, so arrange to see them before I leave. On Thursday I go out with the English department of Baoding University who are great fun and won't let me buy anything! Tons of food, a few beers and a good laugh!

After this on Friday I meet some of my other friends for dinner one last time. However all being well I'll see them in September! I also go to KTV and make a fool of myself as usual, then again who cares? Nobody really seems to mind my terrible caterwauling, but in the morning I always vow to give it up!

NOTES ON CHINA: TRANSPORT

Transport in China can be fascinating. When I first visited in 1997 cars were quite rare and Chinese locals moved house on a bike! Most cars that you did see were either limos or taxis. Now cars are everywhere. Here are a few notes based on my experience so far:

AIR: International flights are the same as to any other major country and I've experienced few problems if any. Internal flights however, I've avoided as they are by reputation chaotic and I'm unsure about how safe they are. No-one's told me any particular horror stories, but there is a reputation of repeated delays.

RAIL: By far the best and most popular way to get around mainland China. Trains are fast, relatively inexpensive, highly punctual and reliable, comfortable and safe. The bad news is, China has the busiest rail network in the world so you have to book your tickets as soon as you can!

(Next year hoping to go to Guilin and Yangshuo)

SUBWAY: These exist only in major cities at present, but again are cheap, fast, reliable, easy to use and safe. However most of the time they are hopelessly overcrowded, so don't expect a seat! Pushing in to get on board is customary so just join in the throng!

BUS: Like the subway, cheap and reliable but again expect to be crammed in like sardines! Bus drivers rarely refuse to take passengers even when the bus has them pressing against the windows!

CAR: Chinese drivers hover precariously between caution and irresponsibility. They often drive very large motors and tend to drive along crowded hutong expecting the throngs to part like the Red Sea, which they never do. Leaning on the horn is constant, so you tend to hear the kind of noise that previously you only heard in disaster films! Road rules are confusing, for example a red light only covers half the street, so you may find yourself crossing when the green WALK light is on only to find yourself dodging trucks, taxis and bikes!

TAXI: Taxis are everywhere, and easy to flag down. Make sure they use the meter however. In big cities this is not a problem, in more provincial areas use your judgement carefully!

MINI-TAXIS (Bun-Bun) These little red 3-wheeled carts can be fun and cheap for short journeys, the drivers are usually very courteous. (Like most Chinese people) However they can be a bit slow. They are great for getting around the hutong, but don't attempt a cross-city drive in one. You sometimes find people will wave at you on the street as well!

ELECTRIC BIKE: The most dangerous things on Chinese roads! These little scooters are fast, silent and driven with utter recklessness bordering on Death-Race 2000-esque perverseness. Keep your wits about you when on the road, as they don't always use their horns so you need 360-degree vision. These are a menace so when you see them be extra cautious!

BICYCLE: A bit like walking a tightrope without a safety net. Bikes are still extremely popular in China. You can ride quite safely however as long as you take your time, maintain caution, (if in doubt, wait) and develop the habit of regularly looking behind you to see what's coming!

WALKING: The safest way to get around except when you cross the road, which requires military precision! Tips:

• Always wait until the walk sign (an image of a walking man) is green.
• Be cautious, the turning lane will still be open so it is NEVER completely safe!
• Cross a lane at a time
• Take your time.
• Watch the counter on the walk sign, it will tell you how many seconds you have!
• Always keep looking around you!

HEALTH CONCERNS

I went in to work on Monday as normal and as I was teaching my students I felt a sudden pain in my side that did not go away. Fearing another appendicitis attack I stopped drinking anything but water, and ate only fruit for a week. I also took some oral antibiotics in the hope that I could avoid another hospital visit. Gradually it subsided, until I went out the following Thursday and had spicy chicken wings at a roadside shack, always a risk. The next morning it was worse than ever.

I realised a hospital appointment was inevitable so set it up for the next Friday when I had finished my assessments and had the medical for the renewed visa. It did not get worse but certainly didn't go away.

Iris, our new admin lady and my next door neighbour, agreed to take me to the hospital, where we obtained blood tests and an ultrasound. Now visiting a Chinese hospital is very unlike the UK. First you have to pay for everything. So we had to buy a ticket to see a doctor who sent us for an ultrasound scan.. Then we had to go to the ultrasound department. You have to visit a number of testing stations and queue up to be seen, which is a frustrating process but does not usually take long if you can navigate it successfully. At the ultrasound registration office (they have to input your records into a database) some lady behind the counter tried to fob us off until NEXT WEEK! Iris had managed to get an emergency ticket however and had to argue the case so we got seen more or less straight away.

