Friday 2010-08-20
Whew – another early morning from Jonathan – this time though
it was 6:30 instead of 5:30! Last night too, a bunch of people came
in after midnight talking VERY loudly in the hallways – it sounded
like dozens of people all laughing and having a
great time
:-(. They were out there for at least 15 or 20 minutes being very
obnoxious. I wonder how many of them had a little too much to
drink...
This morning we had our usual “before breakfast” stroll down
the boardwalk along the lake. Then we had our “usual” breakfast
and came back up to the room. Jonathan needed to get out about 9:30
(he was getting antsy) so Charles stayed and did computer stuff while
Michele and Jonathan wandered around the hotel and surrounding area.
Apparently there is a big conference or something happening today
here, because there were a large number of people (all dressed in
white shirts and black pants or skirts) milling around and talking.
The obnoxious part was the SMOKING. Ugh. It was so thick in the
lobby and lower floors you could see it. Michele had a sore throat
before she was done. Unfortunately this was the day Jonathan wanted
to be inside instead of out... She “forced” him to go out
though, when she just couldn't stand the smoke anymore. Boy, the
Chinese people are going to have a serious lung cancer problem in a
decade or so...
When we first got Jonathan, he had a mild cold, and that seems to
be mostly clearing up. But he still has a racking cough – that
happens if he cries hard, or when he first gets up. Charles made the
observation this morning that it really sounds like an asthmatic
cough (Charles has asthma, as does Alexander, so we are familiar with
that sound). We wouldn't be surprised a bit if he did,
considering the smoke he's spent the first 2 ½ years of his life
inhaling!!!
Nap time came early today – 11:00, which is good since we need
to checkout today and catch a plane this evening to our next city.
Here are some more “cultural differences” to share:
It's suberbly hot and sticky over here, but the Chinese people
enjoy the “fresh air”. They all have A/C but don't use it except
at night or when a child is taking a nap. Otherwise they leave the
windows open.
Yogurt for babies and toddlers is a big thing here. As soon as
they can drink from a straw as an infant they are given little cups
of yogurt with a straw pushed through the lid to drink, like an
American child would drink a bottle. Even at Jonathan's age, he is
still used to 2 “bottles” a day. The kind we get at the
breakfast buffet are a similar size and style to the pudding cups you
can buy for kid's lunches in the US. They have a foil lid that you
push a straw through (like a “Capri-Sun”). The more common kind
is one that doesn't need to be kept cold. It's about the same
volume, but a hard plastic bottle with a small, hard, foil lid that
the straw gets punched through. It reduces spilling and you see
little kids frequently, sucking on these as they are walking along
the street or park. I'm sure this is very good for their little
digestive systems. Yogurt has all sorts of good things in it.
We've talked about the transportation differences a little here.
In Hong Kong, things were set up very smoothly. Many buses, taxis
and trains served most people's needs very well. There were few cars
and even fewer bicycles and motorcycles. In mainland, things are
quite different. American cities think that encouraging people to
use bikes and motorcycles, to reduce traffic and emissions is the
answer to all their traffic woes. Anyone who truly believes that,
needs to come to a Chinese city. Even the Chinese cities, with many
fewer cars, can't cope with all the bikes and scooters! When you do
get more than half your population on bikes and scooters, with out
planning for them properly (like designated lanes and rules) it turns
into an absolute zoo. It's really scary walking on the side walk or
crossing the street. America has huge traffic congestion problems,
but if all of those people tried to switch to bikes, it wouldn't
help. It's hard to say what the best choice is, but blindly
saying that all people should take bikes isn't it!
It's interesting looking at the transportation vehicles
themselves. The cars are ALL new. It's hard to find anything over
five years old. It would be interesting to know what these cars cost
over here. It's hard to say that anything over here is a true
“motorcycle”. You really don't find anything that big. Most
things would be classified as “scooters”. Some are two seaters,
some are really old and rusty, some are brand new and shiny. Some
even double as bicycles – they can be pedaled or motor-driven.
None are very loud. The bikes are reminiscent of America's bikes in
the 50's for the most part. A few newer (like 20 year old) bikes are
around, but they are hard to find. “Mountain bikes” are very
rare – most are wide-seated, “touring” style. Most appear to
have been around for quite some time.
