I fly home next week for Xmas so have been battering the shops - the usual collection of 'genuine' trendy clothes, shows, watches etc, not to mention several visits to the DVD shop (in the same day)...I'd got that much stuff, walking past the suitcase section, I saw the mother of all cases. It was as large as a small island between China & Japan, and definitely worth fighting for - I put a no-fly zone around it and asked the woman if it was strong enough to withstand the bastards at BJ airport who feel no shame when taunting passengers who watch from the windows while they throw them around the tarmac next to the plane. She assured me it was, and not only threw it around the place (I kid not) but invited me to join her in kicking it, jumping on it and even lying the extended handle against the wall and kicking it, 'Kung-Fu' style. I bought it, but politely asked for a new one from the stock room (mug - the demo one was probably specially made & the one I bought made from paper-mache)...
Throwing all my stuff in the case, I wandered around like Albert Steptoe with all my worldly possessions and bought a load more shite, unzipping the coffin and throwing it all into the jaws of the suitcase-beast.
When I finally left - after crushing several small children under the wheels of the Behemoth - even the taxi driver said "feck wank heeevy" which didn't need much translating...
It's getting Chrismassy here (for the benefit of the Westerners who have loads of money to spend) and Sanlitun looked lovely, if slightly non-genuine. Makes me sad to think about Christmas & hear the carols and be so far away...but home soon...
Saturday morning routine include changing the bedding and the ritual fight with the quilt, to get it in the cover. Took me 4 attempts this time, with a pause to calm down in between. As I shout "BASTARD THING!" over and over,I'm sure my neighbours mutter "He's changing his bedding again..." while trying to doze back to sleep - I really do need to lie in rather than get up so early at weekends...
Got my passport back today (visa renewal - took 3 weeks because they create 3000 jobs to process each one) and final visit next week to Kaifeng (wherever that is) Monday-Wednesday. Then fly back to UK on Friday night.
Can't wait...
No comments:
Post a Comment