Various cousins and friends turned up throughout the meal, as is becoming the norm, each of whom tried to get me to eat more and more.
I hadn’t been for a poo since arriving in Baise. It wasn’t that I didn’t need to, only I can’t do it while crouching. The first time I stayed in Guangxi three years ago Tan’s mum had to go out and buy a special raised seat that is usually used for the infirm after I hadn’t gone for over a week. The last time I came to Pingguo our friends, who had built a new house where we were staying, had installed a Western style toilet especially for me. So I asked Tan if she could go and get me one from Baise. She laughed (heartless woman) which made the other women ask what she was laughing about. Before I knew it they were all in hysterics about my aversion to crouching, and started telling stories about how when they went to a western toilet they couldn’t go and ended up crouching on the seat! I suppose it is a bit funny really when you picture it – it’s just that it’s not the usual topic of conversation around an English breakfast table.
I was stuffed and spent a lot of time playing with Leilei and Qi qi outside. Tan’s sister’s daughter had also turned up after having had to study till 10.30pm the night before. She is called Chuan chuan and is older than Qi qi (and from another marriage).
Apparently if you are from the country and your first child is a girl, you are allowed to have a second child four years later. Additionally if your first child is handicapped you can also have a second one. How nice. I think it’s really all to do with the son staying at home to look after the parents when they get old – so a son is like a kind of pension whereas a daughter will just get wed and go away.
Brought Leilei back to the hotel by 12 and we both fell asleep while mama and her sister went to buy jade and clothes and get their face washed. Three hours later they were back and telling us Chuan chuan and Qi qi were waiting for us to go and eat. As it transpired, they weren’t…we went boring clothes shopping until I took Leilei and Qi qi to the park to alleviate their boredom. I had to call Tan to come and help us when they both became too annoying. We then made a move back to the hotel, where Leilei fell asleep again.
At least Tan had bought a raised toilet seat, having had to search all over town to find one, so I got some relief and was able to eat later.
We were supposed to go for a meal with Tan’s friend Li Quan, but then Tan’s sister rang to say she’d booked a table at a posh restaurant for us that evening. Then we heard that the hotel owner had already cooked for us – dumplings and all. In the end we had to blow out Li Quan and Tan’s sister, who came to the meal at the hotel. It was actually extremely good with turtle soup, prawns, bbq pork, duck etc….
At 8.30 Tan’s friend since childhood came round with her nine-year-old daughter. She is slim and tall and has short hair (the mother). She booked us a room in a KTV place (i.e. a karaoke room) where we all went after the meal. Leilei and Qi qi loved it, running around the place like kids in a karaoke bar. Leilei’s dad tried to get drunk on tiny glasses on beer and would have succeeded if it wasn’t for having to sing Sounds of Silence twice and Ni shi Wo de Mei Gui Hua again.
More people came during the evening, and whenever they sang they seemed to be very drunk although they weren’t. According to Tan it’s a kind of relief. Lord knows what they did before Karaoke….
Luckily you can't hear photos.
Got home after midnight and I watched the last ten minutes of Spurs beating Portsmouth on the telly before getting my laptop from the reception and writing this diary.
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