Things to do on a Rainy Day in Wenzhou

My days off at Web had been changed since I returned from the UK in February. Previously I had managed to get Friday and Saturday which was incredibly cheeky considering Saturday and Sunday are two of the busiest days in the training centre. As they say, "If you don't ask you don't get".

Since I came back after my holiday the H.R. department had changed my days to Tuesday and Wednesday. I wasn't very happy about this, but I was promised I would have them changed back again after a month. Thankfully they have kept their word which has put a smile back on my face. It means I can go back to teaching children on Saturday and I will also be able to start having piano lessons. The downside of this is that I am now having to work seven days in a row until I make it to next Friday.

This week I had the pleasure of Kimi joining me on my days off. We planned to get out of the apartment and do something. This plan was immediately thrown in the rubbish when we looked out of the window: rain. The rain here has been ferocious and has no intention of stopping. As I write this we are on day 19 of uninterrupted rain. Apparently this is not completely natural either. There have been droughts in some parts of the Zhejiang province so the government have been using a chemical called silver iodide which forces rain clouds to dispense their lot rather prematurely. The first time I heard of such a thing being used here was for the opening ceremony of the Olympic games. Rain was scheduled to coincide with the event, so again, rockets were fired into the sky and a city outside of Beijing was flooded -- probably.

What is there to do on a rainy, dismal, and dull day in Wenzhou? There's only one answer: KTV. Kimi has been eager to go to karaoke for some time, Wednesday just seemed like the perfect day to be stuck inside. The KTV buildings are almost like hotels, you have to book a room, choose the size, and pay for how long you would like to use it for. We purchased the smallest room for a couple of hours, it was cheap at only 28 RMB. Inside, the rooms are neatly decorated with two microphones, a touch screen computer to select the songs, and a large wide-screen TV. I am by no means a qualified singer, but it is strangely enjoyable singing along to music videos in the privacy of a sound-proof room. It isn't easy finding English songs as the search function is useless. Instead you have to trawl through page after page trying to find an artist or song that is recognisable. There was a large choice of Abba, The Beatles, Westlife, and The Backstreet Boys; also some more obscure stuff like Richard Ashcroft, Cat Stevens, and The Animals were available too.

Kimi selecting a song in the "mini-room"

Somehow we managed to spend almost three hours in our room. By the time we checked out it was almost time for dinner. We had decided earlier in the day that we would go for a hotel buffet. They are more expensive than a usual dinner here, but now and again it is worth the treat -- especially as they have things like bread and butter on offer.

We arrived at The Dynasty Hotel opposite from Kimi's home just as the Buffet was starting. As we were about to enter the restaurant we noticed that the price had been raised, instead of the previous 98 RMB it was now 135 RMB. We took a look in the two other hotels close by the Dynasty to compare prices. One of the others was only 68 RMB but was full, and the second was 158 RMB, too much. Back we went to the Dynasty, only this time much wetter.

Both of us were extra-determined to get our money's worth from the meal. I immediately went for the bread and butter, salad, fruit, chips, and desserts. Kimi on the other hand went for the seafood, meat, and desserts.

Making the most out of the buffet

I felt quite sick at the end of it all which could only mean one thing: it was worth it. At least it won't be for another month or two until we do such a thing again.

Massage and Haircuts

Kimi and I went for another foot massage yesterday at the same place we tried in August. It wasn't quite as pleasurable this time, I had a man who didn't quite have the same golden touch as the previous woman. Some of it was actually quite uncomfortable but the resulting effect was still very calming.

Kimi waiting in the massage room

I'm getting my hair cut today and am a little nervous about it. It's been two months since my last trim and I would like something a little different this time. Whenever I make any kind of change I fear I will end up looking like an idiot, especially as my usual hairdresser seems to enjoy doing things her way, partially ignoring all of Kimi's instructions. I usually fall asleep as soon as someone touches my head, so by the time I come around it's too late to say "No!". Oh well, here goes....

Bars and Free Holidays

I must apologise for my rant about the air raid siren yesterday. It seems that it wasn't a random blasting of the alarm after all. At work I found that others had been disturbed by it also, so I asked what the point of it all was. Many didn't know, but a couple told me the real reason: September 18th is the anniversary of when Japan attacked and began an invasion of China in 1931. Every year the sirens go off all over the country to remember the people who died in the war, similar to our Rememberance Day -- although wearing a poppy is much more subtle than blasting an air raid siren.

