Walk followed by great evening with Lu zong

I woke up at 8.30am to find some messages from home I needed to attend to. Well over seven hours' sleep was more than usual so I was quite happy and considered myself beyond jetlag and up for the day. Until I woke up at midday, and then again at 12.45pm. Oh well, according to my app I'd had over 11 hours' sleep so I must have needed it.

I had lunch of the three leftover xiaolongbao, a pack of nuts from the aeroplane, and the last yoghurt to go with my supplements. I thought about doing some exercise but I found the 95% full can of beer I'd somehow managed to open and take a swig of last night, and decided it would be wrong to let it go flat. And then another found itself open but I didn't go silly...it would have been a waste of the day, so decided a long walk would be the best way of catching up on exercise that otherwise wouldn't happen.

I walked up Deng Xiaoping hill and was physically shaking by the time I got to the top. It was apparently 16° but had felt half that when I left the house. By the top of the hill it felt like the 20s and shortly after I removed my coat. It was actually lovely to be outside in this weather rather than the 2° I'd left in London, and after an hour, while on the phone to Awl, I heard someone shout that I'd come back, and it was coming from Lu zong's water shop.

He was very happy to see me and we had a hug and I was invited to drink tea, which I happily did. We spent the next 30 minutes chatting and he invited me to his bar in Jiangbin Lu and as I had nothing on I happily accepted again. He asked me to invite Huang Lei, but he said he had a celebration to attend and would see the situation later, at least that's a literal translation. I also asked Zhang Hua, but fair enough he'd probably be busy in his bbq place, so I said we'd go and eat there another day.

Lu zong on the right and a couple of mates with whom I drank tea in the water shop as you do

Next it was to Guanmart to pick up the usual beer and yoghurt, and some dried squid and boiled eggs as I'd not been invited to eat tea and would need something before the bbq we'd no doubt have in three hours. So a pack of squid and one boiled egg later I was full enough, but started to feel tired again. Should I have a coffee and risk being up all night, or should I have a beer to try to get into the mood for a couple of hours' time. Well I did the latter, then felt a bit guilty and more tired, so after a couple of sips of my second beer I stopped and made the coffee from the small jar I'd bought last month and the small jar of Coffee-mate I'd bought last summer.

When I got home it was 6.97km so I went out again in my slippers to walk enough to get to 7km

I don't know if it did the trick but I didn't sleep but did finish the second beer after the coffee. Then I realised I'd better put out the clothes I'd just washed. But then Tan decided to call and we chatted about where I should stay. I shouldn't really be here at Waipo's house due to her falling out with Jiuma, and I'd had no response re staying a month at a hotel for 800 kuai for a month. So Tan said I should get in contact with Lin Hong and go to stay at her dad's place which was empty, so I said I'd call her later, though I'm not in a massive rush as I don't think anyone will be here for a while.

According to the weather report it was 4° but it didn't feel much different from earlier. It meant the clothes wouldn't dry for a long while although it's supposed to be 20° tomorrow so who knows? I grabbed my first shower in 33 hours and at 9.05pm pinged Lu zong to let him know I was on my way. I've spent a decent amount of time at his bar so brought my second and last bottle of duty-free, being Sicilian lemon gin, plus a bottle of tonic water bought from my local Co-op, and he was genuinely appreciative of it and thanked me very much. I'd invited Huang Lei but he was at a wedding celebration and may come later, Zhang Hua but he was working, and Li Kun, who said he'd be along later.

I got to the bar at 9.20pm and Lu zong was there with a woman who I think works there. I immediately had two pig eyeballs thrust in my bowl which I wasn't massively happy with but I'd had a light tea and was hungry. I much preferred the duck foot that was passed my way later. He was on the white stuff but poured me a beer and it was like old time. As time passed more people turned up, meaning more ganbeis. Presently Huang Lei turned up, the worse for wear, but it was cool as he decided to drink beer rather than bai jiu. Some young bloke turned up and we made him sit with us for a couple of beers before we went to his table and ended up drinking four beers with that lot. That's just how it is here.

I know where Lu zong's bar is now thanks to this graphic that is beamed onto the pavement outside...I'm not drunk...i...i can drink

The other part-owner of the bar in the foreground, Lu zong on the right then anti-clockwise Li Kun, Huang Lei, and another mate

We proceeded to eat snails and pig foot before cooking pig innards which I didn't massively appreciate. Li Kun turned up and an hour later Huang Lei declared he was going home, which I was grateful for because earlier he asked if he could crash at my place but I knew Tan wouldn't be happy about that. Apparently he'd been up at 5am to do a lot of driving for the wedding, before indulging in rather a lot of booze, so I was grateful he'd turned up in the first place.

A better quality pic from the other part--owner's phone...well mine is over 7 years old now so I'm due a new one

A bit later Lu zong declared he'd had enough too and made a move home. Li Kun and and the rest of us stayed maybe an hour longer during which we played caima of course, before we finished the beer and decided to leave at getting on for 1.30am. That was perfect timing as City were to play Salford at 1.45am, so I just had enough juice to get the dian dong che back home and put it on charge as now with the cold it's not getting much more than 20km per charge. I'm considering getting new batteries for about 500 kuai but I could probably get a new dian dong che for 3000...though would I get the chance to use it?

Anyway I was home and found a good stream and it was a relatively predictable victory over a team three leagues' lower, and I only had three beers during the whole match, although I was dropping off halfway through the second half. All-in-all another great day in Pingguo.