Another little note – this may have been mentioned earlier, but
in Hong Kong it was interesting that they started numbering all of
their building's floors at the “ground” floor. The floor above
the ground floor was the first floor. Above that was the second
floor. It was really confusing when we asked where something was and
they said “it's on the first floor” and we'd say “but we're on
the first floor!”. Luckily, on the mainland, things are numbered
similarly to America.
Another interesting difference: The Chinese people enjoy swinging
their arms and slapping themselves on their back as they walk (in
time as they walk) – we assume to improve circulation and just get
everything flowing well. It looks quite strange to a Westerner to
see people just walking casually, anywhere, and
swinging their arms wildly. But if you've never tried it, you should
– it really does feel good (but it you are in America, don't do it
in public... :-) ).
The afternoon was really boring as we
alternated waiting in our room with taking Jonathan out in a smoky
hotel with going outside in the heat briefly (we didn't want to spend
too much time and get really sweaty outside because we wouldn't be
able shower when we got back since we were leaving.) Finally 3:00
came and we went down to a meeting room in the hotel to wait for
Jonathan's passport. The other family I mentioned before also came
for the same thing. Eventually a police officer arrived (a very
young, slightly “I'm not totally sure what I'm doing”, man). The
fellow from the Civil Affairs office was there as well and gave us
each a gift – a decorative plate with Pandas on it (neat since we
got to see the Pandas the day before). The police officer signed the
paperwork and gave us Jonathan's passport. I asked for a photo of
the Civil affairs person and the officer. They seemed surprised at
first, but then realized they liked the idea and soon everyone was
exchanging cameras and taking pictures :-).
Then we headed to the airport
with Helen and the same driver that brought us to the hotel from the
airport. We got there about 3 ½ hours before our flight. Ugh. We
really wished it hadn't been so long. The Fuzhou airport is the
smallest we've been in yet, and it doesn't take much effort to walk
through the ENTIRE thing. It would have been boring by ourselves –
but with an active 2 year old!!! Wow. Then or flight was delayed an
hour and a half. So make that 5 hours in the airport with an active
2 year old. We were exhausted before even boarding. We ate a light
dinner at the airport and were grateful when we finally boarded.
Jonathan did really well on the
flight, considering it was SOOOO late. We didn't get off the plane
until after midnight and Jonathan didn't sleep a bit on the plane.
He got up from his nap this afternoon around 12:30 and didn't sleep
again until we were in the car coming to the hotel around 12:30
midnight. Anyway, the airplane dropped us off really close (for a
huge airport) to the baggage claim area and we actually got out
rather quickly. We met our new guide, whose American name was also
Helen (this could get confusing!!!) and she led us to the van we
would be riding in. A bit older van than the last one – and to
Michele's worry, had NO seatbelts in the back seats at all. The
driver was fairly similar to the other driver – just a bit older.
Our new guide looks to be just a bit older than our last one.
It
took us over 45 minutes to get to the hotel – and Jonathan (big
surprise) slept the entire way. On the plane he was cute – he had
to figure out everything – the buttons, the seatbelt, the lap tray
etc... He spent time playing peek a boo with a teenage girl behind
us. He munched a lot on snacks – both the peanuts and the things
we packed. He drove his car some – he only fussed when he had to
be strapped back in his seat at descent. Then the stewardess brought
him a little sack of breath mints. That kept him busy until we
disembarked the plane.
The drive took us on very similar
territory to the drive from the Fuzhou airport. Lots of freeways
that look just like US freeways. Our hotel is in a REALLY old
building – not nearly as nice as the last one. But what was funny
was how similar the hotel room is to the last one. It is laid out
EXACTLY the same way – just a little smaller. Similar furnishings
(though Michele really likes this mattress better than the last one)
though a darker tone because the trim is dark here. The carpet,
towels etc... are downgrade – but the air-conditioning works
better! It actually got cool enough to keep Charles comfortable!
The smoking was terrible in the
hallways outside our room though. Gag. I will be so glad to get
back to a country that doesn't allow smoking in buildings... Ooof –
and the Greek art on the walls we find quite offensive. Naked bodies
plastered around (like what you look at when the elevator doors open,
an entire wall on one side of the lobby). It's just not what we
consider art.
The location of the hotel is much more
convenient to things than our last one was though. The last one was
surrounded by park and other hotels. This one, while we do miss the
park, is really close to restaurants, shopping places etc...