Finally finally. We packed up, paid our bills and walked to the nearest tube station. Hong Kong had been more than ok, considering the circumstances - I mean there are far more places I'd rather not be stuck with a chickenpoxy daughter. It took a bit longer than we hoped at the airport. But if they had complained about not coming back to the airport doctor to get a "fit to fly" certificate I'd have done my nut. Anyway, after some altercations with the paperwork we were checked in, and they waved a blind eye at my overweight luggage when I explained we'd had to stay a week longer than planned.
For the first time since 2003 I was actually happy to be on the plane back to the UK. It was fairly uneventful, and luckily we got a seat at the bulkhead with a mother and her kid. So Xixi didn't sleep for ages and I was so looking forward to a relaxing glass of red. This did eventually happen but I was so exhausted it didn't really count.
And that was it for another year. A great time again at our home-from-home. A house sale agreed. My brother having his first Pingguo experience. My American colleague also getting the Pingguo taste. There was rarely a dull moment, and that's why I love being there - chickenpox cannot affect that.
Tuesday, July 07, 2009
Monday, July 06, 2009
Finally fit to fly!
I decided that Xixi's spots were sufficiently dry that I'd arrange to take her to the doctor. After an online search I managed to find one that was able to see us that day that was a bit of a walk away. Well we had time on our hands and didn't want to cheat by using a taxi, so we set off through one of the many parks around here. At the doctor's the receptionist spoke English to us. We waited a handful of minutes before being seen. When we were I mentioned that the airport doctor said we needed to come back to see him, but this doctor agreed with me and said that was stuff and nonsense. He also derided the decision not to let Xixi fly. However, after writing a "fit to fly" certificate (phew) he did also sell us some lotion for her spots for another tenner. I didn't argue. We were now in the clear to go home.
Xixi happy with the doctor's verdict
After the doctor we stopped off at a local outside eatery and had some dumplings. It was a cheap, but enjoyable time with other normal Hong Kongers. We then played in the local park for a bit before Xixi was shattered and fell asleep while being pushed back to the hotel. I'd have loved to do so myself but I rang Virgin and arranged to get the next flight tomorrow. Later we gave the good news to the family back home, and had a relatively quiet last night in Hong Kong.
Xixi happy with the doctor's verdict
After the doctor we stopped off at a local outside eatery and had some dumplings. It was a cheap, but enjoyable time with other normal Hong Kongers. We then played in the local park for a bit before Xixi was shattered and fell asleep while being pushed back to the hotel. I'd have loved to do so myself but I rang Virgin and arranged to get the next flight tomorrow. Later we gave the good news to the family back home, and had a relatively quiet last night in Hong Kong.
Sunday, July 05, 2009
Bonding is the bright side while we're stuck here
Well if nothing else this unexpected sojourn in Hong Kong has proven to be a nice bonding exercise with Xixi. She's quite naughty but very lovable and seemingly enjoying every minute. We went out to look around Kowloon a bit more tonight. We got a bit lost and encountered some more rain, though not as heavy as yesterday. If yesterday was the clouds giving birth, today was more of a placenta. We shared another rather difficult meal outside before realising we didn't know which bus to get back. We asked a couple of policemen and although they tried in English it ended up being quicker to sort it out in Mandarin. However we ended up getting a 4 quid cab back to the hotel as it's a hassle getting the buggy onto a busy bus.
Saturday, July 04, 2009
Third day and hotel in Hong Kong
After breakfast on the 14th floor Xixi and I checked out and got a taxi to the hotel I booked yesterday. This was much nicer, if not so central, and around 30 quid a night. I imagine it had seen better business when the airport was in use, but it was clean, and much quieter than our previous one.
One thing I've noticed here is that pretty much everyone selling something speaks Mandarin. I daresay that wasn't the case just a few years ago. This makes life a lot easier. After getting dressed I realised I had no clean clothes left. No problem, there were plenty of local shops near our hotel and we went to these and did a little bargaining. One shop gave a free pair of pants when they heard our story of the chickenpox!
We met my friend Mr Kam from last year. Unfortunately his wife couldn't make it as she had an exam or something. He took us to a vibrant restaurant in a shopping centre not 10 minutes walk from our hotel. The food was excellent but Xixi's behaviour wasn't. She was extremely excitable and kept running off among the other tables. While this was acceptable, even amusing behaviour in China, it wasn't appreciated quite so much here, so I was on an endless quest to find her and bring her back, in between taking her to the loo. I think that may have given Mr Kam an idea of what it's like to have young kids and I hope he doesn't rush into it too soon. Anyway, what food I ate I enjoyed, and of course he insisted on paying.