However at the door to the ultrasound laboratory local people kept on just walking in. I asked Iris if we were doing the right thing, and she said, yes, don't worry we will get seen in turn. Sure enough some guy tried jumping the queue ( a common event in China) and had to come back outside and wait with the rest of us.

The ultrasound had inconclusive results however as I'd made the mistake of having breakfast, but no evidence of appendicitis was found. This was puzzling as clearly there was some issue.

The blood sample also showed nothing unusual.

We then saw a digestion specialist who was frankly useless and couldn't tell us anything, then we had to go to A&E to seek advice. The doctor we saw there did a physical examination with no clear conclusions.

Finally the physician called a consulting surgeon who spoke some English, and gave me another physical examination. This didn't reveal anything specific. He conferred with his colleague and Iris and they drew the conclusion that I probably had had a minor attack of my recurring appendicitis, but there was no significant medical problem and certainly no emergency. He prescribed oral antibiotics . During this time I felt like something of a celebrity as in addition to being seen by a top surgeon (apparently very rare) I was surrounded by a group of Chinese patients all curious to see what was going on!

I feel that these health issues are frustrating more than anything, and hope to be able to investigate further in the UK.

GREAT WALL VISIT: JINSHANLING TO SIMITAI

To cap off my birthday I planned a Great Wall visit; I went in 1997 and although I thoroughly enjoyed the experience foggy weather spoiled the photography! For me this is a must anyway, you can't very well come to China and not see the Wall!

There are a few options, among these is visiting independently and staying at the Wall in a village but this is daunting owing to the fact of having either to get 3 buses there or catch a taxi to take you there for about £120/150 each way, plus having to negotiate a room price etc. As I'm travelling solo I decide to do the Great Wall hike offered through one of the hostels in Beijing:

www.backpackingchina.com

I travel to Beijing on Thursday evening and have booked a Chinese hotel in the area: good value with two super little restaurants close by, an Indian and a Thai restaurant. I have a problem when I arrive as I can't find the hotel! I walk into the wrong one and spend about half an hour on the phone to the booking agency trying to find it, as at the address I have there is a different hotel! No-one seems to know where it is! In the end I go to the Indian restaurant where I've been before, as the proprietor speaks English and he knows the place. It turns out to be next door to the one I walked into although the entrance is down an alleyway! Feeling relieved but a little sheepish I book in and go straight out for an Indian meal which is delicious. As there is nowhere to get lunch on the Wall I'm advised to take my own so I deliberately order too much so that I have bread and curry left over to take out with me.

I take my left-over curry back to my room and wander out into the hutong to visit a few bars. This takes me to a small local bar, then to Great Leap and finally to my favourite small bar in Houhai where the barmaid tells me she suspects I've been elsewhere for a beer before going in!

The next morning it seems I've overdone it as I have a terrible hangover, so cursing my own stupidity I have a shower and freshen myself up, then pack my bag with food, coat, hat, camera etc and with my head a fog of dull aches head out for an early breakfast. I stop at a fruit stall and buy some apples on the way. I have a full English which is very pleasant sitting by the window in the sun. Coffee seems to help a bit.

I arrive at the hostel and confirm my place on the Walk. I have 2 bottles of water with me although I do get given a free one as well at the hostel. The trip starts at 8.30 and I arrive at 8 so there is plenty of time. I go and have a sanitary visit (taking my own loo roll as Chinese public toilets never have any!)

As is the way of these things most other people taking the tour are young American backpackers, gap-year types all blonde hair and hot-pants, describing everything as “Awesome!” “How are you today?” “Awesome!” “What do you think of the Wall?” “Awesome!” Apart from that it's all “I've been here and I've been there....etc etc” I tend to find these kinds of people somewhat irksome so avoid any interaction, being something of an old codger!

We have to walk some distance to the coach and as I for some reason find myself ahead of the others have to keep looking back to check I'm going in the right direction! ! I think to myself: “I don't know why they're following me, I don't know where I'm going!”

As it turns out I spot the coach and with my pidgin Chinese manage to confirm it's the right one: I'm getting better at this! (Not much better though, it's a slow process!)

The journey from Beijing takes about 3 hours and is comfortable as it's an air-conditioned coach and we stop for about 15 minutes at Miyun, a town half-way to the Wall for a break and toilet stop!

A sense of anticipation builds up as we approach the Wall and I can see it in the distance. It's much higher up than I expected, also it runs along a number of very steep pinnacles, almost like church steeples or witches' hats, they are so steep and I feel a daunting feeling about how strenuous the Walk is going to be.

