Knobcottage in China

Well last night at about midnight , I got a call from the person I was supposed to be meeting telling me that maybe she would probably not be able to meet me.  It was her birthday and she was out celebrating.  She had realised that it was going to be a much longer night than expected and might not be around today!  At least she warned me!  I had not come here especially to see her but just as an incidental as I had to stop here overnight due to my home journey.  I knew she would be out drinking and had booked an extra night in the hope of seeing her.  However it looks like I probably won't see her. Maybe I'll go back to Tighten a day early!  Let's see what the day brings! So I went down.  Task one was to find a way across the eight lane dual carriageway.  There were excellent subways but they weRe being repaired.  No alternativebI could see, however at certain places near the subway there were well paths across gaps in the central reserv...

The next day, before we went left,  the hotle staff presented each of us with a pais of metal chopsticks and spoon!  A lovely little gifts! The gift from the hotel Me and the receptionist who present us with the little gifts. Meng and a bodhisattva Me and a bodhisattva Part of the temple Meng burning insence a cheeky monkey, who rather unsurprisingly later stole some fruit off a visitor, Monkey in a tree a monk who fancied his had at art...incidentaly he didn't charge or request any money.  Perhaps a glance at the finished product may indicate why! ...after this Meng took me for a meal and to a fantastic bookshop.  The meal was a hotpot.  Basically raw products that you cooked yourself in boiling liqiuds of various desrciptions...a knid of a fondu without cheese or oil.  We cooked some very interesting things...aprts of animals tht I have dont usually eat!  After that we got on the train back to Tongren N...

After freshening up at the hotel, we wentto the concert.  It was only 15 minutes walk away.  It was really quite unusual and very nice.  As usual Meng was really god company, a very easy going young lady!  The music was strings and piano with come interesting catoons playingon a big screen behind the musicians. Then back to the hotel and a long chat in the reception of the hotel.  It was a lovely night and a really nice hotel! The hotel reception area.

When we arrived in Guiyang, I had had warnings that there was heavy rain in nearby areas, when we got out of the airport I was expecting to see some rain, but this was big rain!  The road was flowing with water and under all the bridges people had got of their motorbikes and we're standing round, smoking, spitting and wringing out their clothes.  Cars, presumably without windscreen wipers, had just stopped at the side of the road...But traffic was still moving.  Anyhow, we finally got to the hotel and it appeared the rain had stopped.  The hotel didn't look special from the outside, nut Meng had picked a good one.  Inside it was lovely, and the staff were fantastic.  There were the usual problems trying to photocopy my passport for the Police* but we managed.  The guy behind the desk said something to Meng, she translated.  Then this robot showed us to our rooms.  Yup, a robot showed us to our rooms.  You can probably hear me giggl...

On Friday I had arranged to meet Meng at 11.30 outside the bank in which she works, but before that I had to check my salary.  It hadn't been paid.  If it wasn't paid, then I couldn't afford to stay over Saturday night.  I then spent an hour trying to get my agent to sort it out, only to face the usual barrage of half-truths and misinformation.  Eventually, after an hour,  I persuaded her to advance me some of the salary and decided to stay on in Tongren.  I met Meng, and it was a happy reunion.  She took me for a cup of coffee, and we net her friend for lunch. Meng and freind (again I cant remember names) Some of what we were eating...there was lots more and it tasted good! Real good, good company! During the course of the meal, she said she had a trip planned to go to Guiyang to take in some music.  She asked did a want to go.  Of course! In the meantime, another young woman called Angela contacted me and invited me out to a ...

By Wednesday, I had had enough of Juangkou, so I arranged to go to Tongren, and a friend Angela, a girl I had met with Wendy in Guiyang when I first arrived in China, had offered to take me out for a meal and some KTV (karaoke.)   I expected to go on Friday for Saturday night, but got a call on Wednesday night from Wendy.  Wendy is the woman who took me from Guiyang to Tongren when I first arrived in China.  Via a friend, she had heard that times were tough for me and invited me to chill out at her place, watch some TV and films, then sleep on the sofa overnight.  I jumped at the chance, as the school was closed Thursday and Friday.  So next morning I set off for Tongren.  I net her and her boyfriend in Tighten, and we headed back to her place.  She lived at home with her mother, brother and brother's girlfriend.   A view of the inside of the appartment.  My freinds tell me that this si quite expensively furnished. ...