Last night I went for a few drinks with Johan from work. I've not been to any bars or nightclubs for a while because I really don't like them here in Wenzhou. They are over-priced, play horrible-deafening music, and accommodate the kind of "foreigner" I wouldn't usually choose to be around. Not that these people are bad or anything, but for me, some of them can be a little....weird. I believe that a lot of people who are teaching in China have come for an adventure, escape, or are completely lost. In any case, I find that quite a few of these "lao wai" just aren't on the same wave length as me (I can't even describe what wave-length some of them are on). That's not to say I haven't met any great people, because I have, and many of them too.

A typical scene in a Chinese night club, it's a shame you can't hear the deafening (and terrible) music and taste the dense cigarette smog that fills the building. Also notice the welcoming stare from a local regular.

Anyway, back to last night. The place that Johan took me too wasn't a bar at all, it was a restaurant; but inside it was reminiscent of a semi-classy bar from home. Dim-lighting, fashionable furniture and décor, music being played at a sensible volume (God, am I middle-aged?), and most importantly of all, cheap beer. Finally, I have found a great place to relax, talk and have a drink. We had a good conversation about many things last night, it was interesting to find that somebody who seems so different than me can have so many things in common. I look forward to going back to this restaurant/bar soon (it's only a couple of minutes away from my home too).

I also found out yesterday that Web is going to pay for it's teaching staff to go on holiday for three days in October (October 1st is National Day in China, another public holiday). Luckily for me they have decided to go to Xiamen, the same place Kimi and I were planning to travel to. Of course I didn't forget about Kimi in all of this, I can bring her too, but she will have to pay the full cost. This is not a problem because we will still be getting the holiday at half the price really. The only drawback to Xiamen is the bus ride. It's going to be at least seven hours, and after my experience of travelling to Wuzhen and Xitang, I would much rather spend more time at the destination than on a bouncy bus.

One Year Later

It amazes me that I came to China to work and live over one year ago, the time has just flown by so incredibly quickly. Something else I cannot believe is that it is exactly one year to the day that I met Kimi for first time (outside Pizza Hut, Wulin Square, Hangzhou). To celebrate this fact, we decided to go for a foot massage together and have dinner in a newly opened Macau restaurant.

Today was my first time to have a foot massage and it exceeded all of my expectations. We entered the neatly decorated building and were rapidly lead to a small private room. There were two comfortable chairs and a television which was playing an irritatingly loud Chinese play. The TV was instantly switched off and I sat back as Kimi chose the type of massage we would be having. The order was made, a man and woman entered the room, and the process of cleansing (or cleaning) our feet began (it seems that females get a male masseur and males get a female). As I watched the woman massage me and the man massage Kimi, it almost looked like a mirror image. They were working in exactly the same order, manner and timing. One hour later and I felt like my legs and feet didn't belong to my body any more, they had completely switched off. The lady put my socks on and I realised it was time to wake up. The experience was very pleasurable, she didn't tickle or hurt me at all (unlike a "blind massage" where they practically pull the bones out of your sockets).

We paid, left the building, and caught a taxi to D&L square where the Macau restaurant is located. Neither of us knew beforehand but this restaurant serves hot pot (not to be confused with the Lancashire kind), a slight disappointment considering my preconceptions of what food in Macau must be like. We ordered the soup and various items that would go into the pot. From the menu it looked slightly overpriced for a meal where you basically have to cook it yourself. Seconds later the waiters came bringing the vegetables, meat (for Kimi), and the pot -- which is placed on a hot ring in the middle of the table. We threw in some food, waited for the soup to boil, and tasted....it was disgusting. Of course Kimi liked it, but I could taste something revolting in the water and it tainted everything that went into it. Not only that, but I was sure there was meat or seafood in the "vegetable buns" and "cheese buns". The latter was especially horrible and didn't taste like cheese at all.

The Hot Pot (ergh!)

Since I became a vegetarian I have not eaten a meal that I thought was unappetizing once. Today was the first time in over four years I have admitted to disliking something. The reason for this was simple: I don't think the meal wasn't vegetarian at all.

After we paid the bill (279 RMB) and walked out of the complex, the Pizza Hut near the entrance suddenly looked more appetising than ever.