14 August 2006
My trip home included two days in Beijing
and although hot and hazy, it was great,
and I would love to go again but preferably not by myself.

Absolutely no comparison to say Calcutta of the same 14 million population size
it is modern, some of the old is preserved and not crumbling to decay,
and it is clean.



It was a balance of being foot weary from walking the Forbidden City and a visit to the Great Wall among the surging tides of tourists,
.... and being anxious to board the final plane where I narrowly avoided the recent terrorist security measures ....

arriving back to Auckland ...........


just before some other little person landed to Aaron & Kerry
in Vancouver at 10.59pm 11 August.

The loop is closed - back at Tuapiro,
and good to be home with my lovely
and so I will not be updating this until perhaps
on the occassion of the next adventure

Cheers
Big Al

3 August

we (who live near auckland) all have had our little experiences with "asian" drivers
and now i know why

having experienced some pretty horrific traffic behaviour in other places in "asia"
let me say these chinese are a god send
they drive around here in all manner of vehicles from audis to motorbikes

(I think VW is no.1 and GM no. 2 in local sales - does this mean GM is targetting China since Toyota is now no. 2 in the US?)

and all very slowly - with no apparent road rules of note - but no horns at high speed -
and even though 300 people die on chinese roads every DAY it is not from around here
(but probably pedestrians in Beijing)

and so it is traffic in slow motion
and although it is all over the place it doesnt matter since it is all avoidable.

And here is why :
- they drive their cars like they are are still on the bicycles that China grew up on -
a deeply ingrained way of transportation probably invented here about 5000 years ago.

that is my observation for the day (but i have been thinking about it for a while)

And gas stations look the same everywhere
93 octane = $NZ0.82
9 pint bottles of beer = NZD$3

2 august
just been out for a dusk time walk
in thongs

i would not be brave enough to do that in India !

but the good news is that i have found out where the oldies hang out
just in their own neighbourhoods - so i have relaxed about that
they are not all in the salt mines

there is some big mongolian festival hatching
and the town is in clean up and flag hanging mode
and
the hotel is fully booked - just in time for pete's arrival
i hope he does not snore

i am booked into beijing
and reading up on the quick tourist options
a day at the great wall at least

getting the smell of home
not to mention the
ozone from the electical storms

1 August 06

they are happy because i am sending them home
job over

and i am in countdown mode as well
pete arrives thursday
i leave here monday
big mongolian festival is starting
will check it out before the great wall
al