After bidding 88, Xixi and I went for a walk again. We saw a really cool orange Lotus before the heavens opened as I'd predicted. Luckily, most buildings overhang the pavements so you can get some cover as you walk back. Xixi had her nap and I checked her spots...not really crusty yet so I booked another night. In the evening we decided to take a bus to downtown Kowloon where we paid another visit to the geek street and I bought a couple of tripods (one for Andge), 5 electric adapters from anywhere to UK, and a pair of tracksuit bottoms. Err, and a bottle of wine that was on offer.
A pretty girl with a pretty car
The not-too-inspiring view from our East Kowloon hotel (the old airport)
The view from the hotel looks a bit better at night (with a long exposure)
When we got back we went online and had a nice webcam chat with Leilei, mama and Waipo. It's these aspects of modern technology that make setbacks such as our experience a lot easier to manage.
Xixi reaching out to Leilei 5000 miles away
Xixi happy, if still chickenpoxy
Xixi was particularly excited and wouldn't sleep till 11pm so I didn't get much chance to appreciate my bottle of wine though.
One thing I've noticed here is that pretty much everyone selling something speaks Mandarin. I daresay that wasn't the case just a few years ago. This makes life a lot easier. After getting dressed I realised I had no clean clothes left. No problem, there were plenty of local shops near our hotel and we went to these and did a little bargaining. One shop gave a free pair of pants when they heard our story of the chickenpox!
We met my friend Mr Kam from last year. Unfortunately his wife couldn't make it as she had an exam or something. He took us to a vibrant restaurant in a shopping centre not 10 minutes walk from our hotel. The food was excellent but Xixi's behaviour wasn't. She was extremely excitable and kept running off among the other tables. While this was acceptable, even amusing behaviour in China, it wasn't appreciated quite so much here, so I was on an endless quest to find her and bring her back, in between taking her to the loo. I think that may have given Mr Kam an idea of what it's like to have young kids and I hope he doesn't rush into it too soon. Anyway, what food I ate I enjoyed, and of course he insisted on paying.
After bidding 88, Xixi and I went for a walk again. We saw a really cool orange Lotus before the heavens opened as I'd predicted. Luckily, most buildings overhang the pavements so you can get some cover as you walk back. Xixi had her nap and I checked her spots...not really crusty yet so I booked another night. In the evening we decided to take a bus to downtown Kowloon where we paid another visit to the geek street and I bought a couple of tripods (one for Andge), 5 electric adapters from anywhere to UK, and a pair of tracksuit bottoms. Err, and a bottle of wine that was on offer.
A pretty girl with a pretty car
The not-too-inspiring view from our East Kowloon hotel (the old airport)
The view from the hotel looks a bit better at night (with a long exposure)
When we got back we went online and had a nice webcam chat with Leilei, mama and Waipo. It's these aspects of modern technology that make setbacks such as our experience a lot easier to manage.
Xixi reaching out to Leilei 5000 miles away
Xixi happy, if still chickenpoxy
Xixi was particularly excited and wouldn't sleep till 11pm so I didn't get much chance to appreciate my bottle of wine though.
Friday, July 03, 2009
Second day in Hong Kong
I'm not used to waking up in a strange place with my daughter, but I may have to get used to it for a bit. I'm resigned to the fact that we'll be here 4-5 days at least, so we'll need to find somewhere else to stay, preferably a little less expensive too.
So I found a slightly cheaper hotel in Kowloon and we checked out and got the train to downtown Hong Kong. Unfortunately the hotel was covered in bamboo scaffolding (we have that in Guangxi, but I didn't think I'd see it in HK), but I couldn't be bothered to find another place. We went out for lunch then Xixi had a nap while I looked for a new place for tomorrow. I got in contact with a bloke I'd met last year in HK when I came here for one evening as I wasn't allowed to spend more than 60 days in China in one go. We arranged to meet up for a meal the next day. I booked a hotel on the East side of Kowloon, right next to where the old airport used to be.
