Since I have arrived, the weather has been freezing and dull and
grey….so I haven’t really ventured outside of our suburb……but
each day I try to do something different.
Our heating has been broken, so we had manager of the complex come
and look, then the landlord…then finally the technician….this is
where I learnt that the Chinese just get on with things….and it’s
soooooo cool. We are on the 7th storey of the apartment building. The
electric heaters are plugged to the fan and some other thing on the
outside of the building….so if that breaks…you somehow have to get
outside the building and fix it.
Well…….the technician came with a harness….there was nowhere
to strap the harness to…..so….he opened the window….gave me and
the building manager the rope he was attached too….and climbed
out….here we are…..two blokes….we couldn’t speak to each other
cause I can’t speak mandarin, and he can’t speak english….so
everything is by eye gestures and hand signals….and we’re holding a
rope with a dude hanging out the window…..he perched himself into a
whole underneath the balcony and did his job……then we pulled him
up…..was scary….I felt for him…he was tough….tough man….but
we finally got heating and we don’t have to experience the minus 0
weather…..
The sun finally decided to come out in the last couple of days, so
I ventured out a bit further…..and has been cool….the intimidation
levels are decreasing each day, and I’m getting to the point where I
feel I can catch a cab on my own and take myself to the city…which I
will cause I really wanna take a photo of the Pearl tower….
The other night, SW’s best freind’s brother arrived in Shanghai.
The plan was for us to meet him and have dinner with him. He arrived,
and decided to take the Maglev into the city…problem is…he had no
idea where to go from there…..so he got lost…..he rang us while we
were in the cab on the way in to meet him….so our dinner night turned
into 3 hours of searching…..people….if you get lost, stay put! And
describe your surroundings…..it made it very difficult when he moved
about! So 3 hours later, dinnerless, we found him and got him to his
hotel! We went home….I loved the experience, cause got to see the
city at night…It’s huge! It’s like Bourke Street Mall….3 times as
big! With Neon lights everywhere…..it’s cool…I got to see the Pearl
tower at night….that was cool…but the lights had been switched
off…..and because I didn’t bring my tripod, wouldn’t have been able
to take a shot.
Yesterday, we waled to another commercial district….it was
awesome…about 1.5 hour walk…..bucket loads of people, cars, taxi’s,
bikes and buses…awesome…here, there is a dome shaped building, in
it….a multi storey market….where, you can get whatever you
want…..fake, not fake or those special orders where things are made
after hours….I got myself a tripod…cause I need one….esecially
now that I have just enrolled in the Professional Photography Online
course witht he Photography institute. Something to keep me busy while
I have nothing to do…..
Also got a router and a mouse….ooh….that day I also got merino
wool socks! And a Nalgene bottle…..now Frutz knows that I only one
get one to try and prove the theory and their stateme wrong that it’s
industructable…..but…i don’t have a water bottle here and it looks
cool…..so I might hold of in trying to break it….don’t
worry…these things were bought from the legit store…..like
Kathmandu….and they are more expensive than in Oz….
The othernight I was taken to Blue Frog….a local pub….there…I
felt proud….I felt my alcoholism was now somewhat comparable to
SteveO’s……where….if you have all 100 shots they have on their
list….you get your name printed on the special wall of fame….so
I’ve started…im on 10…90 more to go…it’s not that cheap
though…and I don’t really think they have that much alcohol. Cause
after the 10….I really wasn only slightly tipsy…….
Anywho….that’s it for now…enjoy the photo’s (above) I add 3 to the collection each day……
Hooroo/Zai Jane……
