Scribblings of Robs

15 Sep 2010

That Time in China

China is an absolutely amazing place to visit.

My Dad worked there for quite a few years, so I’ve gotten to wander around in Beijing, Hong Kong , Macau, Tanggu and Dalian. I’ve burst into tears in the Fresh Markets ( if you’re a softie rather skip those) , learnt to bargain in the day and night markets and gotten a string of freshwater pearls for ‘best price’ from the Pearl Market.
I’ve eaten some yummy, local delicacies … and stared suspiciously at others.

I’ve shuffled around the forbidden city in the funky slippers they give you, taken a helicopter with my Dad to see Hong Kong lit up at night and survived the heat of the Beijing ‘Dog Days‘. I’ve smiled and nodded at a stream of rapid, lost-in-translation Chinese, gotten soaked in the street fountains in Summer and run down 38 flights of high-rise stairs when a friends building caught fire.

I miss it sometimes. I have a lot of special memories from our time there.

The temples, the incense, the ferries, the language barriers, the expat community and the infatuation of the local’s with my blonde-haired brother.
If you’re blonde .. take yourself and some autographed 10X15′s to China.

You’ll need them.

The only slight issue with China… is that a lot of stuff is written in Chinese. Which makes for interesting experiences.
My Mum once picked me up some lip-ice from a local store.  Now if something looks like lip-ice, you ignore the Chinese characters and angry-looking, pokemon illustrations on the side because you feel you are safe in the assumption that it’s lip-ice … right?

So I applied several coats, rubbed my lips together and then they started to stick.

It was at this point that I realised I may have been wrong.

Travel Tip: When in China, if it doesn’t say lip-ice on the pot, it’s not lip-ice in the pot.  ;)