After Xixi woke up from her nap, the afternoon started to comprise loud banging and drilling to accompany the scaffolding. So we went out to Kowloon to explore. It was quite stifling outside, though with pregnant clouds looking days overdue to give birth to a deluge overhead. After walking around for a bit evening arrived and we found a street selling lots of things that baba liked, such as mini-tripods, and a movement sensor that shouted a welcome in Mandarin when triggered. Although intended for a shop (Ma Laoban has one in his computer shop), I thought it would make a good burglar alarm back home! We tried to enjoy a nice meal outside (with zhou for Xixi), but she was in a naughty mood and kept running away from our table. It took some getting used to, but here she isn't such a little treasure as she is in mainland China, and I'm certainly nothing special at all!
The other thing I did was to buy a SIM card and let Tan know the number. They had got back ok, which was a big relief. A bonus was that it was cheap to call China too so I could speak to friends there...
So I found a slightly cheaper hotel in Kowloon and we checked out and got the train to downtown Hong Kong. Unfortunately the hotel was covered in bamboo scaffolding (we have that in Guangxi, but I didn't think I'd see it in HK), but I couldn't be bothered to find another place. We went out for lunch then Xixi had a nap while I looked for a new place for tomorrow. I got in contact with a bloke I'd met last year in HK when I came here for one evening as I wasn't allowed to spend more than 60 days in China in one go. We arranged to meet up for a meal the next day. I booked a hotel on the East side of Kowloon, right next to where the old airport used to be.
After Xixi woke up from her nap, the afternoon started to comprise loud banging and drilling to accompany the scaffolding. So we went out to Kowloon to explore. It was quite stifling outside, though with pregnant clouds looking days overdue to give birth to a deluge overhead. After walking around for a bit evening arrived and we found a street selling lots of things that baba liked, such as mini-tripods, and a movement sensor that shouted a welcome in Mandarin when triggered. Although intended for a shop (Ma Laoban has one in his computer shop), I thought it would make a good burglar alarm back home! We tried to enjoy a nice meal outside (with zhou for Xixi), but she was in a naughty mood and kept running away from our table. It took some getting used to, but here she isn't such a little treasure as she is in mainland China, and I'm certainly nothing special at all!
The other thing I did was to buy a SIM card and let Tan know the number. They had got back ok, which was a big relief. A bonus was that it was cheap to call China too so I could speak to friends there...
Thursday, July 02, 2009
Really not a good day
Today was not great.
Waking up at 5am was not great. Having our cab arrive late was not great. Having Tan sprain her ankle in the ensuing rush to get to the boat to take us to Hong Kong was not great. But these were the high points of the day.
Despite Tan's hobbling, and Waipo's stubborn attempts to help me with all the luggage, we were in good time for the plane and breathed a huge sigh of relief when we had finally settled into our seats. Tan started to undress Xixi to get her pyjamas on for the flight. That was when our bad day got a lot, lot worse. One of the air hostesses noticed Xixi's spots from her Chickenpox and said she'd need to get a doctor to check her. To cut a long story, and argument, short, the doctor said Xixi couldn't fly, so we were all taken off the plane and introduced to a confusion-laced pandemonium, with some ignorance thrown in for good measure.
Nobody seemed able to give us proper advice. One thing was clear: Xixi would not be allowed to fly until a doctor had cleared her as being non-contagious, which would be days. So I made the calm announcement that Waipo, Tan and Leilei must take the next flight back to London (that night), and I would stay with Xixi as long as it took. There were tears, but there was not really any practical option; Tan staying with Xixi might have been had she not sprained her ankle.
We were finally advised that I would need to go back to mainland China as there was no official route from this part of the airport to Hong Kong itself; while in the airport we were officially still in mainland China. So while some officials were arranging a boat back to Shenzhen I thought to tell them my double-entry Chinese visa had already used up its entry quota, and that I didn't think I'd be allowed back. "No, no, it is fine", was the response. I wasn't convinced. A few minutes later I was called over to pay for the boat tickets back. "Are you sure I'll be allowed back?" I asked again? "Yes, of course". So I paid for the tickets and went back to console the wife. But I still had a nagging doubt in my mind as I've experience officialdom in these parts before and I don't have complete confidence. I insisted the boat ticket sellers ring the Shenzhen customs and explain my visa situation. They did, and after getting some other people involved in the conversation sheepishly told me I wouldn't be allowed back in with my visa and offered me a refund.
