Getting the dian dong che sorted and more late night footy

I awoke to read the fairly obvious news that Labour had a landslide. I didn't realise that they only had something like 1.7% more of the vote than last time, but Conservatives had lost 20% and most of that to Reform. So it was like a massive protest vote by erstwhile Tories who couldn't bring themselves to vote Labour. But that translated into so many more seats for Labour. I'm really not sure what I think about PR now (or what it would have been with PR and 15% Reform MPs)...maybe the French system is least worst.

By 7pm I realised I really had to find the bike, so checked Google photos again and for some reason now it showed a map! Despite the zero lat and long yesterday. What had happened overnight? I had not expected anything to change, and I'm aware Einstein said something like the definition of stupidity is doing the same thing time and time again and hoping for different results (aka the Southgate Syndrome). Well it wasn't time and time again, and there will be a reason for it. Maybe it takes time to process that aspect of the photo and they do it in batches rather than for every single upload. The only issue was that it showed the red marker in the hillside. I guess this is because I've heard when using Chinese GPS they don't give you exact results. But it was near enough where I thought it would be.

Outside I got on Jiuma's dian dong che and had a quick thought: if Google photos is showing the map view then surely the phone will. I opened it up and eventually found if you swipe up it revealed a map view and you could click on a link to open it up in Google Maps, which gave a much more accurate pin. Why it was more accurate I don't know but won't complain this time. Some of my photos in Google photos say they were taken in Peru and Vietnam and I've not been there recently or set the VPN to use these countries.

Still, it took 25 minutes to find the bike, but it would have been three times that on foot. And it was getting pretty dark too. Next I had to work out what to do. I walked up the road 50 yards and found a dirt track leading to a small place with a corrugated roof under which I could see a light. I walked down and saw a woman get and look at me, so I told her I was rather embarrassed but could she point me to a place where I could charge my dian dong che? She looked a bit puzzled and called for her husband, who leapt out and I said the same thing and he just said plug it in here and have something to eat! This is so Chinese...at least Guangxi.

I offered to pay but they were having nothing of it, and sat me down with a bowl and a beer which was handy as I'd not had tea yet. The next half hour was a very pleasant chat together with a few photos which were shared on his Weixin group of course. The beer went down well and I was quite comfortable before I realised I needed to get Jiuma's bike back, so I explained and said I'd come back in an hour or so to pick up my bike, which was fine by them.

Back home Leilei was waiting for Jiuma's bike so I let him have it. I needed to do a little shopping, but more importantly I needed to learn how to book a hire dian dong che. So after the shopping I pinged Li Kun as I knew he'd be able to help me. But at his office he'd just popped out to pick up his son. Ha, no problem Li Kun's mate said he'd take me in his car. And just like that I sent him the location and we were there 10 minutes later. I had remembered to bring two packs of chocolate for the family's two sons, but when I got there only the grandpa was there as the parents were putting the kids to sleep. So I explained what the little present was, and to put it in the fridge. He said to come back one evening for a meal and I think I probably will.

Having tea with a kindly family who let me charge up the dian dong che there

Li Kun's mate insisted I follow him back, and thankfully the two hours' charge was more than enough to get back, using a much more direct route than I'd taken the other night.

It was now 10.30pm and Li Kun was there with his wife and son, as well as two other mates. He told me off for saying Austria would beat Türkiye then asked me who would win out of Spain and Germany. I said Spain were the better team but Germany had the home advantage, so based on similar statistics for the former game I reckoned Germany would shade it. So he said he was going to bet (not real money) on Spain, and we were to go out to watch the match at the same place as the other day; if Spain won he would pay and if Germany won I would pay. Damn, I actually thought Spain would win.

After a few glasses of tea and beer, we left 20 mins before the game and I made sure I plugged in the dian dong che at ours first. It was nice to have the six or seven of us there (Li Kun's wife and son and another wife and son also came), and it being a Friday there were far more people eating outside than last time. Well it was a pretty ok match that excitingly went to extra time though Tan called to ask why out so late again. Bloody Spain did it late into extra time but it was the result I'd have taken before the "bet" and I happily went and paid the 264 kuai that had kept us fed and watered for nearly three hours.

Late night footy watching after some had had to go home to bed