We have lunch on the bus (curry and bread for me!) as there is nowhere to eat on the Wall: the tour guide encourages this and I suspect this is to avoid the possibility of litter being left on the Wall.

On arrival at around 11.30 we are greeted by little knots of Chinese ladies all speaking a little English, wearing brightly coloured hats and trying to sell souvenirs. They seem to be everywhere and I politely decline their attempts to get me to buy fake Chinese saucer hats, T-shirts etc.

We are shown a map and told where the bus will be picking us up at 3.30pm, as once on the Wall we will be left to our own devices. After loo visits, ticket issuing, briefing etc we get onto the Wall at about 12.00. The Walk is about 6km (4miles) but is along a set of very steep inclines, passing 22 watchtowers. After the 22^nd we have to come off the Wall and descend. I set off at an ambling pace and on the inclines unlock my knees and take my time. My left knee protests a bit and I groan inwardly as I can imagine getting into discomfort. I have to remind myself I'm 52, not 24! It turns out that I end up several hundred yards ahead of the others and this suits me fine as I'm a solitary walker. The weather is very warm, the sky is clear and perfect for photography. I hydrate every few hundred yards and am glad I left my coat on the bus. I start to feel the power of the sun on my skin.

The views along this section are magnificent and my photography cannot do them justice. This really is one of those unmissable experiences that we will carry with us all our lives!

One one section there is an old Chinese man walking along with a backpack containing some sort of music player playing loud, cheesy Chinese music, smiling inanely and waving his hands in the air. It spoils the tranquillity of the place and I'm glad when I reach one of the watchtowers and he stops with a group of Chinese, it looks as if he is some sort of dance teacher.

I'm very lucky as there are very few people on the Wall today. I originally booked to come in the May Day holiday but changed my mind as all my friends and colleagues told me the place would be impossibly crowded and I'm glad I did it!

In some of the watchtowers I get lost and think I can't get back on the Wall, when I suddenly spot a shaft in the floor, where there is a steep and narrow staircase to descend. Some sections of the Wall consist of very steep staircases, which I climb sideways to protect my knees. In some parts I hold on to the battlements on the side of the Wall to keep my balance.

Now when out walking in my experience there is always some athletic type who wants to spring along like a mountain goat and do the whole thing in as little time as possible. In this case it's two American girls who at this stage are constantly right on my heels. I stop for a rest to let them go past as I can't keep ahead of them. Annoyingly however they stop just after I do and I can't get rid of them, so I push on ahead and keep hydrating, putting some distance between us as they stop inside one of the watchtowers. This seems to work as I find I'm by myself again and can relax a bit. I do try and maintain my pace, avoiding striding too much, taking my time.

The watchtowers are splendid, but inside each one, would you believe it? There are touts selling t-shirts, tepid cans of Red Bull, water and beer! How the hell do they get up here every day? Or are they living on the Wall? This tends to be annoying as inside the watchtowers it's cool and shady, but I can't stay and rest because of the touts so have to keep moving.

  

Some parts of the Wall are crumbling and actually a little dangerous. As I walk along, the gradient is rising all the time so that the further I go, the higher I get, and the views just get better! I'm seduced by the panorama, so take many shots to put together on a PC later!

I start to wish I'd counted the watchtowers as I have no idea how far I've gone or have to go. I try in vain to count them by looking back at the Wall. The trouble is, you can't see all of them because the Wall snakes along in zigzags and sometimes doubles back on itself.

I begin to feel a sense of dizziness and hope this isn't due to encroaching exhaustion as I do feel the strain of the Walk. I think however, that it's actually vertigo caused by the steepness of some of the inclines. At least my headache has disappeared!

Arriving at this watchtower I stop for a minute or two as there is no way I'm walking up there without a rest! When I set off I go sideways on, leaning on the right hand side of the Wall as the battlements on the other side are crumbled away. This part is actually a little hairy! I go up 5 steps at a time and rest for a few seconds every 5. Eventually I get to the top and sit on the step to take a photo.

  A little further up is the entrance to the watchtower where I sit to have a drink of water. As soon as I do, I hear a grunt at my side and a wizened old Chinese man is sitting right next to me. He looks a real character, all Mao hat, pyjama style suit, beard and clay pipe! He grunts at me something like “Buy beer. Buy water.” I try to take his photo but he won't allow me to, grunting “Money,” and rubbing his fingers together. I apologise and get up to go as I find him deeply unpleasant.

I have an apple a little way on as I begin to feel my blood sugar levels getting low. I realise I've also been sweating so much my bag is wet inside! I pass some walkers going the other way and ask how far to the last watchtower. Sadly they don't know but think it may be 5.