But now there was a different problem; I was not officially allowed to get to Hong Kong from where we were. Well I wasn't prepared to spend a week in an airport with poorly Xixi so again I insisted that some sort of protocol needed to be broken or I would ensure that they would regret it. Eventually some higher-ranking airport official came to sort out the problem. After some sad goodbyes, Xixi and I left the rest of the family for a strange walk through the airport with our luggage, past bemused officials, and after going through passport control again were now officially in Hong Kong. The next step was to go to the airport doctor to get an official "Not fit to fly" certificate. Not only did the certificate cost 40 quid, we were also "advised" to buy some ointment for another tenner. Then we were told that once Xixi's spots had become crusty we could take her back to the doctor to inspect again and give her a "Fit to fly" certificate if all was ok. "Can I go to any doctor to do this?", "No, you must come back here". I had a nagging doubt again.
Our last port of call in the airport was to book a hotel. I just wanted something close for the time-being, and we found that there was a good discount on one of the hotels a few minutes from the airport, as business had not been so good recently - 60 quid for a night was not too bad. After a taxi to the (rather nice) hotel and a shower and poopoo (for Xixi), we went for a walk. It was funny seeing Indians standing at a table in a 7-11 drinking beer from a can. And we saw some white people too. But red was the colour I was interested in. I probably go on about it too much, but I'm still shocked about the quality/style of red wine produced in China when they have such great weather for grape growing. One day I expect them to be exporting some grands crus. One day. But Hong Kong had imports at a similar price to the UK. I got a couple of mini bottles for me, plus some nibbles for us to eat.
Xixi seemed very non-plussed about the whole experience. She took everything in her stride and was a delightful companion. Unfortunately Tan was uncontactable as her Chinese SIM card didn't work in Hong Kong, and she hadn't put her UK one in. That night, over a glass of wine after Xixi had gone to sleep, I hoped they had got on their 11pm flight ok, and wondered what the next few days had in store for us.
Waking up at 5am was not great. Having our cab arrive late was not great. Having Tan sprain her ankle in the ensuing rush to get to the boat to take us to Hong Kong was not great. But these were the high points of the day.
Despite Tan's hobbling, and Waipo's stubborn attempts to help me with all the luggage, we were in good time for the plane and breathed a huge sigh of relief when we had finally settled into our seats. Tan started to undress Xixi to get her pyjamas on for the flight. That was when our bad day got a lot, lot worse. One of the air hostesses noticed Xixi's spots from her Chickenpox and said she'd need to get a doctor to check her. To cut a long story, and argument, short, the doctor said Xixi couldn't fly, so we were all taken off the plane and introduced to a confusion-laced pandemonium, with some ignorance thrown in for good measure.
Nobody seemed able to give us proper advice. One thing was clear: Xixi would not be allowed to fly until a doctor had cleared her as being non-contagious, which would be days. So I made the calm announcement that Waipo, Tan and Leilei must take the next flight back to London (that night), and I would stay with Xixi as long as it took. There were tears, but there was not really any practical option; Tan staying with Xixi might have been had she not sprained her ankle.
We were finally advised that I would need to go back to mainland China as there was no official route from this part of the airport to Hong Kong itself; while in the airport we were officially still in mainland China. So while some officials were arranging a boat back to Shenzhen I thought to tell them my double-entry Chinese visa had already used up its entry quota, and that I didn't think I'd be allowed back. "No, no, it is fine", was the response. I wasn't convinced. A few minutes later I was called over to pay for the boat tickets back. "Are you sure I'll be allowed back?" I asked again? "Yes, of course". So I paid for the tickets and went back to console the wife. But I still had a nagging doubt in my mind as I've experience officialdom in these parts before and I don't have complete confidence. I insisted the boat ticket sellers ring the Shenzhen customs and explain my visa situation. They did, and after getting some other people involved in the conversation sheepishly told me I wouldn't be allowed back in with my visa and offered me a refund.
But now there was a different problem; I was not officially allowed to get to Hong Kong from where we were. Well I wasn't prepared to spend a week in an airport with poorly Xixi so again I insisted that some sort of protocol needed to be broken or I would ensure that they would regret it. Eventually some higher-ranking airport official came to sort out the problem. After some sad goodbyes, Xixi and I left the rest of the family for a strange walk through the airport with our luggage, past bemused officials, and after going through passport control again were now officially in Hong Kong. The next step was to go to the airport doctor to get an official "Not fit to fly" certificate. Not only did the certificate cost 40 quid, we were also "advised" to buy some ointment for another tenner. Then we were told that once Xixi's spots had become crusty we could take her back to the doctor to inspect again and give her a "Fit to fly" certificate if all was ok. "Can I go to any doctor to do this?", "No, you must come back here". I had a nagging doubt again.
