It's hard to believe that I’m writing my last blog of the year to you already. The year has really flown by, filled with a mixture of good and bad, exciting and boring, illness and perfect health.
But before I get too reflective let me fill you in on our final trip of the year. A few weeks ago Gareth was required to do some work in Chengdu. China has never held great appeal to me, but when Gareth reminded me that Chengdu is that famous place where they have that famous Panda Breeding Centre (and have almost single handedly saved the panda from extinction), and I love bears, and to see them close up, but in a natural environment would be a dream come true, wild horses couldn’t keep me away from the Chinese Embassy applying for a visa.
When you arrive in Chengdu there’s no mistaking that you are in China. The air is thick and grey, partly because it is winter, partly due to pollution. Taxis are cheap and easy to get, and the hotels are first class from personal service to quality rooms. Step outside of your lovely, cosy, warm hotel room and into the brisk chill of a winter’s morning and you are greeted by that lovely sound of people on all sides of you clearing their throats, then spitting and gobbing as if they were on The Kop! Alas, this was one habit I just couldn’t get used to, and the fact they empty their lungs about every 10 seconds onto the pavement means you are constantly looking at where you are putting your feet – a bit like trying to avoid getting chewing gum on the soles of your shoes.
Something that could easily damage your health if you don’t have your wits about you is the 1000’s of electric motorbikes. Of course China is famous for her pushbikes and you do see the odd one, but most people now have mopeds, or small motorbikes powered by electric. This is fantastic for the environment, but makes these vehicles completely silent so you have no idea if one is behind you or coming round the corner ready to knock you off your feet! The danger is doubled at night. To save energy they don’t switch their headlights on, so not only can you not hear them, but you can’t see them either. The only time you know when one is there is when the rider does a big spit!!
On the upside, this is an interesting place if you like history and spicy food. Chengdu is the capital of the Sichuan province in the South West of China. It used to be walled city and parts of that wall can still be found amidst the generation of new buildings going up left, right and centre (yes, this city is another Building Site in full swing). Thankfully some of the ancient buildings and traditional cultures can still be found within the compounds of some fine Buddhist temples. For a very small fee, you can spend all day in these places and take in the serene atmosphere of a time gone by. The temples we went to all had an air of how it was centuries ago. Many people visit daily and light incense sticks either to show thanks for what they have, or pray for something better.
All of these fascinating temples house traditional Chinese tea house/gardens where for less than a dollar you can sit all day, drink tea and watch the locals playing cards, knitting (women take their knitting with them everywhere. We even saw ladies knitting at junctions waiting to cross the road!), and generally putting the world to rights. As their name suggests, these places only serve tea, if you want to eat, you either bring food with you, or wander round the streets where you can get fantastic, homemade noodles and wontons cooked on the roadside before your very eyes. Sichuan food is very spicy, and you can get spicy meat, spicy fish, spicy “funny stuff on a stick”, or our fave, spicy potato kebab. This is about 6 small potatoes part boiled, then deep fried on a big skewer. Then smothered in chili flakes and cumin – perfect to warm you up and tied you over before tea – makes your lips go numb too!
Then, of course, there are the pandas!! So many, so cute, so easy to spot, so playful, so sleepy, so wonderful!! The staff at the breeding centre does a fantastic job; in fact they do such a good job that there are more pandas than they ever thought possible! The older “Giant Pandas”, tend to stay in-doors and don’t do much except eat, sleep and produce, so most of the pandas you see are between 2 and 5 years old. They have more energy to delight the crowds and are very social. Gareth swears he saw 3 pandas playing cards, and that they hid the deck when we turned up!! Some of them look like blokes in Panda Suits they are so human like. Then, there are the red pandas, which are even cuter!! They are quite small and resemble the raccoon. Whilst you can’t touch any of the bears (unless you want to pay $140 to have your photo taken with one!)), you do get quite close to them, and the place is set in parkland so you feel as if you are in their natural habitat, not a zoo. Of course, they are very photogenic too – so I took about 230 photos of them!! Thankfully, you don’t have to look at them all, but a selective few are on a new slideshow on this page. Some of the best ones will also go onto Picassa when I get the chance.
So overall it was an interesting trip, and the pandas made it super-special, but it doesn’t do much to make me want to go back and explore more of China. The spitting, the pollution, the old being destroyed at a mind boggling pace to make way for the new, the news stories of more coal mining disasters, all add to the greyness of the sky and the dampness in the air. The people are friendly and helpful, the children a delight, the way they go about their daily lives amazing, but I missed the genuine warmth and surroundings of those we met earlier this year in places like Cambodia and Bali where we are more likely to return next year.
So, a final round up of what’s going on in Singapore.
What’s Hot:
Our bodies!!! Well, they should be soon – we’ve just signed up for yoga classes to try and transform us from podgy panda bears to serene yogi bears!! The problem with Singapore being such an easy place to live in (what with great public transport and food everywhere) is that the pounds pile on and you suddenly realise that you’ve got a bigger gut than the pandas you’ve just visited!! It’s too bloody hot to go jogging round the streets and gyms just don’t “do it” for us regardless of what Nike says. Yoga is becoming more and more popular here with some great facilities offering everything from beginners’ classes to tying your legs in a knot behind your neck in 3 easy steps! So, we’ve joined the ranks of the likes of Madge and several other celebs that swear yoga is the way to go for total mind and body control. I just want to able to eat a whole box of After Eight Mints in one go without feeling guilty!
What’s Not:
Christmas carols in supermarkets and shopping malls. I know it’s the festive season and all that, and don’t want to sound like Scrooge, but it really is both annoying and ridiculous to hear Bing Crosby singing about Sleigh Bells in the Snow and a miracle in a small town just outside of Jerusalem, when it’s averaging 34 degrees in the shade and the populist religion is Buddhism, followed by Islam then Muslim. The fact that Christmas Day is like any other in Singapore does have a distinct advantage in that everything stays open. So, if you don’t like the pressie you opened on Christmas morning, you can take it back straight away and exchange it for something you really want without having to wait for Boxing Day!
And Finally:
Regardless of whether you’ve been good or not this year (and that includes Tiger!!), we sincerely hope that Santa visits and you get great presents that you don’t have to take back any day!
To those who’ve stayed in touch throughout the year – thanks – we LOVE to hear from you and know that you’re all doing OK. To those who haven’t, we trust you’re OK and surviving this mad, mad world we live in!
May the leaders of the free world come to an agreement on climate change before it’s too late and
may you all have a safe and happy holidays!
Cheers then
J & G