Eventually I find a watchtower with steep stairs, but this one has brick-built boxes like small arbours built on to the stairs, presumably for guards to fire arrows from. Just behind me are the inevitable American girls. Unable to stand them on my heels for another minute I sit inside one of the boxes to have a rest, drink and let them go past. I wait for a few minutes, and some Australians pass by and say Hi. I want to stay a little longer but by now am being pestered by hornets so have to move on again. I catch up with the Australians who like me are taking their time, by now the Americans are disappearing fast much to my relief.

Some way further on is a big watchtower, and inside there is cool shade and of course the inevitable T-shirt shop, full of Chinese ladies selling things! We all keep walking along the Wall until they call after us: “This 22! Tower 22!”

I can hardly believe it. It's now 2.15 and I've been on the Wall for just over 2 hours. I hope I've managed to take enough photos. The Wall actually defies photography because of its scale. Unsure of whether we are being misled but actually grateful to come off, we walk slowly down a stone path in the shade of the trees on the mountainside, passing a pagoda and after what seems an age see the coach in the distance. Finally we get to the bottom and are the first ones back. The Walk has taken me around 2.5 hours all told, a little quicker than I had intended, but not at all bad for 52 and out of practice!

We realise the American girls haven't appeared and we didn't see them on the way down. It seems they haven't realised they were at the last tower, or didn't want to stop! We have visions of them getting lost on the Wall and wonder what would happen in that case? A collective sense of worry develops as all the others arrive over the next half-hour. I have a cold beer which turns out to be a mistake as it tastes terrible owing to my over-indulgence the day before!

Finally the Americans appear blithely saying “Oh yeah we just wanted to... walk on, y'know?” Gritting my teeth I wonder again what would have happened if they'd got lost. A collective sigh of relief is breathed and we all relax until it's time to get back on the coach.

The return journey takes much longer than the outward owing to heavy traffic and some of the backpackers wanting to visit the toilet on the way back. One wonders whether they had the sense to visit before we left, and annoyingly trying to make the bus detour for railway stations. In the end they get off at a subway station, and at the last stop I limp wearily off the bus back to the hutong for a plate of ersatz fish and chips and two large cups of ginger tea which is delicious and really restores my spirits! By the time I get there it's 7.20 pm.

I have a hot shower and relax before an early night, which is a dreamless and interrupted sleep, but enough as I feel OK the next morning, although predictably my legs are like jelly!

I don't have the energy to do anything at all today except go for breakfast (an egg mayo and avocado sandwich on toasted bread: delicious!) and wander round Houhai where I visit a tea shop by the lake which is beautiful but exorbitantly expensive!

I have sausage and mash for lunch but for some reason I am unable to just relax. I walk back to the hotel through the hutongs and have a doze which does help and feeling a little better go out for another Indian, and more or less repeat Thursday night in the bars except I don't have too much to drink this time!

BAODING LIFE

I sometimes get asked to show ordinary life in China by my family so these are snapshots of daily life around the University. I hope to visit a village as well at some point.

Watermelons in the street market

One of the street cafes where you can buy beer and a meal!

The night market outside the campus:

A rainy day in China: a sea of umbrellas as the students walk back to college, and street cleaners sheltering from the rain!

I've been looking to buy a bicycle for some time now and so have visited West Street in the old town  a few times which is full of cycle shops and electric scooter shops: some expats have bought one of these! I see what's available in 3 price brackets, low (400-500 RMB) mid (500-800) and high (1000+). My friend Abby offers to come with me to help me communicate with the shop owner and tells me you can haggle the price. There are some racing cycles that look great but they are over 3000 RMB or about £300. That's a good price but too much if you're not staying permanently! 

I meet Abby in town and we visit a few shops: I like the look of some of the bikes outside one particular store: the only problem I have is in finding one tall enough. I test ride a couple of cycles they have there and settle for one that costs RMB 750. It is a 21 speed MTB and looks very stylish. Cheekily I ask Abby if she can bargain the price although I'm willing to pay the original if I have to: my top budget is RMB 1000.  She manages to get it down to RMB 650 which is a good bargain! There is a lock thrown in for free and I buy an extra one for good measure!

I'm pleased with my purchase: Abby goes shopping for some plants for her flat and I offer to buy something for her as a thank you but she won't have it: also I offer lunch but she says no to that too. In the end I cycle back to the University and have lunch in the shacks!

I start cycling around Baoding but have to develop 360 degree vision and extra caution owing to the chaotic nature of Chinese road use!