Our last port of call in the airport was to book a hotel. I just wanted something close for the time-being, and we found that there was a good discount on one of the hotels a few minutes from the airport, as business had not been so good recently - 60 quid for a night was not too bad. After a taxi to the (rather nice) hotel and a shower and poopoo (for Xixi), we went for a walk. It was funny seeing Indians standing at a table in a 7-11 drinking beer from a can. And we saw some white people too. But red was the colour I was interested in. I probably go on about it too much, but I'm still shocked about the quality/style of red wine produced in China when they have such great weather for grape growing. One day I expect them to be exporting some grands crus. One day. But Hong Kong had imports at a similar price to the UK. I got a couple of mini bottles for me, plus some nibbles for us to eat.
Xixi seemed very non-plussed about the whole experience. She took everything in her stride and was a delightful companion. Unfortunately Tan was uncontactable as her Chinese SIM card didn't work in Hong Kong, and she hadn't put her UK one in. That night, over a glass of wine after Xixi had gone to sleep, I hoped they had got on their 11pm flight ok, and wondered what the next few days had in store for us.
Wednesday, July 01, 2009
Goodbye Pingguo, hello chickenpox
The day of leaving had unwelcomingly arrived like the last orders bell during a particularly good night out.
I was somewhat prepared this time. Yesterday I'd taken a photo of all the clothes I would leave behind so I could travel lighter next time. One thought did cross my mind though: if I keep doing this my clothes will last 5-10 times longer than normal, which could mean for as many years photos of me in China will see me in the same, increasingly unfashionable attire. So I probably will keep bring new clothes anyway.
Some of the clothes I left - so I remember what I have
Xixi looking good in pigtails
Waipo was coming back with us to be with Xixi for a few more months, so we all piled in a couple of cars with various other friends and relatives wishing to send us off. Tan was concerned that Xixi wouldn't be allowed to fly due to having picked up chickenpox from Leilei a few days back. I said of course there would be no problem....
On the road I noticed that for the first time in what seemed months (probably because it was) we wore seatbelts - at least the two people in the front, of which I was thankfully one. It didn't seem to matter for the 7 people piled into the back. The Chinese have come up with something that there is no market for in just about any other Western country: the seatbelt socket protector and prettifier. That's all I can fathom about this contraption that appears to have no other purpose than to sit in the seatbelt socket in place of an actual seatbelt. I think they also need to market a seatbelt socket prettifier holder for those times you do actually need to use your seatbelt....
3 phones and a...seat belt socket protector?
Xixi with Tiantian at the airport
Saying goodbye...
After saying our "zai jian"s after another great stay we took a fairly uneventful evening flight except for the lightning storms that the pilot thankfully navigated inbetween. Upon check-in at the Vienna hotel in Shenzhen we decided to go for a bite to eat despite the late hour, and I sadly realised this would be our last proper Chinese meal this year.
I was somewhat prepared this time. Yesterday I'd taken a photo of all the clothes I would leave behind so I could travel lighter next time. One thought did cross my mind though: if I keep doing this my clothes will last 5-10 times longer than normal, which could mean for as many years photos of me in China will see me in the same, increasingly unfashionable attire. So I probably will keep bring new clothes anyway.
Some of the clothes I left - so I remember what I have
Xixi looking good in pigtails
Waipo was coming back with us to be with Xixi for a few more months, so we all piled in a couple of cars with various other friends and relatives wishing to send us off. Tan was concerned that Xixi wouldn't be allowed to fly due to having picked up chickenpox from Leilei a few days back. I said of course there would be no problem....
On the road I noticed that for the first time in what seemed months (probably because it was) we wore seatbelts - at least the two people in the front, of which I was thankfully one. It didn't seem to matter for the 7 people piled into the back. The Chinese have come up with something that there is no market for in just about any other Western country: the seatbelt socket protector and prettifier. That's all I can fathom about this contraption that appears to have no other purpose than to sit in the seatbelt socket in place of an actual seatbelt. I think they also need to market a seatbelt socket prettifier holder for those times you do actually need to use your seatbelt....
3 phones and a...seat belt socket protector?
Xixi with Tiantian at the airport
Saying goodbye...
After saying our "zai jian"s after another great stay we took a fairly uneventful evening flight except for the lightning storms that the pilot thankfully navigated inbetween. Upon check-in at the Vienna hotel in Shenzhen we decided to go for a bite to eat despite the late hour, and I sadly realised this would be our last proper Chinese meal this year.
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